Among Lancaster’s inventory of parks and recreational areas, Conestoga Pines Park is distinctive, city Director of Public Works Stephen Campbell said.
Among other things, it serves a broad range of uses. The Lancaster Recreation Commision holds summer day camps there and operates the Conestoga Pines Pool. Canoeists and kayakers use it to access the Conestoga River.
Neighbors enjoy picnics, strolling and other “passive recreation.” Thousands of adults have happy memories of their adventures there as children.
Moreover, it’s the most untouched area of greenery in the city, Campbell said. Long’s Park is larger, but it’s dotted with ballfields, tennis courts, pavilions and the Long’s Park amphitheater.
Community members emphasized how much they value its peaceful, sylvan atmosphere, Campbell said, and city officials are committed to preserving it as they give the park an overhaul that it badly needs.
His comments came midway through the presentation earlier this month of a draft master plan for the park and the Walnut Street Fishing area to its west across the Conestoga River. About a dozen community members attended the meeting, held at the Lancaster Rec Center on Fairview Avenue.
The master plan is not a finalized blueprint, but rather a conceptual design that lays out the overall vision in broad strokes. The actual renovations will be plotted out and executed in phases, based on funding availability and other factors.
Major elements of the draft master plan include the following:
- Reconstruction of the park’s east side and reorientation of the drive to create a “true park entrance.”
- Renovation and expansion of the barn to create a year-round recreational and community center. (At present, the barn lacks a heat or air conditioning system and goes unused over the winter.)
- Addition of a covered outdoor area and adjacent “adventure course.”
- An enhanced trail system with handicap-accessible paths leading to scenic overlooks.
- Added parking.
- Riverside enhancements, including floating canoe/kayak launches.
- Trail connections to the planned Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway network.
Public input sought
What would you like to see at Conestoga Pines Park? Lancaster city’s Public Works department would like to know.
The department is accepting public input through March 18 on its Engage Lancaster portal. Community members can review the draft Master Plan and offer their reactions via a survey available in Spanish or English.
Conestoga Pines Park is absolutely central to the Lancaster Recreation Commission’s programming, Executive Director Heather Dighe said. Each summer, around 300 city children attend day camp there, while more than 4,000 people swim at the pool.
“We’re so excited that this gem of a resource will be revitalized,” she said.
Easier phases, such as trail renovations, could be completed as early as 2025, if everything comes together optimally, said Project Manager Andy Mears of engineering firm JMT. Bigger elements, such as the renovation and expansion of the barn, could take a decade or more.
It’s much too early in the process to offer any budget estimates, Campbell said.
What about the pool?
A major unsettled question is the future of the Conestoga Pines Pool. It’s in a flood plain, and previous floods have resulted in extensive, costly damage. The existing location may simply not be the right place for a pool, so the city is evaluating its options, Campbell said.
That said, it is committed to providing uninterrupted access to a municipal pool, either at Conestoga Pines Park or elsewhere, he said.
If the Conestoga Pines Pool is closed, it will be replaced by a recreational “water feature,” most likely near the barn. In that case, the pool and nearby parking lot would be demolished and the floodplain restored.
It’s something of a “golden moment” for renovating the park, Campbell said, thanks to a number of complementary projects that are in the works.
They include efforts led by the Conestoga River Club to improve access points for canoes and kayaks on the river and the mitigation of hazards such as dams.
The park also factors into the multi-municipal Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway, which would extend 14 miles between Leola and the Lancaster General Hospital Suburban Pavilion. A section of it would run through the park.
“We’re not just looking at Conestoga Pines in isolation,” Campbell said. “We’re looking at it as part of a network of access.”
