Additional work on Heuser Park in Upper Merion, including sports fields and parking.
Acquisition of 10 acres for open space and habitat protection by West Chester Pike in Willistown Township.
Buying 133 acres for habitat protection between Philadelphia International Airport and the Delaware River.
The latter two, in Chester and Delaware Counties, were the largest awards statewide.
All the money comes from long-term state and federal fund accounts - not tax receipts - and totaled just 40 percent of what was requested.
"While the news is good for many communities," said Secretary Michael DiBerardinis, whose Department of Conservation and Natural Resources chose the winners, ". . . hundreds of projects that can help to improve citizens' quality of life never get off the ground."
Handing over a "ceremonial" $100,000 check to build a boat launch on the Susquehanna River in Steelton, DiBerardinis took the opportunity to pitch Gov. Rendell's $800 million bond initiative for parks and land preservation - and to remind voters that it was being held up in the Republican-controlled legislature.
"Through the governor's Growing Greener proposal," he said, "we can significantly boost our ability to fund these [local] grants."
Just a day earlier, DiBerardinis said that if the Democratic governor's bond proposal was not placed on the ballot - and then approved by voters in November - he might ask legislators to impose visitors' fees at Pennsylvania's 117 state parks.
Most other states already charge for general use.
The grants announced yesterday were similar to those in the past, although a spokeswoman for the secretary said plans that involved regional cooperation or "looked out to the future" had been favored.
One new trend, she said, was requests to fund local skateboard parks - six, although none near Philadelphia.
In addition to the local grants, statewide or regional awards included:
