Hoy Park Receives PHS Community Greening Award

Hoy Park has just gotten a little greener.

Karl Lukens, Lower Providence Township Parks and Recreation director, presented at the Nov. 15 Board of Supervisors meeting, the latest award given to the Harry F. Hoy Memorial Park.

According to Lukens, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) considered 89 other parks throughout the state for its Community Greening Award.

The PHS website describes the merits of the award as those who show effort in improving such areas as:

• Main streets
• Public parks
• Train stations
• Churches
• Schoolyards
• Libraries
• Traffic islands

According to the website, in 2012, PHS judges evaluated sites in July and August, based on plant variety, design, use of space and horticultural practices.

Lukens said that he met with PHS judges in August, and was notified of the award in September.

“I had the honor on Nov. 4 of going to the Horticultural society office to receive the award,” Lukens said.

Among the recent improvements to Hoy park were the GlaxoSmithKline and Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy tree planting event, as well as Troop 119 Eagle Scout Michael Fieseher’s beatification improvements for his Eagle Scout project.

Lukens added that this is the second award Hoy Park has received.

Richard Brown, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said he has fond memories of Hoy Park, particularly as a youth fishing spot, when the Hoy Family owned it.

“I like to add that Hoy Park is very near and dear to my heart,” Brown said. “It was always a great fishing hole.”

Hoy Park is located at 3500 Arcola Road in the Collegeville section of the township. Its nearly 4-acres sits at the confluence of the Perkiomen and Skippack creeks.

“It’s been a gem of the township’s park system,” Brown said. “It’s our only real waterfront park where we have active recreation.”

---

Other nearby winners of the PHS Community Greening Award include:

• The Human Service Center of Norristown

• The Municipality of Norristown Comprehensive Greening

• The Phoenixville Federal Bank and Trust

• The Traffic Medians of King of Prussia