Members of the Parks and Recreation board stand in a circle Monday night as they discuss prospects for future uses of Gerald Richards Park.

Board members examine park space near Pebble Beach Lane.

SANATOGA PA – Out of the office, into the field.

For people accustomed to working indoors throughout a day, that trek might be something they only dream of. Members of the Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township Parks and Recreation Board put the adage into action Monday night (Sept. 28, 2009).

They left the conference room in the municipal building at 2199 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA, and walked across the highway to Gerald Richards Park for a first-hand look at, and discussion of, its future.

The volunteer board oversees park use and helps guide Lower Pottsgrove recreation programs. It also makes recommendations to the township Board of Commissioners regarding park land, and it was in that role that board members stepped south from the Richards’ park frontage on Buchert Road, all the way to its opposite end near Pebble Beach Lane, to talk about the needs of years to come.

Of primary interest was a request to create a new T-ball field for young baseball players near the park’s southeast corner. It’s only a consideration for now, and may yet be some time away. “There’s no money for it,” township Assistant Manager Alyson Elliott reminded board members, “not now, and certainly not in next year’s budget.”

The ball field request, the park’s drainage problems, and its use by the residents of surrounding neighborhoods all were covered during the half-hour stroll. “It’s easier to envision things when you can see the property like this than on a map,” Elliott told the group.

Board members agreed. It’s not the first such tour they’ve taken, nor is it likely to be the last, but most indicated they see something different every time they get out.

Once done they headed back to the municipal building, and the conference room, for the remainder of their regular monthly meeting.

Sign up to get The Sanatoga Post delivered free daily by e-mail.
See our galleries for photos that appear in The Post. Got news for us? E-mail The Post.