The 13th annual Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisory Board’s Green Luncheon will be held on Thursday, September 22 at the Twin Lakes Park Expansion site on Georges Station Road in Greensburg. Anyone who shares a desire to provide quality parks and recreation facilities in Westmoreland County is welcome to attend.
Luncheon attendees are asked to arrive by 11:30 a.m. at Pavilion #10 and a buffet lunch of fresh and local foods catered by One Eleven restaurant of Greensburg will begin promptly at 11:45 a.m. The meal will be followed with a ceremony recognizing those who support the Westmoreland County Parks through donations and outstanding service. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased by calling Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation at (724) 830-3962 before September 13.
The Green Luncheon was begun in 2003 to honor those who generously support Westmoreland County’s ten parks and five trails throughout the year. This year, the event will also highlight recently added and proposed recreation facilities throughout the Westmoreland County park system, such as the planning and future construction of 5.9 miles of Turtle Creek Extension of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail from Export to Murrysville. Other proposed projects include an off-leash dog park and improvements to Cedar Creek Park, upgrades to the Giant Slide at Mammoth Park, as well as accessible improvements to restrooms and pavilions and a variety of other projects throughout the Westmoreland County park system.
This year’s Green Luncheon honorees follow.
Muir, Olmstead, Hornaday, and Audubon fellows are honored for their financial support, with the cumulative dollar amount of their giving determining the category.
Muir Fellows ($1,000):
Betsy Aiken
Alcoa Foundation
East Suburban Animal Hospital
Elliott Group
Grandview Nursery
Penneco Oil Company
Spitzer Autoworld, Monroeville
Target #1220
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival
Olmsted Fellows ($2,500):
Cleveland Brothers
Hamill Manufacturing
Mackin Engineering
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Mon Valley R.C. Airplane Club
Larry Schultz
Hornaday Fellows ($5,000):
Carpenter Technology – Latrobe Specialty Metals
Pepsi Bottling Company
Smail Auto Group
Audubon Fellows ($10,000+):
Dura-Bond Industries
Rodger and Joan Gurrentz
Annette & Tom Rusnock
Trib Total Media
Westmoreland Land Trust
Also being honored are the following Lewis Fellows, recognized for their continued exceptional service to Westmoreland County Parks. Nancy Kukovich has served on the CAB board since 2002, serving four consecutive terms and rejoining in 2016. She has served as the second vice-chair and treasurer of the board, as well as head of the Development and Finance committees. Roy Lenhardt has volunteered on the CAB board since 2007 and serves as the first vice-chair of the board and chair of the Development committee. Both Nancy and Roy have been instrumental in park development, notably helping to secure funding for the Twin Lakes Park Expansion project.
The Mon Valley R.C. Airplane Club will receive an Olmstead and Lewis Fellow award for their monetary and service contributions. In addition to their financial donations, the Mon Valley R.C. Airplane club has volunteered their time and passion for model aircraft at several Cedar Creek Park special events for many years: the August Fun Fest, the Sky’s The Limit event, and the March for Parks.
Annette and Tom Rusnock will also receive a monetary Audubon award and a Lewis service award. Annette and Tom are the founders and coordinators of the ‘Brian’s Brigade’ March for Parks team and have donated many hours of service to the parks by fundraising for the Brian T. Rusnock Amphitheater at the Twin Lakes Park Expansion and assisting with planning the summer performance schedule.
Lewis Fellows (in recognition of outstanding service):
Nancy Kukovich
Roy Lenhardt
Mon Valley R.C. Airplane Club
Annette & Tom Rusnock