The OAK HALL REGIONAL PARKLANDS
at 120 Linden Hall Road, Boalsburg, PA 16827
(Google Map Link)
68-acres in College and Harris Townships

COMMUNITY MEETING HELD on 9 Nov 2011
for Phase 1 Construction Planning. Summary posted.

MARCH 2011: As a result of the Master Plan discussions for the Hess Softball Complex, the COG General Forum approved an amended Master Plan that added a fourth all-age softball field to this site. The amended plan was presented at the Jan. 2011 Community Meeting and approved by the General Forum in March. More....

AUGUST 2011:   The Oak Hall Regional Parklands were acquired from Penn State University in 2005. The master planning process involved a number of public hearings, meetings with community recreation groups, interviews and public surveys - and that input provided the basis for the facilities to be developed at the regional parks. While the original Master Site Plan was approved in 2009, the plan was amended in March 2010 to better complement the facilities at the Hess Softball Field Complex (acquired in 2010).   The proposed Phase 1 development plan for Oak Hall Regional Park includes:
• 4 “All-Age” softball fields.
• Restrooms with flush toilets, concessions stand, 2-story press box and umpire space.
• Perimeter trail and those interior walkways serving the Phase 1 facilities.
• Entrance improvements and parking for 2/3 of total cars to accommodate four softball fields.
• All grading (to accommodate all future facilities), erosion control and stormwater management for the entire park.

The History....

The tracts for the regional park at Oak Hall were purchased from Penn State University by COG in July 2005.  
• In total, the 68-acre parkland acquisition cost $461,627.  The lands were officially appraised at $11,016 per acre; the purchase price was $6,569 per acre.
• The PA DCNR grant provided $300,000 of that amount (using Federal Land & Water Conservation Funds)
• College Township provided $156,627.
• Harris Township provided $5,000.

During 2008 & 2009 a Master Site Plan has been prepared for the site, funded by COG and another PA DCNR grant (Grant Amount of $38,000 announced in 2006). Seven firms submitted proposals to prepare a Master Site Plan. The committee selected four firms for additional consideration and on Thursday, 20 Mar 08, the COG Parks Capital Committee and the CRPR Board held 1 hour interviews with each of the 4 firms.  On Monday, 24 Mar 08, the COG General Forum unanimously approved the recommendation from the Ad Hoc Regional Park Committee that the firm of Pashek Associates be retained at a not-to-exceed price of $66,000 - and that selection was then approved by PA DCNR.

DCNR Grant Projects: Acquisition #LWCF42-01521; Planning #BRC-TAG-12-228

Regional Park Planning Started in August 2008; the original Master Site Plan was approved in October 2009 and then amended in 2011.
NOTE: The Master Site Planning Process (2008-2009) for this park included some important work on the basis of the Whitehall Road Parkland Plan.

The Centre Region COG engaged the firm of Pashek Associates to develop the Oak Hall Master Site plan. The master planning process will involve a number of public hearings, meetings with community recreation groups, interviews and public surveys - and that input will provide the basis for the facilities to be developed at both regional parks. Overall, the two regional parks will be designed to serve the needs of the region far into the future and to compliment each other, rather than duplicate existing park facilities across the Centre Region.

Click HERE to view the results of: the Resident Questionnaire (paper version) from September, the two Fall 2008 (22 & 23 Oct 08) park planning forums, the Resident eSurvey from October (web-based)

Residents Helped Plan The Regional Parks... Approximately 80 residents attended the Community Meeting for the presentation of the draft Master Site Plan for the regional parklands (68 acres) at Oak Hall on February 10, 2009, at the College Twp. Municipal Building. • The Meeting Agenda • The 42-slide Meeting Presentation (will open in a new browser window) • The Meeting Summary. Funding assistance for this cooperative project is provided by the Borough of State College, the Townships of College, Ferguson, Harris & Patton, and a matching grant from PA DCNR Bureau of Recreation & Conservation.

To view the full, amended plan shown above, please click here As approved in March 2011  (JPEG image, 3.5 MB) The (Initial) Master Site Plan Report - Executive Summary (Oct. 2009) (PDF, 0.5 MB) The Approved Master Site Plan AMENDMENT (Mar. 2011) (PDF, 1.1 MB) The Master Site Plan was presented to the COG General Forum on Tuesday, 28 May 09 by Mr. Jim Pashek. The May PowerPoint presentation (18 slides) is available HERE in HTML format. The show will open in a new browser window.  At that time, the 5 participating municipalities voted to consider and provide comments individually.  After those comments were incorporated, PA DCNR approved the plan, then the COG General Forum officially approved the plan on 26 Oct 09. The original Master Site Plan was AMENDED in 2011 to better complement regional softball opportunities in conjuction with the Hess Field Complex. The approved master plan reflects the project goals: 1) Accommodate a program of active recreation. 2) Provide a program of complementary recreation activities. 3) Respect the opportunities and limitations of the site. 4) Respect the adjacent community. 5) Create a beautiful and dignified park space that will improve over the years, find acceptance in the community, and become a valued asset to the region. The final plan provides for four adult softball fields, playground and pavilion area, perimeter walking trail, off-leash dog park, open meadow areas, sledding area and parking.

2009 STATE GRANT APPLICATION: In April 2009, the COG applied to PA DCNR for a grant to assist with the Phase 1 development of Oak Hall Regional Parklands. The $185,000 request was intended to provide 30% of the project cost. In January 2010, the COG was advised that the grant application was not selected due to the number of other applications they received; PA DCNR was able to fund 143 (23%) of the 624 applications received. While all funding requests totaled $101 million, the PA DCNR was able to fund $19 million in other projects across the commonwealth.

Updated documents related to the proposed amendment to the OH Master Site Plan to add a 4th softball field to the approved plan and the Phase 1 construction (24 Feb 2011)

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