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Chester CountyPRESS

www.chestercounty.com

Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas

Volume 158, No. 28

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

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Pa. House Republicans hold policy committee hearing on Big Elk Creek State Park By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer The Pennsylvania House Republicans held a policy committee hearing on July 9 at Avon Grove High School that addressed the community’s continued concerns over the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) plans to develop a portion of Big Elk Creek State Park – which they own -- into

INSIDE

campgrounds and additional facilities. The three-hour hearing – organized by Rep. John Lawrence and the Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee led by Vice Chairman Torren Ecker – drew more than 150 passionate residents and featured three panels: the DCNR’s panel, the community officials’ panel and a panel made up of community leaders.

The Route 41 Corridor – the well-traveled and some would say severely outdated highway that slices through southern Chester County – is the topic of a soon-to-be finalized study that intends Destination Cecil County to “develop a vision that promotes safety, convenience, and accessibility for all users, supports key local industries and businesses, and reflects the character of the diverse communities along the corridor.” The Route 41 Transportation Study and Improvement Plan was presented by John Yurick, a senior project manager of transportation for the Exton-based Bowman Engineering firm at the New New boutique hotel Garden Township Board of set to open in Kennett Supervisors meeting on July 15. The multi-municipal Square...1B study focuses on the ten-mile stretch of Route 41 from Route 796 to Route 7 that encompasses Londonderry, London Grove, New Garden

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ground conclusion that they come to.” Continued on Page 3A Courtesy photos

Former State Sen. Andrew Dinniman and Rep. John Lawrence were among the many speakers at a July 9 hearing at Avon Grove High School to discuss the potential development of Big Elk Creek State Park by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Route 41 study presented to New Garden board By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Before the meeting began, Olivia Quinci, a resident of Elk Township and former outdoor educator, shared that she felt split on the issue. “I know that this is definitely an area that needs to be protected and yet at the same time, I know that a lot of people don’t tend to care about nature unless they have access to it,” she said. “I’m just curious to hear what other people’s ideas are – to see if there’s a middle

and Kennett townships and Avondale Borough. It recognizes the long-standing safety and traffic concerns along the highway; several studies of the corridor that have been previously issued; and its need to offer a “cohesive vision and framework for future transportation improvements” in conjunction with PennDOT projects on Route 41 that include the installation of roundabouts, the repair of the decaying bridge over White Clay Creek and the State Street intersection in the Avondale Borough. Bowman’s study divides the corridor into four contiguous segments: From Route 796 to U.S. Route 1; from U.S. Route 1 to the Avondale Borough line; the Avondale Borough; and from the borough to the Route 7 interchange. Yurick said that in order to help layer the study with further insight, Bowman worked with an advisory committee, gave online presentations and distributed an

FROM OUR LENS

All aboard for a Sunday picnic online community survey that yielded 278 responses, of which the three top concerns expressed were traffic congestion, truck volume and/or behavior and vehicle speeding. Yurick shared the following recommendations for each of the four segments. From Route 796 to U.S. Route 1, he said that given the roundabouts at key intersections, “we don’t want to go too far ahead with recommendations. We have identified some safety improvements that can be done at each intersections in the short term, but we recommend that townships pause and let the PennDOT roundabout improvements

Courtesy photo

West Chester Railroad Company is offering train aficionados and their friends and families their Summer Picnic Special every Sunday through Sept. 22. This 90-minute, round-trip excursion boards at the Market Street Station in West Chester at noon and stops at the Glen Mills Train Station picnic grove. Guests can purchase their tickets online by visiting www.wcrailroad.com.

Continued on Page 2A

Kennett School Board approves moving forward on a land-swap with trail group By Chris Barber Contributing Writer The Kennett Consolidated School District Board approved a project that would transfer a piece of the Legacy Fields land to an organization that pursues trail-building and outdoor education. The motion to move forward received unanimous “ayes” at the July 8 school board meeting in Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center. Legacy Fields sits at the

corner of South Walnut and Birch streets in Kennett Square. It is home to the Kennett High School soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams, as well as several local recreational organizations. The sports fields are meticulously maintained and are a well-known destination for fans of sports teams. Legacy Fields, however, also holds a swath of thick, wild vegetation that skirts the Red Clay Creek along its south side. It appears unable

to serve any playing field activities and is so densely forested that it cannot even serve as a place for recreational jogging or casual walking. That piece of land caught the eyes of members of the Kennett Trails Alliance. The Alliance is a non-profit community organization whose mission is to create a well-connected regional trail network in the Kennett area. It currently maintains or is building a 14-mile stretch

in Kennett Square, Kennett Township and even beyond into Delaware. Anita Robinson, the director of trails development with the Alliance, spoke to the board on behalf of their idea. The Alliance proposes turning that forested area into a public outdoor attraction where people could not only ramble, but also learn more about outdoor life and the nature of the Red Clay Creek. The request offered by Robinson was to either have

the district transfer or lease the land to the Alliance. She showed sketched proposals of the boardwalk and a covered area for outdoor education that also offers protection from the elements. She backed up her request with the evidence that the group has already produced results with other successful areas of the 14-mile pathway. However, she said, they are eager for the Legacy Field area because it would be the Continued on Page 3A

Nichol Park: Found money, made beauty Fully funded by two grants, London Britain Township is converting a once-mowed field into a stunning landscape, with two more lawn-to-meadow restorations to follow By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Something just wasn’t right – aesthetically, economically and environmentally. For several years, Adam Brady, the supervisor of parks and open space for London Britain Township, would expend countless hours and gallons of costly petrol to hop aboard an 18-foot-wide township tractor and mow the entirety of Nichol Park in Landenberg,

only to have to repeat the process a week or so later. In 2022, Brady received information from township Secretary Carolyn Matalon about a lawn-to-meadow conversion program and grant opportunity that was available from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation Resources (DCNR). He liked what he read, and soon after, he proposed the project to the Board of Supervisors Aileen Parrish, Brian Sachs and Bruce Yost,

who supported the idea for a now fully-funded project -- thanks to $86,00 in grants from the DCNR and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy – that has transformed nearly 12 acres of Nichol Park into a magnificent and natural garden of wildflowers and grassy trail paths. In addition, the township is also converting 1.8 acres in the Country Photo by Richard L. Gaw Walk development off of London Britain Township Supervisors Brian Sachs Good Hope Road and 2.6 and Aileen Parrish and township Supervisor of Parks acres on a hillside in the and Open Space Adam Brady at the newly blossomed Continued on Page 2A

meadow at Nichol Park.