Group working with Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy to revitalize Agan Park

A group of elected officials and residents from Springdale and Cheswick boroughs is working with the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy to develop plans to improve a park in Springdale Township.

Although Agan Park is located along the township’s Riddle Run Road, it is jointly managed by Springdale Borough and Cheswick. The park includes a baseball field, concession stand, pavilion, a large open field and a number of recreational trails including a portion of the Rachel Carson Trail.

“Having a master plan would help us a lot in getting future grants to improve the park,” said Shawn Fitzgerald, president of the Agan Park committee and a Springdale councilman.

The conservancy received a $40,000 grant from the state’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to develop a plan at Agan Park and the surrounding area, according to John Stephen, trail network development coordinator for the organization.

Stephen said the conservancy has acquired nearby properties near Riddle Run Road and Valley View Drive.

Agan Park, he said, “is one of the highlights of the Rachel Carson Trail.”

“We’ve got the grant for a recreation and conservation plan for Agan Park, including the property the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy has acquired,” Stephen said.

As the groups begin the master plan process, public meetings will be scheduled in the winter to garner feedback from residents as to what improvements they’d like to see at the park, Stephen said.

Fitzgerald said it’s difficult to obtain funding without having an established plan.

“We’re at the early stages of this planning process,” Stephen said.

Fitzgerald said he already has heard some ideas from the public such as revamping the athletic fields and updating the concession stand, which has fallen into some disrepair.

“We would love to have a protected hiking trail for future generations,” Stephen said. “We have an unofficial trail head at Agan Park, but an actual trail head would be nice.”

Before Cheswick and Springdale took joint ownership of the park in 2020, the park’s oversight was going back and forth between the boroughs.

“Since the committee has gotten our feet underneath us, we’ve really been working to improve the park and get it in better shape than before and continue to improve it to make it even better,” Fitzgerald said.

The park “still gets used quite a lot, but not as much as it used to,” he said.

In its heyday, Agan Park would host Cub Scout and Boy Scout events and games for the Freeport International Baseball Invitational.

Fitzgerald encouraged the public to attend Agan Park meetings. The committee typically meets at 7 p.m. the last Thursday of the month, if needed, at the Cheswick Borough Building, but Fitzgerald said this month’s meeting might be held at Agan Park. He advised people to check the park’s Facebook page for updates.

“We’d love to have people involved in any way they’d like to be,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a great asset to have in our community, and we’re working to improve it and make it better.”