Cranberry Acquires Land, Plans to Expand North Boundary Park

Cranberry has plans in the works to expand the southern portion of North Boundary Park.

At Thursday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, officials voted 3-1 to approve sales agreements between the township and the executor of the estate of Marjorie M. Reynolds for two parcels of land totaling 6.37 acres along Goehring Road for the price of $555,000.

The money for the purchase was budgeted in the 2013 capital improvement budget, according to township manager Jerry Andree.

“It was a very successful acquisition,” he said.

Supervisor Dave Root voted against the motion, saying he did not approve of the township buying property after Cranberry raised taxes by 2.35 mils in 2012. Officials held the line on taxes in 2013.

“I realize it’s really opportunistic, it just bothers me that we had to raise taxes and we’re buying land,” Root said. 

Andree said the land, which currently is a horse farm, would be used to connect Goehring Road to the southern portion of North Boundary Park near the ball fields.  

Currently, the only way to access the park is via North Boundary Road.

Andree said neighbors in the Goehring Road area would be pleased to have another way to enter the park. He noted many new homes have been built along Goehring Road in recent years, including the new Franklin Crossings neighborhood currently under construction. When complete, the development will include 60 homes.

“They’re pretty excited,” Andree said.

At the least, the township will construct a pedestrian entrance to the park, but it is more likely to build a vehicular entrance, Andree said.

The township also may build an additional baseball field on the property.

Andree said Reynolds’ daughter, Lisa Reynolds, still lives and boards horse on the property. She plans to use the money from the sales agreement to buy land further away from the area’s residential development, Andree said.  

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