A proposed multiuse park along Railroad Street near the post office in Bowmanstown has been pitched again by a group advocating for the facility.

Resident Christine Bottcher, a member of Bowmanstown Area Residents Concerned, revisited the matter with borough council last week.

Bottcher said that BARC wishes to use the borough’s letterhead so that it may apply for a grant.

She said that BARC has been volunteering for many years and has been doing a wonderful thing.

“I’m just hoping you would consider using your letterhead for us to get a grant,” Bottcher said.

Councilman Darren Thomas asked Bottcher if there was other borough property they could use.

Bottcher said that Bowmanstown is a trail-town, and is part of the D&L Trail.

“This part of town down here, I really would like council to consider,” she said.

Council President Pam Leiby told Bottcher the group has presented its plan to council and indicated it wanted to use some space behind the post office.

“We didn’t know what you were planning,” Leiby said. “There was no particulars that we could look at.”

Leiby added it would help “if we would see something kind of giving us an idea.”

Councilman William Ravert agreed.

“The borough needs something to look at before we approve a letterhead,” Ravert said.

Councilman Rob Moyer asked if BARC could provide council with some objectives, or goals they have for Railroad Street.

Resident Rita Civitella, a member of BARC, said that the organization is made up of citizens, and questioned why there appeared to be a discord on the matter.

“We’re asking for something, and you’re refusing to provide it,” Ravert said.

Leiby suggested that BARC “bring us something we can look at in writing.”

Last month, resident Sharon Krebs, a member of BARC, pitched the idea to council about creating a multiuse park along Railroad Street near the post office.

Councilwoman Kara Scott, who also serves as president of BARC, said at that time the group applied for a RecTap grant, which would cover the cost of the survey and concept plan, but didn’t receive the grant.

Scott said she followed up this year and was told the grant needed to come from the municipality, because the borough is the landholder.

She said the grant is administered through the Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society.

Ravert said at that time that if council were to approve the concept, the borough would need a location to dump its snow.

Scott said that several years ago BARC approached council, which requested a concept design, and that the only purpose of the grant is to get the concept design that the borough requested.

Scott said all the borough would be responsible for would be sending the grant application through their office, on their letterhead, and added there would be no cost burden to the borough, as BARC has been raising money.

Ravert questioned why spend money on a concept plan if the borough’s not going to go through with it.

Krebs said, “Nobody wants to better the community?”

Thomas said at that time he looks at the community as having 850 people, and added the borough already has two parks.

Afterward, the motion died for a lack of a second.

Following last month’s meeting, Scott said the land is just shy of 2 acres, and is a grassy field with no purpose that has been used to dump refuge.

Scott said the borough cannot sell the land, and that Scott added that the grant would cover the majority of the cost, and that BARC would be responsible if there is an overage.