The Millbrook Marsh Nature Center is looking to expand its education facilities and a national campaign might just get it there.
The Millbrook Marsh has been one of the few parks chosen by the National Recreation and Park Association to be one of its featured parks as part of this years fund your park campaign. It is also one of the first projects to ever be chosen from Pennsylvania.
“And our project of course is phase two (of the) expansion of our Spring Creek Education Building here. So it’s a great project and NRPA felt it was worthy,” Centre Region Parks & Recreation Director Pam Salokangas said.
The expansion will include adding a large meeting space that will be used to hold meetings, retreats and other events.
There will also be two additional classrooms added downstairs that will allow for easy access to outdoor learning.
“One of the really neat features is the whole exterior wall will be two glass garage doors that will actually lift up and so we’ll have access to the marsh from those classrooms,” Nature Center Supervisor Melissa Kauffman said.
Through the funding campaign, Millbrook Marsh has set a goal of raising $25,000, but the total cost of the expansion will be about $1.7 million.
“We also plan to add a welcome pavilion out near our parking lot. and that welcome pavilion will have four family restrooms, a water fountain… a bottle filling station,” Kauffman said.
The hope is for the expansion is to better host the community while visiting the marsh, along with providing more educational programs to get people involved with nature.
Officials hope to begin the project by late 2018 and complete it sometime in 2019. They also hope to reach the rest of funding through donations and grants.
To donate, click HERE. For more information on the project, contact Kauffman at the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center by calling 814‐235‐7819 or emailing mmnc@crcog.net