A Parcel in Murrysville for Preservation
Dick Byers
I am amazed at how much development has taken place in Murrysville since I left eight years ago. Every time I drive the back roads when I’m in town, I see buildings that weren’t there on my previous visit. The amount of land left to be placed in the public trust is fast diminishing. People who moved here for Murrysville’s “rural character” are rapidly seeing it become more urbanized by the week.
There is a 21.6 acre parcel, zoned R2, which adjoins the Lillian Kellman Nature Reserve. This is the Skena Farm Estate that fronts on North Hills Road. The land includes a scenic pond, which forms the headwaters of the stream that runs through the Kellman Park property. A developer has made an offer to the Estate to purchase the property for $435,000.00. Some heirs of the Estate are trying to save the property from development; are working to obtain a one-year grace period, then came to the Westmoreland Conservancy’s November meeting requesting help. That is a hefty amount of money for our organization to raise in a year’s time and the board members were immediately stymied by the price tag. It is certainly well beyond the capacity of the Conservancy’s finances.
However, we shouldn’t write this off without first exploring our membership resources. After all, a similar amount of money was raised (when matching Government funds are counted) to buy the Kellman Farm in the 1990s. Perhaps there is someone out there with the experience in fund raising who also has the time and energy to handle the job. Never say it can’t be done. I have too often seen the impossible done before. Some years ago the Pennsylvania chapter of the Nature Conservancy sought to buy a small parcel of land in the southeast corner of the state that contained a pond that was home to the rare bog turtle. The price tag was $500,000. The seller agreed to sell it to the conservancy rather than a developer if they could come up with the money in a specified period of time. They took the challenge and, incredibly, they succeeded. They had everyone in the area involved, from local businessmen, schools, Lion and Kiwanis clubs, nature organizations, and the Boy & and Girl Scouts troops. They had bake sales, car washes, walkathons, birdathons, spaghetti dinners, flea markets, raffles and grant proposals. The stores in several towns had donation boxes on the counter. I remember an elementary school that raised $2000 – all for a turtle. That was about 20 years ago. Granted, they had a lot more time, but it shows what can be done if a group can get organized and set their mind to it. What it takes is an organizer who can devote a lot of hours and energy. I think the time limit, rather than the money is the biggest stumbling block and perhaps the best route to go would be for grant proposals, but even there we are just narrowly within the time required for foundation grants to get approved and processed.
Why should this land be saved? Fifty years ago no one would have blinked an eye had this property been developed. But 50 years ago there were 131 million less Americans, a lot more open space, and Murrysville was still rural. Aside from the fact that suburban green space is getting scarce, there are lots of other reasons for preserving this land. It will act as a natural buffer to the community owned Kellman Nature Reserve. The two properties would combine to form a 77-acre tract having a pond in the middle of town, close to local schools which have already used it in their education programs. It would allow more access to the Kellman Reserve from North Hills Road. There is room there for a parking lot in which buses could turn around. Keeping the land open means less population and traffic in Murrysville. One less housing development means less pressure on school classroom space, the hiring of more teachers, less pressure on the sewage system which has been constantly forced to expand, less snow removal and road repair required, etc. etc. Need I say more? I think most of our members know the advantages of open space over more sprawl.
If any person or persons would like to take on this challenge, please make your intentions known by contacting the Westmoreland Conservancy via email at contact@westmorelandconservancy.org or via regular mail at P.O. Box 446, Murrysville 15668 or by calling Clarence Skena directly at (724) 327-3656.
Update: (October 2009) Information was emailed by a board member of the Westmoreland Land Trust that the Skena parcel has been acquired by the Westmoreland Land Trust, and will shortly be turned over to the Municipality to become a complementary reserve to Kellman.
July 12, 2008, Buck Skena lead a 10 AM walk along the Skena Farm
