Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton A plan to drain Mulberry Park has been completed by city engineers and was submitted for review by the Parks, Recreation and Landscape Commission this week.

The future of Mulberry Park on the city’s north side has been tied for years to the thorny problem of how to drain the property.

Located between Frank Street and Glade Avenue, the park has been a topic of discussion at various levels of city government for years. A draft drainage project was presented to the Parks, Recreation and Landscape Commission this week.

City Manager Mike Holtz said the concept would require running a pipe through private property.

“There is some work to be done,” he said, regarding “private property permissions. We’ve been working with that.”

He said city engineers looked at draining the park down Frank Street but there “isn’t enough fall to go that way.”

The project as proposed is “aggressive,” he said, speculating on the cost in the range of a few hundred thousand dollars.

Holtz said there is a “lot of earth moving to be done” but called the ensign the “first big step to get Mulberry back together.”

The city will be applying for a grant from state gaming revenues in an attempt to fund the project.

POINT PARK

Administrative Assistant Kassie Damcott said that Sen. Bob Casey’s office has pledged funding to be used as a match for the state grant the city is seeking.

“They are looking to give us $250,000,” she said.

She added that Sen. John Fetterman’s office has pledged dollars toward building a restroom at the park.

“With all that funding, we could make it a real park,” Holtz said. “We’ll be good to go. It’s nice to have one between Lacy and Beaty, one in the middle for the east side folks.”