Walking trail at Harrison's Silverlake Park nearly complete

People are flocking to a new trail in Harrison that took barely a few weeks to construct in a park that sat vacant for decades.

There wasn’t an official grand opening, but the walking trail is the first step in the commissioners’ plan to resurrect Silverlake Park, sandwiched at the bottom of a ravine between Carlisle Street and Route 28.

“I was down there yesterday, and it looks really great,” Commissioner Chuck Dizard said.

On Monday, work began to install a railing along the upper portion of the trail.

It’s being paid for by royalties from a fracking line under the Silverlake property.

The township commissioners voted Nov. 28 to transfer up to $10,000 from the township’s Range Resources fracking account to pay for the work. Proceeds from the contract are restricted for improvements at the park.

Dizard said the railing is being installed along the steep portions of the trail to increase safety for walkers.

Crews from Salandro Excavating are fabricating and welding the railing on-site. If the rain holds off, work could finish this week, Dizard said.

There will be four park benches installed and nine signs to ward off motorized vehicles, such as dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles.

Commissioner Jim Erb said even the initial improvements go a long way to sprucing up the area.

“We are working on infrastructure and then redevelopment,” he said. “Very soon, Harrison will be a destination not just for residents but visitors alike.”

Trail work is being paid for by a $240,000 grant received in 2017 from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Constructed of “geocell,” a 4-inch fabric laid out like a honeycomb, the trail is filled with compacted gravel and topped with a fine layer of crushed stone. It winds downhill and along the valley near the lake, and measures about 8 feet wide.

Contractors installed a drainage pipe on one hillside section to divert spring water from the trail; gravel will help protect walkers from other mildly swampy areas.

“The surface is quite secure, although disturbed if ATVs dig it up,” Dizard said. “Deer running around also create small divots.”

A team of residents have volunteered to regularly rake some of the disturbed areas and collect branches or other debris.

“People have already been there and have been there walking dogs,” Dizard said. “It’s a good start after 50 years of deterioration. Much more will be needed, but this is a good start.”