A once-barren landscape of mine spoils and poor soils has been transformed into a vibrant destination where imagination and water play take center stage. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the September 2025 ribbon cutting of Hempfield Township's Founders Park unveiled the first milestone in the evolution of a 20-acre outdoor amenity embedded within the Township's planned 43-acre municipal complex, eventually including sports fields and municipal buildings. From the moment visitors enter Founders Park, both the young and the young-at-heart are immersed in the movement of water. It tumbles, glistens, winds, and splashes - flowing beneath their feet, overhead, and along the path. Children set afloat rubber duckies and makeshift boats - often nothing more than a flip-flop - and delight in watching them gently drift down the brook, while bursts of laughter and shouts of surprise erupt from the adjacent splash pad. These moments are made possible through a thoughtfully integrated design that connects above- and below-ground water systems into a seamless play experience.

Background
The park's first phase - comprising approximately four acres - introduces a multifaceted recreation destination unique to the Township and to the region. After residents expressed their desire for a more centrally located park within the municipality's 76-square-mile footprint, the Landscape Architects of Environmental Planning & Design, LLC (EPD), conceptualized design ideas for transforming the formerly mined site into an accessible, multi-faceted recreation space. Township leaders' support of this destination-scale experience - now serving as the community's hub - translates into a welcoming gathering space for all ages and abilities. Recreation, events, and everyday connections create sounds of delight throughout the entire year. The facility's design and materials encourage visitors to linger through a variety of experiences that invite exploration and extended stays.

Design Process and Outcome

 
Blending ideas - such as a splash pad, nature-inspired play equipment, and a fitness area - EPD designers recognized the opportunity to make water itself the defining feature of the park's first phase. Rather than limiting water play to the splash pad, a plumbing system recirculates filtered splash pad water and reintroduces it as an interactive play element elsewhere throughout the site.

Water connects active and passive experiences for visitors of all ages and abilities in a continuous sequence. The sequence originates at the splash pad with potable water from the municipal water supply, delivering excitement and joy to a 5,000-square-foot splash pad through dozens of interactive features. Next, instead of entering the stormwater system, the water is filtered and piped underground to feed a water table, where it gently overflows into a meandering, simulated brook. The water then follows the brook along the park's primary pathway, swirls through an oculus, and finally enters the stormwater system.

Along its more than 600-foot journey, the water creates three distinct interactive opportunities. The splash pad delivers thrilling delight through sprays, jets, and dumping features, while the water table offers a more tranquil, hands-on experience. Further downstream, the brook invites visitors to splash, launch makeshift watercraft, or simply enjoy the sensation of cool water flowing over their fingers and toes. Throughout the park, water becomes the thread that ties each space and experience together.

Materials
The water table itself was carefully carved and polished from exposed concrete to evoke the character of a natural stream system. Its shallow basin allows water to cascade gently over a series of tiered surfaces, creating multiple points of accessible interaction for young children and wheelchair users alike. The concrete surface was carefully etched with a surface retarder to reveal exposed aggregate to a level that creates texture but is also soft to the touch. The central surface where water flows was polished to produce a smooth basin with visual contrast that emulates the erosive properties of a stream bed. As a result, children can often be seen engrossed in quiet solitary play, experimenting with their hands or a cup -- receiving, redirecting, and manipulating the flow. A stone veneer envelops the base, echoing the character of boulders discovered and repurposed from the site. Repeated throughout the park in seat walls and architectural elements, the veneer is reminiscent of native materials historically used in the built environment of the surrounding region.

The adjacent brook's design captures the essence of flowing water even during dry periods and seasons when water is not in use. Using subtle color variation, organic forms, and textured, exposed concrete, the hardscape conveys movement year-round. Like the water table, the brook's concrete surface was etched to reveal underlying aggregate for slip resistance and to create textural interest indicative of a natural stream bed. Native plantings inspired by the region's agrarian era soften the edges and provide seasonal interest, while reclaimed boulders create informal seating, a place to stow shoes, and naturally subtle and safe
climbing opportunities.

Throughout the park, hardscape materials unify the site's diverse spaces while providing durable, accessible surfaces that are harmoniously incorporated into the surrounding landscape. The linear promenade along the northwest edge of the park establishes a primary circulation pattern that doubles as functional event space. The promenade is activated by vendors and local organizations selling homemade goods and sharing information during seasonal farmers' market activities, festivals, and celebrations. A curvilinear concrete walkway parallels the water feature and serves as a circulation spine. Designed to accommodate foot traffic and frequent splashing, it provides durable, slip-resistant access to the water elements.

Secondary paths are composed of crushed limestone using Penn State University's Trail Surface Aggregate (TSA) specifications. These pathways introduce texture and guide visitors through mounded play areas, while concrete edging secures the aggregate and provides a stable edge for adjacent safety surfacing. Synthetic turf safety surfacing in the play and fitness areas provides critical fall height protection while blending into the overall landscape to create an integrated appearance. To provide visual contrast, colored concrete was used to delineate gathering areas and is repeated throughout the park. The effect of the colored concrete is illuminated in the splash pad, where it creates the image of a flower, reinforcing nature-based themes and cohesively uniting the different play zones.

The New Heart of the Community
Together, the park's hardscape, waterscape, planting design, and subtle changes in elevation immerse visitors in an environment that encourages exploration, play, and interaction across generations. Founders Park has quickly become Hempfield Township's new community heart, paving the way for future phases of recreation while demonstrating how a once-disturbed landscape can be reimagined into a place of lasting connection.

As seen in LASN magazine, October 2026.