Whitpain Township has announced that it will host a virtual public meeting to discuss the master plan for Mermaid Lake on Monday, January 25th at 7:00 p.m. In 2020, the township purchased the former golf course, swim club, and day camp that consists of 63.5-acres for $8.177 million.

The township bought the property to slow development in the area as a developer had hoped to construct 53 homes on the property. The township is now seeking public input on how to best utilize the property for open space or recreation. Thus far, the township has created a walking trail.

The Whitpain Recreation Association or WRA has come out in support of building an indoor sports facility on the property. On social media, the WRA posted:

As you may know, one proposed concept, strongly supported by WRA, is an indoor recreation facility. Each year, WRA rents indoor space from privately owned facilities and the Wissahickon School District. The money spent on such rentals could otherwise go to reducing registration costs to our families and improving our programs. And more importantly, space limitations at these venues require us to limit the number of children that can participate in indoor sports.

Please join the WRA board on Monday to vocally support the development of an indoor recreation facility at Mermaid Lake. The indoor facility would benefit the entire community with space for adult and preschool classes and sports, create a safe place for teens to meet and play, and provide WRA with the additional indoor space it desperately needs. There is plenty of property available to accommodate this project and many of the other proposed uses, including preservation of open space.

The January 25th virtual meeting will be the first of four public meetings regarding Mermaid Lake that will take place in 2021.

To join the meeting click here. You can join by phone by calling 1.301.715.859. The webinar ID is 872 7355 0236 and the passcode is 801663.