DAMASCUS, PA — It’s been one of the area’s best-kept secrets for years, but certainly not by design. “We weren’t trying to keep Damascus Park quiet,” said Damascus supervisor and Parks and Recreation chair Dan Rutledge, as he announced that the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Local Share Account (DCED-LSA) has awarded a $200,000 grant to Damascus Township for a 10-year project of improvements to the park.

The money comes courtesy of Monroe County gambling. Under the Pennsylvania Gaming Act (Act 71), LSA funds may be used for economic development, community development/redevelopment and public interest projects in Monroe County and the contiguous counties of Carbon, Lackawanna, Northampton, Pike and Wayne.

Said Rutledge of the award, “We had stiff competition; the other projects were at least as important and worthy as ours.” On behalf of the Damascus Board of Supervisors, he thanked PA representatives Mike Peifer and Jonathan Fritz, Sen. Lisa Baker and Wayne County Planning Director Craig Rickard.

Phase I of the master plan to make Damascus Park, which encompasses some 71 acres, more inviting, attractive, accessible, convenient and inclusive will start with enlargement of the parking area at the park’s entrance, adjacent to the Damascus Community Center. Located near the parking area will be a large kiosk greeting park visitors with a map of the park and its trail system as well as information about all facilities and amenities. The park’s existing baseball field is also slated for improvement.

But beyond this initial phase, to be completed by year end 2018, Damascus plans to make what was once a park known only to locals into a gem of a recreation area that will attract visitors from up and down the river corridor and around the world. With that in mind, the township has developed a questionnaire to help it dream big and serve as a guide to project fulfillment. The board asks that the public complete it either online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/DamascusTownshipPark, (link also available on Damascus Township website homepage: damascustwp.org), or on paper, available at the Damascus Community Center, 60 Conklin Road, Damascus, PA 18415.

A park commission has been formed to oversee the project, meeting at 7 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Damascus Township Municipal Building. The public is invited to attend all meetings and provide ideas and support.

Rutledge also announced that Damascus Park’s newest feature: the ice skating rink opened earlier this month, will shut down for the duration of the February thaw, but he said it should be back in business when colder weather returns in two weeks. Use of the rink is free to all. Rules and regulations for its use can be found at damascustwp.org/skating.htm.