This partnership between Warrington Township and Warrington Lions Club will welcome people of all ages and abilities
The Times
Lions Pride Park, a partnership between Warrington Township and the Warrington Lions Club, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on March 29 at 2 p.m. at the park, 3129 Bradley Road, Chalfont. All are welcome.
Lions Pride Park will be located at the former site of Twin Oaks Day Camp. The park will be a state-of-the-art, 17-acre multi-generational family recreation and educational facility for visitors of all ages and abilities, and will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Warrington Township Lions Club is working to raise $1.2 million for this project. To date, almost $900,000 has been raised for the park.
Lions Pride Park will feature a state-of-the-art play area known as Kids Mountain, which will include swings, slides, climbing towers and rope bridges. Adjacent to Kids Mountain will be The Grove, which will have picnic tables, shuffleboard and bocce courts. There will also be meadows and wetlands that provide habitat for birds, wildlife and bees; and trails that link to regional trail systems, such as the 202 Bicycle Path and trails along the Neshaminy Creek from Peace Valley Park out to the Delaware River.
One of the things that sets Lions Pride Park apart from other area parks is its Bluetooth-enabled beacon app, which will serve as a park guidebook. Beacons will be located near informative signs and when a smartphone app detects a beacon, a description will be played through the smartphone’s speaker. The description could be as simple as “oak tree” or as detailed as a webpage. Lions Pride Park will be one of the first parks in the Philadelphia area to have this app. It will also include GPS navigation to help the visually impaired move about the park more easily.
“This new multigenerational, all-inclusive park/playground will bring people of all ages and abilities together in a modern, yet natural setting to enhance the quality of life and recreation in the community,” said Jim Furlong, campaign chairman. “Thanks to the beacon app, people can learn more about the park’s plants, trees and amenities. We want our park to be one that engages people with the outdoors and educates them about the environment around them.”
Local dignitaries expected to attend the groundbreaking include: Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, Sen. Maria Collett, Rep. Todd Polinchock, Warringtown Township Manager Barry Luber, campaign chairman James Furlong, Ed Tustin of the Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation, Mimi Avellino of Andrew’s Friends Fund, and Warrington Township Supervisors Fred Gaines, Ruth Schemm, Carol Baker, Shirley Yannich, and Eileen Albilar.
To learn more, visit lionspridepark.org
