Like pioneers exploring an unmapped frontier, but surely armed with far better tools, a group of professionals will begin this morning (Sept. 5, 2008) to mark out the Sprogels Run Trail in Lower Pottsgrove Township PA.

The nature path is expected to be part of Sprogels Run Park, an 11.2-acre dedicated area on Timberview Drive off Kepler Road.

A sign on Timberview Drive, off Kepler Road in Lower Pottsgrove Township, marks the start of open space that someday will be Sprogel's Run Park.

A sign on Timberview Drive, off Kepler Road in Lower Pottsgrove Township PA, marks the start of open space that would be Sprogels Run Park.

Final touches to the trail layout, and decisions on materials to be used in building a trail boardwalk, were completed last week, according to Township Assistant Manager Alyson Elliott. During its meeting last night (Sept. 3, 2008) she told members of the Board of Commissioners, the township’s governing body, the trail mark-out would begin Friday.

Trail marking is a process in which planners physically identify – with plastic tape, chalk, paint, stakes, or by other means – the exact route a trail will take. It serves as a guide for construction and, later, possibly for users.

Derrick and Carol McIntosh, who for the past four years have owned a home at 76 Timberview Drive – just south of a signed entrance to the park property – were disheartened by the news. “It’s a shame this area here will be a playground for the township,” Derrick McIntosh said late yesterday. “We’re definitely unhappy. We moved back here because it was quiet. Is it too late to get people to sign a petition and oppose it?,” he asked.

Funding for the Sprogels Run Trail has been provided in part by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation and Occidental Chemical, according to the township’s website.