Delmont Council is looking at borough properties it can add to Shields Farm in order to mitigate a minor lease that doesn’t comply with federal covenants governing the land’s use.
A 1998 1-acre lease for an above-ground gas tank on the former home of the R.J. Fields family farm isn’t in compliance with the federal covenants that have governed the property’s land use since it was transferred to the borough in 1980.
Borough Solicitor Dan Hewitt said he is working with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to identify an acre of borough-owned property that can be, essentially, substituted to make up for the gas tank lease.
“The property donated to us by the Catronella family two or three years ago connects to Shields Farm at the (Delmont Area Athletic Association) ball fields,” Hewitt said. “We think that’s a good option.”
The borough also owns a parcel of land on Hart Alley that Hewitt could be a backup option, but it is under consideration for a potential stormwater control project.
He said a good alternative could be the Rose Wigfield Parklet on Greensburg Street, donated to the borough in 1973 by the same Salem Crossroads Historical Society that worked to get Shields Farm transferred to the borough.
“DCNR has to ‘sell it’ up the chain to the National Park Service, which oversees the restrictive nature of the money used for Shields Farm,” Hewitt said. “They’d like to get it approved as soon as possible, and that way the borough can continue with plans to improve the farm property.”
Shields Farm is home to the annual Apple ’n Arts Festival in the fall, and the Delmont Pilgrimage during the Christmas season.
Walking trail
Councilman Stan Cheyne said he is planning to meet with DCNR officials to request half of a $100,000 grant the borough was awarded for the creation of walking trail in Newhouse Park.
The grant comes with a $70,000 local matching requirement.
“What I’d like to do is get someone out there who can take a look and start to design this,” Cheyne said.
The park has seen steady improvements over the past six years, from new basketball courts in 2019 to grant-funded drainage improvements, a new water fountain from the local Lions Club, and an upgraded parking lot with more paved surface.
Water trough
Vicki Walters from the Delmont Historical Society said the group has reached out to a group of Amish contractors about work on the reconstructed water trough on East Pittsburgh Street.
The trough dates back to the 1800s, and was still in use as late as the 1960s. By the 1970s, the water feeding it did not meet state water standards. It was disconnected, and was initially rebuilt in 1973.
The Delmont Lions Club used a local grant from the Community Foundation to rebuild it and install a solar-powered pump in 2016 to recreate the original running water, but Walters said it has experienced problems on a consistent basis over the years.
“It keeps leaking and deteriorating,” she said. “We’ve tried fixing it up a few times, but I think we’re all in agreement that it’s time to pull the plug on it.”
Walters said the society has access to some grant money and is waiting for an estimate to once again rebuild the trough, and has reached out local metal fabricators to see about installing a copper basin interior for the trough to prevent leaking in the future.