Indiana, Pa. – October 23, 2025 – Traffic, brisk air and the threat of rain didn’t seem to slow seven volunteers from the Democratic Women of Indiana County and Pennsylvania American Water Company, along with staff from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy on October 21 as they spruced up and planted shrubs, small trees and other perennial plants at the new location of the Conservancy’s community garden near downtown Indiana, Pa.
Beginning in 1998, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy provided a colorful and beautiful community flower garden in Indiana, at Route 286 at Indian Springs Road, thanks to the company’s sponsorship of the garden. The company has generously sponsored multiple Conservancy community flower gardens over the past 25 years, resulting in more than $300,000 in garden funding since 2000; its generosity is recognized on signage at 12 of WPC’s gardens.
When PennDOT began work on Route 286 in 2020, the site became inaccessible due to road reconstruction activities. After work was completed in 2023, PennDOT determined that the original location was no longer feasible for a garden and assisted the Conservancy in identifying a new location, three miles away, on Route 286 at E. Pike Road.
The location was already a community garden through PennDOT’s Adopt & Beautify Program and managed by the Democratic Women of Indiana County. Through a year of collaboration, all entities partnered to enroll the garden in the Conservancy’s community flower garden program. The new location will now also recognize the company, whose funding support pays for flowers, mulch, garden materials and water irrigation at the site.
Volunteers from both the community group and the company said they are pleased to partner on this project and happy to see beautification projects continuing in Indiana. Volunteers and Conservancy staff planted wild geranium, butterfly weed, rhododendron, switchgrass, mountain laurel and perennial bulbs that will begin blooming at the first nod of spring.
“We are so pleased and grateful to be part of this partnership to help continue making this a welcoming habitat for our native pollinators and a beautiful garden for the Indiana community,” says Sara Steelman, the garden’s steward with the Democratic Women of Indiana County.
In addition to supporting community greening efforts, the company has also supported the Conservancy’s watershed restoration work, which is spearheaded from the Conservancy’s Indiana office located on Philadelphia Street. 
“The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s impact reaches far beyond the beauty of gardens like Indiana,” says Joel Hilliard, senior superintendent of operations for Pennsylvania American Water. “Their commitment to protecting natural habitats, preserving watersheds and enhancing greenspaces reflects the kind of environmental stewardship we value deeply. For over 25 years, our partnership has grown through shared goals and hands-on collaboration. Events like this one highlight the power of working together to create healthier, more sustainable communities.”
For more information about the Conservancy’s community gardens and other greening efforts, visit WaterLandLife.org/community-greening.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
About American Water: American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,700 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.
About Pennsylvania American Water: Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.4 million people.
Media Contacts:
Carmen Bray
Senior Director of Communications
412-586-2358, work
cbray@paconserve.org
Allison Centofanti
External Affairs Specialist
allison.centofanti@amwater.com