Armstrong County officials apparently intend to retain ownership of Gilpin/Leechburg Park.

In January, Armstrong County commissioners sent letters to Gilpin and Leechburg officials to gauge interest in both municipalities taking ownership of the park property.

Gilpin officials voted to accept ownership, but the matter never made it to a vote in Leechburg,

And, now, county officials say they no longer want to give the park to the two municipalities.

Robert Pastva, president of the Joint Recreation Authority, a local group created by Gilpin and Leechburg to operate the park, said he attended the June county commissioners meeting, inquiring about the status of the park transfer.

“I was told it was dead by Darin Alviano, Armstrong County’s executive director of planning and development,” Pastva said.

Alviano did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but county Commissioner Jason Renshaw confirmed the transfer is no longer an option.

“Too many state grants involved to transfer. It’s best to keep it with the county. It was my understanding that the grants had to be repaid” if the park is transferred, Renshaw said.

County Commissioners Don Myers and Pat Fabian did not return repeated calls for comment.

But officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the source of the grants, said the reason for not moving forward with a park transfer can’t be blamed on grant repayments.

“Grants do not have to be repaid when parks are transferred between public entities,” said DCNR press secretary Wesley Robinson.

Gilpin and Leechburg officials said they had not received any additional communications about the park transfer, and the county commissioners never facilitated a joint meeting that officials were requesting.

“We’re in the dark,” Pastva said. “Alviano said if the county transferred ownership of the park, the park would have to repay all (state) grants received. He said it was because of a ‘DCNR’ thing.”

Gilpin supervisors unanimously voted Feb. 14 to accept the park’s transfer.

Leechburg Council discussed the issue but never took any formal action on the park, said Leechburg Councilman D.J. Zelczak.

“From the very beginning, we had a Gilpin resident, a former supervisor, and he raised some concerns for us, and we wanted to investigate what his concerns were. The meeting never happened,” Zelczak said. “I think the commissioners were more than happy to meet with us, but it never came to fruition.”

Gilpin Supervisor Charles Stull said he’s disappointed by the decision to not transfer the property and by the lack of communication from Armstrong County commissioners.

“I’ll continue to work with our Joint Recreation Authority and Leechburg Borough to ensure our park receives adequate funding and continues to operate moving forward,” Stull said.

The Joint Recreation Authority includes representatives from both municipalities.

The park relies on donations for its operation and is not affiliated with the nearby Leechburg Area Pool.

“A lot of people think we’re part of the pool, and we’re not,” Pastva said. “We break even on maintenance, but we don’t have extra money for improvements.”

Pastva noted many of the past supporters and volunteers affiliated with the park are older, with the average age of volunteers in the 70s.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review Here is one of the five pavilions available for public rental in Gilpin/Leechburg Park.  

The park features softball and baseball fields, a basketball court, tennis courts, a large playground area, a nature trail, five pavilions and restrooms.

“I think this park is one of the best-kept secrets in Gilpin. A lot of people don’t know it’s even here,” Pastva said.

For now, everything will remain status quo with the park, Stull said.

In the past, Pastva said, the local Rotary and Lions clubs and pavilion rentals have provided most of the donated funds.

A recent park donation drive included 75 letters that were mailed to local businesses and organizations.

Park volunteers fielded two responses out of the 75, both of which did not include donations.

“We do our best with what we’ve got,” Pastva said.

The park, which is more than 45 years old, includes just less than 24 acres. It is leased from the county for $1 annually.

The land must always be used as a park, according to a stipulation included in the property deed.

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