The first design component of Penn State's first arboretum, the Bellefonte Central Rail Trail, has begun construction despite the fact that the university does not yet have sufficient funds allocated for completion of the rest of the arboretum.

The rail trail, created when an abandoned railway is converted to paths designed for foot or bicycle traffic, will be a mile-long, 10-foot-wide trail that will eventually provide a path for students and pedestrians through the arboretum.

Plans for the arboretum, a 395-acre area of land between Park Avenue and the Mount Nittany Expressway, have been underway since March 2002; however, the university is still seeking donations to continue with its construction, Kim Steiner, director of the arboretum, said.

The $600,000 needed for the rail trail was funded by College, Ferguson and Patton townships as well as the State College Borough, Penn State and sizeable government grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

"The funding for the rail trail is unique because the project has been a cooperative effort by the university and several municipalities, with Penn State taking the lead as the grant applicant," Kate Reeder, arboretum program assistant, said.

Government funding may be available to raise funds for the completion of the rest of the arboretum through research grants from faculty members who intend to pursue their research there, but the rest of the project is relying on private donations.

Reeder said it was easier to raise the funds for the rail trail because it connects two existing trails that run through the outlying communities and therefore will benefit those communities when it is completed.

"The rail trail benefits Penn State employees and the community, so this particular project was a win-win situation for the township and the bureau and us," she said. "The arboretum isn't in this category because it isn't a community project, but belongs to the university."

Reeder said that the rest of the arboretum, which will consist of a variety of flower gardens, a park, pond, event lawn and outdoor amphitheater, wasn't eligible for grants from PennDOT because it doesn't provide an alternative mode of transportation like the rail trail does.

Steiner said although the rail trail will be completed this summer, there is no definitive timeline on the completion of the entire project.

"It's kind of difficult to plan when you don't know when the money is coming in," he said.

Tom Flynn, senior landscape architect for the Office of Physical Plant (OPP), said he believes once the first donation comes through there will be a lot of community interest and involvement.

"I firmly believe that once we get the arboretum moving and get it publicized, the public will see it as an asset to the university as we do," he said.

Paul Ruskin, OPP spokesman, said it may be harder to find funding for the arboretum because it is an unconventional construction project.

"I think there's a long tradition of capital construction being able to get money from donors because a building is an easy place to hang your hat on and have your name associated with," he said. "The arboretum is an important part of the university and we are strongly supportive of the effort."

Flynn said once completed, Penn State will use the arboretum as a research laboratory for the College of Agricultural Sciences, the horticulture department and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture's landscape architecture department.

"It's not just a place to play in the dirt but a definite park geared toward different age groups," he said.

"I can envision grade school buses rolling in for a day at the arboretum," Flynn added.