Brandywine
Battlefield Park, closed for the past week because of state budget constraints,
may be reopening as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, Aug. 25 or 26.

 According
to Chadds Ford Township Supervisors’ Chairman George Thorpe, an addendum to the
normal agreement between the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates and the
Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission was signed late Thursday, Aug. 20.
The agreement allows the park to reopen with the museum, gift shop and historic
houses available to the public.

 He
added that there would be fewer items in the gift shop for security reasons.

 “
This will not necessarily be the full operation as it would have been or as it
will be when a more definite agreement with the township, if that can occur
does occur,”  he said.

 PHMC
members voted in June to follow the recommendation of a sustainability study to
stop funding park operations. The idea was to turn over the operation to the
township and the associate’s group.

Thorpe,
who is also a past president of the associates as well as a township
supervisor, was the primary negotiator for the new agreement. Current
associates President Linda Kaat and treasurer Richard Bowers signed the
agreement.

Funding
for the temporary phase of reopening is not an issue, Thorpe said because
volunteers will staff the park.

“
After that we’ll regroup to see what monies the BBPA has,”  he said.

Thorpe
added that this agreement is strictly between the PHMC and the associates, “
The township is not involved at all.”

Kaat
was pleased with the arrangement.

“ We
welcome this. It’s an honor. I think taking it out of Harrisburg, and putting
it in Chadds Ford was the right call. I’m very excited about the future, and
the potential we have,” said Kaat.

She
anticipates the reopening will likely be Wednesday, not Tuesday.

The
associates who will run the park were getting safety instruction on crowd
control and other safety procedures before the reopening.

Park
hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on
Sunday.

The
next formal activity at the park is a remembrance ceremony planned for the
evening of Sept. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. it will be used as a fund-raiser and
awareness-raiser, Kaat said. The ceremony will include a silent auction and a
summer buffet.