Bowmanstown is applying for grant for a walking path in a proposed multiuse park in the borough.

On a 6-1 measure, borough council recently voted to submit a state Department of Economic and Community Development Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program Grant in the amount of $250,000.

Councilman Darren Thomas cast the lone vote in opposition.

Last June, resident Christine Bottcher asked borough council for direction after council voted 4-3 to deny a request for the Bowmanstown Area Residents Connected to apply for a grant.

Mayor Zach Snyder said at that time he believed the concern was initially going to be the price of the walking path.

Snyder added that such a request had to come with an actual figure.

Bottcher then asked if they could get someone to raise money.

Councilman Rob Sikorsky, who was among the four in May 2024 to vote against BARC’s request, said that when BARC first pitched the original concept, he was in.

Bottcher referenced a resident survey previously conducted.

Council President Pam Leiby, who in May also voted in opposition, said the survey had eight or nine options.

Leiby said that wasn’t what was originally asked, and added the hefty price tag isn’t something the borough could afford.

But Bottcher reiterated her prior stance that she had never seen anyone who attended a borough council meeting opposed to the walking trail.

Before council’s vote in May, council heard from several residents, as well as members of BARC.

Sherry Nicholson, a part-time resident of the borough, said she’s lived in town since 1984.

Nicholson said she’d like to see a walking trail with trees and benches, along with possibly a picnic table or two.

Nicholson noted the borough’s lack of sidewalks, and mentioned its steep hills, which she said is the common complaint for walking groups.

According to the 2020 Census, 31% of the population is 50 years old and up, she said, and added that chronic illness is usually diagnosed at 45 years of age.

Nicholson said that in Rome, Georgia, her primary residence, there is a quarter-mile track.

She said that according to the National Recreation & Parks Association, greenways or recreation areas can increase property values by 8% to 20% depending on the proximity to the area.

Ben Price also requested that council reconsider, and added that he had letters of support for the plan, including one from state Rep. Doyle Heffley.

Leiby said that initially when BARC came to council, its members asked for just a walking path, and then council heard a presentation with something totally different, which had a much higher cost.

Jayson Woods, landscape architect with Woodland Design Associates Inc., met with council in March 2024 to discuss the proposed park.

Woods, who was hired by BARC through a grant from the Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society, said that of the over 900 residents in the borough, more than 100 responded to a survey.

Many were from the borough and surrounding areas and are primarily in the 45-and-over age bracket. Those who responded said they wanted a walking trail, park lighting, restrooms and pavilions with picnic tables.