Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act

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Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act is a public lands acquisition law enacted in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 22 June 1964. It permits the state to issue bonds for the purchase of lands for public parks, reservoirs, and other conservation, recreation, and historical preservation purposes, and to coordinate those purchases with local governments. The act also permits acquisition of lands by eminent domain. Once the lands are acquired under Project 70, the General Assembly must approve any disposition of these lands. [1]

Contents

The park in northeastern Pennsylvania, ten miles north of Scranton, was known as Project 70 during its construction prior to opening under the name Lackawanna State Park.

List of state parks

Below is a list of Pennsylvania state parks whose establishment or expansion was funded in part by Project 70 monies. The table includes the park name, if it was a new park or addition, the acres (hectares) acquired, the county or counties it is in, and the dates of the public hearing and approval by the governor. [2]

Park  Type  Acres
(Hectares)
  
County  Public Hearing
Date
  
Governor Approval
Date
  
Comments  
Ohiopyle State Park New park18,328.343 acres (7,417.217 ha) Fayette County 07-31-196408-08-1964First and largest state park acquired under Project 70; the park opened in 1965 on a limited basis and was formally dedicated in 1971
Tyler State Park New park1,680.16 acres (679.94 ha) Bucks County 09-25-196411-17-1964The park was formally dedicated on May 25, 1974. [3]
Codorus State Park New Park3,235.80 acres (1,309.48 ha) York County 10-30-196412-10-1964The park, which was originally named "Codorus Creek State Park", officially opened in 1970.
Nockamixon State Park Addition659.392 acres (266.846 ha) Bucks County 04-23-196507-12-1965
Valley Forge State Park Addition217.137 acres (87.872 ha) Chester County 04-30-196507-12-1965Given to the National Park Service for the United States Bicentennial in 1976;
now Valley Forge National Historical Park
Ridley Creek State Park New park2,489.50 acres (1,007.46 ha) Delaware County 05-14-196512-06-1965
Locust Lake State Park New park1,143.51 acres (462.76 ha) Schuylkill County 06-04-196509-01-1965
Yellow Creek State Park Addition376.8 acres (152.5 ha) Indiana County 08-13-196510-06-1965
Moraine State Park New park1,091.60 acres (441.75 ha) Butler County 12-02-196503-23-1966
Moraine State Park Addition71.47 acres (28.92 ha) Butler County 12-02-196503-23-1966Old Stone House was added to the new park
Maurice K. Goddard State Park New park4,867.5 acres (1,969.8 ha) Mercer County 12-03-196503-23-1966Originally known as "Sandy Creek State Park", name was changed to honor Maurice K. Goddard
Pymatuning State Park Addition259.30 acres (104.93 ha) Crawford County 12-04-196507-25-1966
Little Buffalo State Park New park829.95 acres (335.87 ha) Perry County 01-20-196603-23-1966
Lackawanna State Park New park1,288.48 acres (521.43 ha) Lackawanna County 01-28-196603-23-1966
Scranton Iron Furnaces New park3.84 acres (1.55 ha) Lackawanna County 01-28-196603-23-1966Transferred in 1971 to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Marsh Creek State Park New park1,705.35 acres (690.13 ha) Chester County 03-11-196606-07-1966
Nolde Forest State Park New park665.82 acres (269.45 ha) Berks County 07-15-196610-21-1966Now Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
Shikellamy State Park Addition46.52 acres (18.83 ha) Northumberland County 08-26-196611-18-1966This is the marina portion of the park
Canoe Creek State Park New park905.06 acres (366.26 ha) Blair County 08-07-196601-16-1967
Laurel Ridge State Park New park15,037.70 acres (6,085.54 ha) Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties05-18-196707-10-1967A second hearing was held 05-19-1967
Evansburg State Park New park3,359.05 acres (1,359.36 ha) Montgomery County 06-15-196704-18-1968
Oil Creek State Park New park7,197.00 acres (2,912.52 ha) Crawford and Venango counties08-10-196711-14-1967
Ohiopyle State Park Addition155.00 acres (62.73 ha) Fayette County 06-17-196807-18-1968
Mt. Pisgah State Park New park1,024.30 acres (414.52 ha) Bradford County 06-23-196807-18-1968
Jacobsburg State Park New park646.81 acres (261.75 ha) Northampton County 01-30-196903-28-1969
Blue Marsh State Park New park500.00 acres (202.34 ha) Berks County 03-27-196906-30-1969Now Blue Marsh Lake and Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 280. Park was completed, but without funds to operate it, so was given to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, now also partly a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site
Allegheny River State Park New park3,207.40 acres (1,297.99 ha) Venango County 05-02-196907-29-1969Now part of Clear Creek State Forest

List of county parks

Park  Type  Acres
(Hectares)
  
County  Public Hearing
Date
  
Governor Approval
Date
  
Comments  
Moon Lake Park [4] New park650 acres (260 ha) Luzerne County
Two Mile Run County Park [5] New park Venango County


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References

  1. Pennsylvania Dept of Conversation and Natural Resources website Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act, act of June 22, 1964 (Sp.Ses., P.L. 131, No. 8), 72 P.S. §§ 3946.1-3946.22. This law implements Article VIII, Section 15 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which provides that . . . the Commonwealth may be authorized by law to create debt and to issue bonds to the amount of $70,000,000 for the acquisition of land for State parks, reservoirs and other conservation and recreation and historical preservation purposes, and for participation by the Commonwealth with political subdivisions in the acquisition of land for parks, reservoirs and other conservation and recreation and historical preservation purposes, subject to such conditions and limitations as the General Assembly may prescribe. The act authorizes the Commonwealth and political subdivisions to acquire suitable lands by eminent domain. Under the act, no lands acquired pursuant to the act may be disposed of or used for purposes other than for recreation, conservation and historical purposes without the express approval of the General Assembly.
  2. Forrey, William C. (1984). History of Pennsylvania's State Parks. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. pp. 43–44. OCLC   17824084.
  3. "Tyler State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on February 14, 2004. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  4. Learn-Andes, Jennifer (3 August 2014). "Nuts and bolts of Moon Lake Park takeover examined". My Dallas Post. Civitas Media. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  5. "Two Mile Run County Park" . Retrieved 14 December 2014.