Opinions Wanted: Share Your Thoughts on Recreation, Open Spaces with Cranberry

If you’ve ever had a thought about Cranberry’s —or wanted to weigh in on the township’s —tonight is your chance to have your opinion heard.

Cranberry will conduct a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at to discuss the township’s Recreation and Open Spaces plan.

The plan is being funded in part through a $125,000 joint grant the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources awarded to the township and to Butler County. Township manager Jerry Andree said Cranberry will receive a little more than half of the total grant money for the plan, which will take a look at the future of the Cranberry’s parks, recreation facilities and programming.

“It’s really looking at what we have now and probably at the next 10 years,” Andree said.

Andree said reviewing Cranberry’s recreation programs and open spaces is all part of the Cranberry Plan. The Cranberry Plan, which the township adopted in 2009, takes a comprehensive look at the community’s future for the next 25 years.

He added the township had similar meetings to gain public input before the openings of and s in Cranberry. The opinions given at tonight's public meeting will have a direct effect on the township’s development of recreational resources.

“We want to hear what people want,” Andree said. “We really want to hear what’s on people's minds.”

The main components of the plan are: parks and recreation, greenway and open space and pedestrian and bicyclist mobility. Andree said he expects the bicycle and pedestrian pathways to be a particularly popular topic with the public.

“I’d be shocked if there is not a strong voice about connectivity,” he said. “The bigger issue is connecting people with people without using highways and giving people options besides getting in the car and driving somewhere.”

The township mailed a postcard to all residents encouraging them to participate in an online survey about Cranberry parks and recreation programs. The postcards contain a unique identification for each household. To give your input on the survey, click here and enter your identification code printed on the postcard. All responses are anonymous.

Those who’d like a paper copy of the survey may call Cranberry’s customer service desk at 724-776-4806 or pick up a copy of the survey at the You’ll need your identification code, so be sure to bring your postcard with you.