Warwick Township, Lancaster County saw an opportunity to use land adjacent to its municipal buildings to create much-needed community recreational space. With the help of an Environmental Stewardship Fund grant, the township acquired 20 acres and converted 10 of them into an active recreational facility that included a multi-use field, baseball fields, a bocce ball court, horseshoe pit, two sand volleyball courts, and a one-half mile trail. The entire park is open to the public from dawn until dusk. The fields and courts are used by countless youth groups and youth sports clubs.
The project, however was about much more than creating fields. It involved stormwater management, native planting, material reuse and recycling, and engagement of the local community. To boost the amount of stormwater absorption, a bio-retention basin was constructed to collect runoff and most of the impervious surfaces were replaced with porous asphalt and concrete. Many trees were planted in park, including Red Buds, Birch, Red Cedars, and White Pines. Food compost from local school districts and leaves from the township were used instead of chemical fertilizer.