Muncy Historical Society receives Grants from the Waldron Memorial Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania
President and executive director, William Poulton, announced that the Muncy Historical Society has received two grants from the Waldron Memorial Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.
The first award of $8,000 award helps the Society offsets its annual general operating expenses. This financial assistance offsets some of the costs to maintain and sustain the Society’s properties, to pay insurance and utility costs, and to ensure the protection of each location and the “pieces of Muncy’s past” in the collections. Under the Society’s umbrella is the house museum and the Sprout-Waldron exhibition building, both located at 40 N. Main Street and the Heritage Park and Nature Trail at 601 Pepper Street. Fortunately, as an all-volunteer organization, the Society does not need to budget for staff salaries. Memberships, museum store sales, research fees, and private donations make up the difference to cover the annual operating costs.
The second award of $5,448 represents a grant from the Waldron Memorial Fund to be used to offset costs for the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail Revitalization Project – specifically, to address the gravel parking lot and walking trail areas. The Park has developed into a place for quiet recreation, celebrating our region’s beauty as expressed through its woodlands, meadow, pond, stream, and river landscapes. These areas offer rich opportunities for visitors to enjoy the park experience while serving important ecological functions as habitats for wildlife and vegetated open spaces to clean the air and filter water before it enters the Susquehanna River. The need to address the parking and trail areas is a direct reaction to the heavier-than-anticipated vehicular and pedestrian traffic using the park.
The Society’s board is careful to manage its financial assets – relying on its fundraising activities, grants, and private donations – to achieve its initiatives. The Heritage Park and Nature Trail is one of those critical initiatives — in 2020, the board turned its focus to the Park’s Revitalization Project which included pond health — the invasive water plants, decaying matter, surface algae, and insufficient oxygen levels have been deemed harmful to the health of the fish and not inviting for fowl habitats. Private funding was secured, and a solar aeration system was purchased and installed with those monies. The system was selected based on positive reviews – meeting the objectives to add more oxygen to the water, to break down the decaying matter at the bottom of the pond, and to reduce, or preferably to eliminate, the surface algae.
Like the aeration system, another component has already been completed. Proceeds from prior year fundraising events have been used to replace the treated wood floorboards on the run bridge and the observation deck with composite decking material.
Since 2004, the Heritage Park and Nature Trail have evolved into an incredible public park for the residents of Muncy and visitors from the region and beyond. It has become a place for quiet recreation and celebrates the unique range of cultural, natural, and scenic resources. Engaging the local community remains an ideal route for building excitement for the park and encouraging the establishment of a caring group of active park users.
The First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania works to improve the quality of life in north-central Pennsylvania through community leadership, the promotion of philanthropy, the strengthening of nonprofit impact, and the perpetual stewardship of charitable assets. FCFP strives to create powerful communities through passionate giving. For more information visit www.FCFPartnership.org.
