Luzerne County may update dated Open Space, Greenways and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan

Luzerne County’s Open Space, Greenways and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan was released two decades ago, prompting a push to complete an update.

The topic is on Tuesday’s council work session for discussion.

Ellen Ferretti, executive director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania land conservancy non-profit North Branch Land Trust, urged county officials to seek grant funding to help cover the cost during a recent meeting of council’s Act 13 Committee.

This committee discusses spending of the county’s natural-gas recreation funding, which would be needed to cover the grant match.

Ferretti told the committee the county’s 2004 plan resulted in the conservation of thousands of acres of prime watershed land now managed as public lands by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry.

“These lands not only offer access to an array of outdoor recreation options but also act as natural stormwater absorption centers being largely forested throughout,” Ferretti said.

Trail planning and construction also advanced countywide since the 2004 plan, she said.

The plan has been cited in hundreds of grant applications throughout the county over the last 20 years because most entities awarding public and private funds want assurances proposed projects are part of a comprehensive planning and vetting process for maximum impact, Ferretti said.

However, the 2004 plan is now dated, she said.

An update is warranted to again identify needs for open space, trails and recreation and assess the economic benefits, she said. The county, municipalities and organizations would have an opportunity to weigh in on projects that should be included and then use the finished plan to push for grant funding, she said.

“What we’re talking about here is leverage — leveraging the cost of this plan toward future funding for all projects,” she said, referring to those seeking both public and private funding.

She estimated it will cost $150,000 for a consultant to complete a new plan for the county.

The county could seek to cover half of that expense, or $75,000, through a Community Conversation Partnerships Program application to DCNR before the April 2 application deadline, she said.

If a state grant is sought and secured, the county would commit up to $75,000 of its Act 13 funding to cover the required 50% match, officials said.

The county has received funding from natural gas drilling annually since the state authorized such earmarks under Act 13 in 2012.

It currently has approximately $417,000 available. In addition to periodic earmarks for internal and external projects, the county has been using portions of the funding for black fly spraying along the Susquehanna River and maintenance of the River Common recreation area.

Ferretti said she was among the citizens involved in a county team to create the 2004 master plan. Her career in conservation included serving as the state first female DCNR secretary from June 2013 until the start of 2015.

Based on feedback from her work statewide, Ferretti said there is “tangible increasing demand” for outdoor recreation and conservation by residents, tourists and other visitors.

Appreciation for the outdoors increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, she noted.

“We in Luzerne County and Northeastern Pennsylvania in general are blessed with a natural setting that is simply spectacular and an infrastructure not yet complete of trails and parks for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy, whether for a casual walk, a hike or a 5K run,” Ferretti told the council committee.

“This plan would provide the needed framework to chart the future of conservation and outdoor recreation — trails and parks — in Luzerne County for years to come,” she said.

Tuesday’s work session follows a 6 p.m. voting meeting at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions to attend remotely are posted under council’s online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

The county’s 2004 Open Space, Greenways and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan is posted in the planning and zoning department section at luzernecounty.org.

Black fly

In a related matter, council is set to vote Tuesday on a request to earmark $76,700 in natural gas recreation funding to cover the county’s costs to participate in last year’s Pennsylvania Black Fly Suppression Program. In accordance with the program agreement between the county and state, participating counties are billed at the end of each treatment season for their local share of the project.

Council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton, who chairs the Act 13 Committee, recently said “life would become miserable for those along the Susquehanna River” if the county did not fund annual spraying.

According to the state Department of Environmental Education, black flies are often referred to as gnats and are much smaller than the common house fly and closer to the size of a fruit fly.

“The gnats have the annoying habit of swarming around the heads of people outside on warm days and disrupt outdoor activities,” it said. “Swatting them is useless as they are quick to return, often flying into people’s eyes and sometimes delivering a painful and itchy bite.”

The county’s cost to participate in the 2025 suppression program will be $79,000, the state said.