Mercer County Park Commission releases draft master plan for Moores Station Quarry in Hopewell

The Mercer County Park Commission has released its draft master plan for the Moores Station Quarry, which is located in Hopewell Township adjacent to Baldpate Mountain.

The 166-acre site includes two small ponds, a large rock-crushing, and processing plant, and outbuildings. The quarry pit measures about 2,000 feet by 1,500 feet with numerous cliff walls, some as high as 100 feet.

Over the past year, the Mercer County Park Commission and a team of consultants performed environmental research on the quarry and hosted a series of public meetings via Zoom to gather ideas for potential improvements to convert the industrial quarry site into a new park.

The draft master plan proposes a variety of new recreational facilities at the site, as well as detailed rehabilitation recommendations that aim to establish native plant communities and protect the natural habitat in many parts of the site.

Bike trails, a BMX competition track, a bike park, rope courses and a zip line, camping, water recreation activities, a native plant display garden, ponds, and a scenic overlook are proposed for the site.

The Mercer County Park Commission has retained a team to help develop the master plan. The team is led by Simone Collins Landscape Architecture of Norristown, Pa., and includes landscape architects, geologists, engineers, ecologists, wildlife biologists, architects, sustainability experts, and real estate market analysts.

Mercer County residents who want to provide feedback regarding the draft plan are invited to submit their comments via a Survey Money survey over the next 60 days. The feedback form will close on Wednesday, Sept. 15. After the public comment period, the master plan will be revised and finalized before it is adopted by the Mercer County Park Commission.