Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Freeman welcomes $225,000 in grants for trailway and park

Freeman welcomes $225,000 in grants for trailway and park

HARRISBURG, Jan. 28 – Two state grants totaling $225,000 today were awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority for projects in Wilson Borough and Easton, announced state Rep. Robert Freeman.

Skyline Investment Group Easton will receive $175,000 in Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program funds toward construction of the Dixie Cup Bike Trail Connector project located in Wilson Borough.

The former Dixie Cup Factory, a Wilson Borough landmark since 1921, has been standing for over 100 years, where it manufactured drinking cups until the early 1980s and operated as a logistics and warehouse facility until the 2000s. Skyline Investment Group Easton has entered into an exclusive agreement of sale with the current property owner, and will close on property acquisition by early June, with the intent to repurpose the property.

Plans call for the development of a market-rate apartment home community, with external, public amenities. The proposed project scope consists of two public components. First, it will create a public space that will house the restored, iconic Dixie Cup and offer users a space to gather and rest from the Two Rivers Trailway using provided benches, seating areas, landscaping, and shaded areas. Second, the scope will enhance and upgrade the Two Rivers Trailway to provide ADA accessibility, new lighting for safety, signage for wayfinding, and direct access to and through the Dixie site to continue along the trailway.

“After sitting vacant for several years, it is great to see the Dixie Cup Factory being repurposed and the property connected to the Two Rivers Trailway through the use of this state grant,” Freeman said.

The city of Easton received a $50,000 Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant toward construction costs for a new Memorial Park located at Nesquehoning Street Park in the city.

The current park is a 12,000-square-foot pocket park in Easton that is a dilapidated basketball court surrounded by a chain link fence. While soliciting public input for reactivating the park for public use, the city became aware that the space had been used as an African American Cemetery during the 19th century. After working with the PA State Historic Preservation Office and a committee of local stakeholders, the city acquired plans to re-commemorate the space as Nesquehoning Memorial Park. The new park will have opportunities for passive recreation, will be ADA accessible, and will have memorials and signage for historical interpretation.

“These improvements will create new, activated green space while honoring the lives of the individuals who were buried on the land,” Freeman said.