Located at 150 Independence Road in Avella, PA, this once unused and mostly wooded piece of land has been developed into our beautiful Independence Township Community Park. We have been working piece by piece to add amenities and improvements as we apply for and receive funding through grants and donors. The installation of this park and it’s continued expansion adds to the value and appeal of our town as a whole (for residents, visitors, potential investors and home buyers), and just having a public park in the vicinity of an individual property adds to those property values as well. Come out to visit our beautiful community park today!
The park and pavilions are available to rent for private events. Call Independence Township Parks & Recreation at 724-507-6448 to book your event.
Independence Township came together to plan for this new 39 acre community park, and first received funding for Phase I in 2014. As of Fall 2025, the park already includes 4 pavilions with picnic tables, grills, a sport court, a playground, walking trails, a dog trail with obstacles, many donated benches, trees, and more. There are currently a number of exciting “Phase 3” additions that have just been completed (Fall 2025), with many more items in the plans for future additions. Over the years, we’ve had many private donations and “Friends of the Park,” such as the donation of land work, benches, trees, and some of the structures named in memory of some important community members.
The process of applying for grants, being awarded grants, receiving funds, and engineering, planning, permitting, bidding and constructing/installing can be long & slow, but we are excited each time we are able to secure something new for our park. Here is just a small snippet of the more recent history of the progress, regarding the grants and upgrades at our wonderful park:
• In early 2023, we were awarded a $120,000 Grant from the LSA to put permanent restrooms in at the park. This was a part of the Washington County Local Share Account recommending that our project receive a piece of the gaming money from the Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. This money is earmarked by the state for these types of projects. The LSA received 87 grant applications, including ours, and Independence Township Community Park was one of 45 to be awarded monies. In Fall 2024, the permanent restrooms were installed, but finishing still needed to be done to make them useable.
• In Fall of 2023, we were awarded a large $233,800 Grant from the Community Conservation Partnership Program (from Pennsylvania DCNR). This grant money covers Phase 3, which includes a full outdoor kitchen (countertop, sinks, etc. in the Louis A. Brandenburg, Jr. Pavilion), ADA accessible concrete walkways to the Officer J. David Dryer DVM Sport Court, bleachers added, electrical and lighting for the sport court, electrical and lighting for the roadway, paving of the circle, and concrete added to make the new bathrooms ADA accessible. In Fall of 2025, this work began!
• In the beginning of 2025 we received a large $125,000 grant from Pennsylvania Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program (DCED Project) to create the large trail at Independence Township Community Park as a part of Phase IV of the Park’s overall plans. It will open up more area of the park and will be another nice step forward in the development.
With over a decade of work in dreaming, planning, securing funding and seeing each and every development, from the drawing board to completion, and so much in between, we are proud of our park today and excited for what it brings to our community now and in the future. Here’s a look back at some pictures from the very beginning! …
