More than 150 people turned out on a rainy Saturday morning to tell county Chief Executive Dan Onorato about their experiences in North Park, and hear about his plans for the county's largest park.

The town hall meeting in North Park's Rose Barn was the seventh of nine meetings, one in each county park, to discuss the County Parks Action Plan, which was unveiled Sept. 27.

Mr. Onorato began by talking about two subjects -- the upcoming dredging of the lake and the effects of what he called "30 years of deferred maintenance" in the parks.

The dredging will begin in 2009 and be completed in 2011. The project will cost $7.7 million, $5 million of which is coming from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a grant secured by U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, who attended the town hall meeting.

"We're going to take a lake that's over 70 years old and restore it to its original depth and acreage," Mr. Onorato said. "Obviously, if you dredge the lake, you can't use it for a year and a half. But you want to do it right so you only have to do it once every 80 years."

As part of the project, a footpath will be built around the lake, which will help get walkers off the current path along busy Ingomar Road, he added.

The county has added 65 acres to the park, and another 85 acres are pending. For now, the extra land will be used for the silt dredged from the lake. But, after that project is completed, the park will be extended, he said.

North Park is currently 3,075 acres and is in McCandless, Pine and Hampton.

The deferred maintenance will be addressed two ways. A nonprofit Parks Foundation was formed to seek private donations and funding for the parks. Every dollar the foundation raises will be matched by the county, Mr. Onorato said.

The county may also seek private companies to operate park facilities, such as the North Park Boathouse, tennis courts and golf course and the stables at Hartwood Acres in Indiana Township.

"I have no money to hire anybody," Mr. Onorato said. "We have to think differently."

The county gets $17 million in Regional Asset District money for the nine parks, including the public works, police and parks departments.

Audience members had other suggestions, complaints and observations. The topics included:

• Putting a cell phone tower in the park. Mr. Onorato said that could happen if it could be "aesthetically pleasing," such as tying it into the 800-foot water tower.

• Trees. Mr. Onorato said cutting down mature trees and planting seedlings in their place is part of the county's overall plan, and the timber could be sold to raise money. One resident also suggested removing the dead trees that line the bike paths before branches fall on people.

A woman from the Pittsburgh Sakura Project displayed a drawing that showed flowering cherry trees planted between the boat house and tennis courts. The group, based in Squirrel Hill, plans to plant the trees in spring 2009.

• More rentals of the 30 homes within the park.

• Ads along the walls at the ice rink and ballfields. "We do have a lot of people in that park. Let's take advantage of it," Mr. Onorato said.

• Wildlife. This was the most contentious of the discussion, with the audience split between supporting and opposing deer hunting and the killing of geese.

"The geese population has to be brought under control," Mr. Onorato said. "It's becoming the major health issue for us."

Last year, the county euthanized 272 geese in North Park. The meat was given to local food banks through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program. County officials also take eggs from nests in an effort to reduce the number of goslings, he said.

The annual deer harvest is closely managed, with archery only allowed from tree stands and only does can be killed. More than 5,000 pounds of venison is also given to food banks.

Residents also expressed concerns over coyotes in the park. "Why can't they get the geese for me," Mr. Onorato joked. Then he agreed with a resident's suggestion that the county post warning signs in the parts of the park where coyotes have been seen.

• Too much litter and garbage. The county is in the process of a "green initiative," and plans to be more aggressive on recycling in the parks, he said. The county will also seek volunteers to help clean up the park. There are groups that patrol Boyce Park's trails on mountain bikes and pick up trash and litter, he added.

• Speeding. Residents who live just outside the park's boundaries complained of speeders. One woman suggested doubling fines for speeding in the park.

• A second "dog park" is planned, Mr. Onorato said. The two dog parks will be rotated so the grass can be revitalized. A resident suggested having a separate area for smaller dogs.

The meeting was also attended by several county parks department employees, as well as county council members Jan Rea, John DeFazio and Matt Drozd.