Land trust seeks consultant, public input for planned Hempfield park

Swallows swoop from their perches in the former Schwarz barn to feast on insects that populate the fields of the surrounding Hempfield farm.

The Westmoreland Land Trust, which now owns the property, plans to invite even more native species to enjoy the farm, along with the public. The trust’s board this month agreed to seek a consultant to help with planning as the organization looks to turn the 96-acre spread along Beech Hills Road into the Carl A. Schwarz Memorial Park.

The consultant will conduct public meetings to seek input on the park plans from residents in surrounding communities — including Hempfield, Jeannette, Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg and South Greensburg.

“The outcome of that process will be a plan to guide our engagement of a landscape architect and architect to make the necessary modifications to the property and structures to make it suitable for use as a park,” said Betsy Aiken, executive director of the land trust.

Preliminary plans for the proposed nature and art park call for gradually transforming the cornfields leased to Salem farmer Dennis Frye into meadows, while incorporating compatible art installations.

“It’s our hope that any art that is placed on the property will be very complementary to the natural beauty and also evocative of the cultural history of the area,” Aiken said. “We’ve had preliminary discussions with museums in the area, artists and art galleries.”

Though the farm is just 3 miles from downtown Greensburg, it provides a rural retreat to open spaces. The highest fields on the property provide scenic views, including the distant outline of Chestnut Ridge to the east.

“The views are pretty incredible,” Aiken said. “You get a sense of immersion in the country environment.”

The land trust is considering what mix of indigenous wildflowers and grasses will be most beneficial for birds and pollinators at the farm while limiting encroachment by unwanted invasive plants. With help from Friendship Farms, Lone Maple Farms, Ernst Seed of Erie and Westmoreland County Parks, the trust recently planted a pilot meadow at the Twin Lakes Park expansion area.

“Quite a few native species of plants and animals will benefit through time as the transition progresses,” land trust board member and conservation biologist Andrew Mack said of the planned Schwarz park. He said the revamped property could provide an improved habitat for native butterflies and bees, as well as wintering birds such as sparrows, finches and horned larks.

“We hope to provide nesting habitat for Eastern bluebirds and tree swallows, as well,” he said.

Other bird species that might benefit from the park development include the eastern meadowlark and American kestrel, according to Tammy Colt, fellow trust board member and wildlife diversity biologist with the Southwest Regional Office of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Other issues to be decided include uses of the seven-room brick home of the late Carl and Roberta Schwarz. Ideas include a nature center and a potential new headquarters for the land trust, which has office space along Donohoe Road in Hempfield.

Also to be determined is the fate of the former barn and silo on the property, which previously was known as the Baur dairy farm. If the structure can be preserved, it might provide a home for barn owls as well as barn swallows, but Aiken noted wooden beams on the lower level have been damaged by powder post beetles.

The land trust also is looking for a shortened name for the park and has received close to 100 suggestions — including Beech Hills. To submit a name suggestion or to be placed on the park mailing list, contact westmorelandlandtrust@gmail.com or Westmoreland Land Trust, 218 Donohoe Road, Greensburg, PA 15601.

The land trust purchased the property from the Roberta N. Schwarz Charitable Foundation for the assessed value of $222,000, with funding support from the Colcom Foundation and Allegheny Foundation. The Schwarz Foundation will annually provide a proportion of its disbursements to the land trust for development and maintenance of the property as a memorial park.

The land trust previously helped to conserve a dozen other Westmoreland sites, but each was turned over to another entity. The Schwarz property is the first the trust intends to keep.

“This project is much larger and ambitious,” Aiken said. “We want to create a very nice destination park, so we are proceeding very carefully and very thoroughly with planning.”