By Amanda O’Rourke
LEWISBURG — The Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority approved a $620,000 budget Thursday, two days after the organization’s biggest project was caught in the cross hairs during a fierce meeting of the Union County commissioners.
No members of the public attended Thursday’s meeting of the LARA board to discuss the rail trail project. The board devoted little time to the issue, but board Treasurer Jim Buck wondered if the combative nature of the commissioners’ meeting caused an erosion of support for the project.
“I don’t think so,” board President Trey Casimir said.
Casimir said he, like Union County Republican Committee Chairwoman Yvonne Morgan, put out the call to trail supporters to attend the meeting in support of the project, but to keep their comments to themselves.
“I didn’t think there was anything to be gained by engaging in an argument with audience members,” Casimir said.
Casimir and board member Tom Zorn said since Tuesday’s meeting, they have received e-mails and phone calls in support of the project.
In other rail trail news, the board approved an agreement with Larson Design Group to continue on credit design plans for the 10-plus miles of old rail bed right-of-way between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg.
LARA is awaiting word on whether it will be awarded a $500,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to pay for design work on the trail, LARA Executive Director Kevin Drewencki said.
“Because of the state budget being so slow to get passed, that has slowed things down,” Drewencki said. “But we’re very, very hopeful the money will come through.”
To date, he estimated LARA has spent about $100,000 on the rail trail project for land acquisition and design. That dollar amount does not include staff time devoted to the project.
It was on Tuesday that Drewencki and Casimir asked the county commissioners if they would consider taking over the project. No motion was made or votes cast.
LARA’s 2010 budget is a frugal one, Drewencki said, cutting costs in maintenance and publications and increasing fundraising efforts with the hope of ending the year in the black by as much as $48,000. That money, Buck said, would be put toward debt service, specifically a line of credit with a balance currently at $200,000, only $40,000 of which has been put toward trail design.
“Our hope is to try to eliminate that as much as possible,” Drewencki said.
Other debt service LARA has assumed is on a $270,000 PennVEST loan used for renovations to the St. Mary Street Park and swimming pool.
