Emporium resident asks Cameron County commissioners for $7,500 in ACT 13 funds to build dog park

Joyce Beichner, representing Emporium Borough, used the public‑comment portion of the April 4 Cameron County Commissioners meeting to request $7,500 from ACT 13 funds to create a roughly ½‑acre dog park behind the caboose at the Rails‑to‑Trails head.

Beichner said the borough checked land records “with the help of Attorney Tompkins” and that the parcel appears to have no clear owner, describing it as having “fallen through the cracks.” She told the commissioners the borough plans to install fencing and a water supply, provide in‑kind maintenance, seek additional grants from the Mee Foundation and ARPA, and run grassroots fundraising. Beichner added that local students would help construct the park as part of a senior project.

The request was made during public comment; the minutes do not record a formal motion or vote on the dog‑park funding at the meeting. Commissioners later approved a separate retroactive letter of support for an Emporium Borough grant application for Town Hall improvements, but that action did not directly appropriate funds for the dog park.

Beichner’s statement provided the timeline of additional funding applications and the borough’s commitment to maintain the site if the county helps with ACT 13 funds. The transcript does not record follow‑up questions from commissioners or a deadline for a staff recommendation.

The next step in the transcript record is for the commissioners to consider other agenda motions; the dog‑park request remains on the record as a public comment and would require a future formal action to secure county funds.