Moon Planning Ohio River Park

Though it rests on its banks, Moon Township has no public-access marina to the Ohio River.

That soon may be changing.

The last week landscape and urban design firm Stromberg, Garrigan & Associates to begin a yearlong master site planning process for a Moon waterfront park, to be located off University Boulevard and the Sewickley Bridge.

Dana Kasler, director of the Moon Parks and Recreation Department, said use of the park would revolve around Ohio River. The park would serve as a public-access point to boaters and fishers and provide a waterfront stop on the Ohio Trail.

"It would also be a place to just go to read or eat your lunch," Kasler said. "There's 17 acres of land available so we can do a lot with that."

Stromberg, Garrigan and a committee of residents and township employees in the next 12 months will develop an overall design and plan for use of the park, including whether it will feature motorized or non-motorized boating. Kasler said no athletic facilities are planned for the area.

The committee will also devise a timeline and examine the costs and funding sources needed to develop the park. Last summer, the township received a $30,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the project. DCNR agreed to match up to $60,000 in fund-raising for the park.

No tentative budget or timeline for the project is yet available.

The  has a water pumping station on the site, which once housed a fascine factory. Kasler said the station, which pumps ground and surface water, has been secured and will likely remain on the property.

Kasler said when completed the riverside park will be the only one of its kind in the area. Moon's closest boating access point to the Ohio River is in nearby Crescent Township and it is closed to the public.

"There's really isn't something like this in the area," said Kasler, who said the concept behind the park has been developing over several years.

"And there's a good variety of wildlife down there," he said. "There's a different type of nature [compared with other Moon Township parks] and different trees and plant species. So there's an educational purpose to the park. "