WILLIAMSBURG Trail & River Design Workbook

The Williamsburg Trail & River Design Workbook is a resource for community members, planners, local and regional government, students, and anyone else interested in enhancing the landscapes around the Lower Trail and the Frankstown Branch in Williamsburg, PA. The Workbook is not a design proposal; it is a compilation of geographic data and insights gathered between 2021 and 2023. Sources include local knowledge from Borough leadership, residents, and business owners; as well as publicly available data. This information is synthesized and consolidated into measured plans and other graphics that can be used to explore design and planning ideas visually.

One catalyst for thinking about the landscape around the Lower Trail and the Frankstown Branch in Williamsburg is the Borough’s recent acquisition of approximately 54 acres of former power company property north of downtown. While this new parcel is an important area of focus, the Workbook assumes that any proposition ought to take into account a larger vision for the landscape of the Borough and region, especially given the central location of Williamsburg along the Lower Trail and within larger recreational networks like the 9/11 National Memorial Trail and the Mid State Trail.

The plans, section drawings, diagrams, and text presented here are intended to be as widely accessible as possible, enabling anyone to test and express design ideas with some level of precision. The 11x17-inch page format means the Workbook can be reprinted at scale on consumer printers. Graphics may be used as base drawings for sketching on trace paper. Multiple scales and drawing types are provided so users can focus on different areas of interest.

Thematic Plans

The first section consists of three plans of the total study area, including downtown Williamsburg and the Robeson Extension, as well as Cenveo and new Borough properties northwest as far as the Lower Trail Grannas Station. Each of these three plans shows a different set of data based on its theme. Along with basic geography, plans include opportunities and challenges identified in planning discussions. The thematic plans are accompanied by additional graphics and text exploring the broader implications of each theme.

ZONE DETAIL PLANS & SECTIONS

The second section is organized into four zones, each represented in a Zone Detail Plan. The more zoomed-in zone plans show a greater level of detail than the thematic plans. They also show the location of a series of section-elevations along the trail and river, which are shown following the corresponding Zone Detail Plan.

Credits

The Williamsburg Trail & River Design Workbook was prepared by Alec Spangler, assistant professor of landscape architecture at Penn State’s Stuckeman School, with contributions by Penn State landscape architecture students Anne Lai and Elliott Kline.

Ilona Ballreich (Penn State Sustainable Communities Collaborative) facilitated connections to stakeholders including the primary community partners:

Williamsburg Borough:

Ted Hyle, Mayor

Rowdy Kegarise, Police Chief

Joe Lansberry, Borough Manager

Lisa Dishong, Borough Office Manager

Rails to Trails of Central PA:

Mike Panek, Vice President and Maintenance Supervisor

Karl King, Charter Board Member (Secretary 9/11 National Memorial Trail)

The following community members and specialists are among those who have contributed their knowledge, time, and expertise to the Workbook:

Williamsburg Community Farm Show

Arianne Waddington

Sherry Waddington

Williamsburg Community School

April Wheland

Williamsburg Public Library

Roane Lytle

Jennifer Hoffman

Williamsburg Lions Club

Trisha Radmann

Blair County

Grant Willis

Blair Planning

David McFarland

Sherry Socie

Rails to Trails of Central PA

Ed Donahoe

Allegheny Ridge Corporation

Jane Sheffield

Explore Altoona

Mark Ickes

McCollom Development Strategies

Cathy McCollom

PA Interfaith Power and Light

Greg Williams

Disclaimer

Contents

The Crossroad

David Cadle

BluAcres LLC

Trent Lee

Noah Wheland

Mike Biddle

Jim Foreso

Julie Foreso

Carol Ginter

Ryan Gorsuch

Elizabeth Isenberg

Jonathan Isenberg

David Kessling

Linda L. Lang

Leslie Ann Lower

Allan Overdorff

Stephanie Pardee

Stephen Parks

Regina Patterson

Cynthia Potter

Josh Potter

Pam Prough

Karyn Shaw

Lugene Shelly

...and others

No formal surveys were done to produce the content in this resource, and information provided by individuals has not necessarily been verified. Many details and measurements are estimated by sight and photographs only, and subsurface conditions are loosely inferred. While effort has been made to be as accurate as possible at an appropriate level of precision, errors and omissions may be present and are the responsibility of the author. The Workbook should be used for discussion only and not for construction of any kind.

Thematic Plans

1. Recreation & Access ........................ p. 2

2. Resilience & Sustainability .............. p. 6

3. History & Culture .............................. p. 10

ZONE DETAIL PLANS & SECTIONS

Aerial and Zone Key Plan ...................... p. 14

1. ZONE 1: Farm Show ......................... p. 16

2. ZONE 2: Downtown Core .................. p. 22

3. ZONE 3: Riverside Park .................... p. 36

4. ZONE 4: Power Plant ........................ p. 48

Sources.................................................. p. 60

This project is made possible in part by a Faculty Research Grant from the Penn State Stuckeman School and the Hamer Center for Community Design.