Walking Purchase Park plan set for vote

Kelly Martin

Salisbury Township could soon come closer to polishing its "rough diamond."

Commissioners will vote on Jan. 27 on a resolution to accept the master plan for the preservation and rehabilitation of Walking Purchase Park.

The approximately 530-acre park sits entirely in Salisbury, but is owned by the township, Lehigh County and Allentown.

"It really is a rough diamond," said Cynthia Sopka, Salisbury's director of planning and zoning. Portions of the park, she said, have been turned into an illegal dumping ground and all-terrain vehicle tracks.

But, the $35,000 master plan, paid for with county grant money, recommends steps to take to make it more appealing for activities like biking, hiking and fishing over the next 10 years.

Allentown and the county will also have to pass resolutions accepting the plan before all three can begin applying for grant money to fund the project that could cost nearly $1.4 million.

Salisbury Township Manager Randy Soriano said the partners have to decide which portions of the plan to address first before they determine how much money to ask for from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

He said Salisbury does not have funds budgeted for the park project. He said the partners hope to find local business that will chip in.

The park is divided into three areas: the forested uplands, the lowlands that front 2.5 miles of Lehigh River, and a portion behind St. Luke's Hospital the county bought from the Bethlehem Water Authority.

The uplands is home to a number of native flora and fauna.

"The uplands likely represents the most ecologically intact forested land in the Lehigh Valley," according to the master plan.

It lays out strategies for protecting and restoring the uplands' natural features.

The lowlands, in contrast, is populated with invasive plants, illegally dumped trash and meadows torn up by all-terrain vehicles, according to the plan.

Some of the top priorities identified in the master plan call for gates to keep out dumpers and ATV riders, as well as signs outlawing those activities, and additional trash cleanups.

The plan also recommends building a 75-space parking lot off Riverside Drive, a boat launch, pavilions and a park office/education center. It also calls for improving and maintaining trails for biking, hiking and running.

Digital copies of the master plan are available at the Salisbury municipal building, and a copy, without pictures, can be found on Valley Mountain Bikers' website: http://www.bikevmb.com.

The mountain biking group has installed and improved trails in the park.

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Source: http://articles.mcall.com/2011-01-17/news/mc-salisbury-walking-purchase-park-20110117_1_master-plan-planning-and-zoning-uplands

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