By joining forces, the Mars Area School District and its member municipalities hope to see a comprehensive recreation plan for the area, one they hope will help move them to the top of the heap of those seeking state grants for parks.

Mars Area Parks and Recreation Commission -- consisting of the Mars Area school board and representatives of Mars, Valencia, Adams and Middlesex -- is receiving a $10,000 grant to fund a peer-to-peer study of recreation facilities.

A meeting to kick off the study will be held at 7 this evening in the school administration building, Route 228 and Brickyard Road.

The school district and municipalities joined forces two years ago to discuss common issues, and the need to cooperate on parks and recreation soon moved to the forefront of discussions. The group applied last winter for the study through the state Department of Community and Natural Resources. Each entity kicked in $200 for the local match.

"We had to have the school board involved; otherwise you couldn't apply for the grant," said Kim Geyer, school board president. "The regulations say that there is no school district that can receive any grant money, but they have to be involved in the process."

Mrs. Geyer said it made sense for the school board to facilitate the process.

"We had people periodically coming to school board meetings, and they were requesting various services and programs on parks and recreation," she said. "`Why don't you have a swimming pool? Why don't we have aerobics classes?' If the school board didn't take charge ... it wasn't going to happen. The same demands and expectations would keep recurring."

Bob Good of Pashek Associates, from Pittsburgh's North Side, will facilitate the study and will be at tonight's meeting. The company also did the plans for Adams Township Park, so the firm is familiar with the area, Mrs. Geyer said.

"The study will take account of all the different assets and liabilities in each of the five [partners] and try to put together an overall comprehensive plan," Mrs. Geyer said.

The plan will include programs and facilities for all age groups, she added.

"Hopefully, it identifies any possible collaborative efforts between the municipalities and the school district recreational programs ...," said Middlesex Manager Scot Fodi. "It will also identify for us where each municipality can improve its own parks and recreation committees as well."

Mrs. Geyer said, "[The joint committee] will take precedence or priority over any individual municipality or entity that is applying for parks and recreation funding."

Mrs. Geyer said the ultimate goal was to have the townships and the boroughs acquire a parks and recreation director through the peer-to-peer study. "We can focus our tax dollars on education," she said.

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