Werner Park Lights Project Delayed In Warminster

WARMINSTER, PA —With park improvements becoming more of a priority in the township, officials received a dose of bad news regarding a delay for one project.

Township Engineer Craig Kennard said at the recent township supervisors meeting that the lighting improvements project for Werner Park is going to be delayed.

Kennard cited supply issues as the culprit.

"Vendors need time to get the materials, which are all electrical," Kennard told supervisors. "There's nothing we can do. This puts a monkey wrench in the project."

Supervisors Chairman Kenneth Hayes agreed, stating that he heard that electrical switch gear can now take over a year to be delivered due to supply chain issues. He said there used to be a 45-week wait time and then it went to 90 days before the year wait now.

Plans called for Werner Park to be the first township park to get lighting upgrades.

In late December, Warminster Parks and Recreation Director Jessica Fox presented supervisors with lighting plan options for the township's five main parks: Werner, Munro, Syzmanek, Log College, and Warminster Community Park.

Officials estimated the entire park project could cost between $3-5 million, but that the upgrades would be spread out over time since the township can't afford to tackle such an expense in one shot.

Township officials had hoped the Werner Park lighting project would begin in late October with a completion target date set for late January.

But now with the supply chain delay, township officials do not have a timetable for when work would begin.

The upgrades are expected to cost just under $1 million. The lighting at Werner Park was first installed in 1956.

The township recently completed work on removing homes and debris from the old Navy development at Shenandoah Woods to clear its path to becoming an extension of Warminster Community Park.

In late June, township officials announced that work on Shenandoah Woods had been completed with the removal of concrete slates.

Kennard said that a concept plan is underway to transform Shenandoah Woods into a community park. The engineer said he met with Fox to come up with a base map and an overall layout and that a presentation could come before supervisors in October.

The township underwent a decades-long effort to repurpose the abandoned U.S. Navy Department property and spent more than six months on construction to clear it.