The Erie County Greenways program is designed to improve the quality of life in Erie County through the preservation and enhancement of the region’s natural, scenic and recreational resources for public use and enjoyment. Erie County created the Greenways program to fund eligible projects throughout the county, using its allocations from the state Marcellus Legacy Fund.
Through the Greenways program, a total of 36 projects have been funded in Erie County from 2013 through 2017. After the 2017 Program year, the Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development suspended this competitive grant program and initiated the Erie County Parks, Trails and Recreation Plan, to develop a strategic and implementable plan for focused investment in Erie County’s network of recreational assets and their connections to communities within Erie County.
Through the Erie County Greenways program, future allocations from the Marcellus Legacy Fund will be focused on larger, more impactful projects benefiting the county on a more regional level, based on focused priorities as identified in the planning process. The Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development will play an important role in supporting our municipalities and agencies that own and operate recreational assets throughout Erie County.
About the Funding
The Marcellus Legacy Fund, along with the Unconventional Gas Well Fund, were established by Pennsylvania’s Act 13 of 2012, the Unconventional Gas Well Impact Fee. The fee authorized the state to impose drilling impact fees on unconventional gas well producers in Pennsylvania. The fee revenues are collected and distributed annually to state agencies, counties and municipalities based on formula allocations. The Marcellus Legacy Fund is distributed to all counties with or without wells, and the Unconventional Gas Well Fund is distributed only to counties or municipalities with wells. Erie County only qualifies for Marcellus Legacy Funds at this time.