Business association endorses trail grant application

You are currently viewing Business association endorses trail grant application

The Chadds Ford Business Association is supporting Chadds Ford Township’s effort to apply for a grant that would pay for a feasibility study for pedestrian crossings as part of the planned Harvey Run Trail. CFBA President Lisa Dort sent a letter of support to interim Township Manager Judy Lizza last week.

According to Lizza, the township is applying for a $40,000 Community Conservation Partnerships Program through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It’s a matching grant, so, if it goes through, the township would get $20,000 from the state and be responsible for the rest.

The Brandywine Conservancy has already agreed to put up $10,000, Lizza said. She added that it’s still undetermined where the remainder of the money would come from. It could come from the Open Space Fund or from other sources, including other grants.

According to the conservancy’s Sheila Fleming, a senior planner, the conservancy has also donated more than $16,000 in consulting fees to the project during the last four years.

The trail would give people the opportunity to walk from the Brandywine River Museum to the NC Wyeth House and Studio, the Andrew Wyeth studio, the Kuerner Farm, Mother Archie’s Church and the former Howard Pyle studio, now the Chadds Ford Township building.

The four pedestrian crossings are planned for Creek Road, Route 1 and two on Ring Road. One of the Ring Road crossings is at the Kuerner Farm near the PECO lines and the other at Archie’s Corner. The Route 1 crossing connects the trail at the township property on Ring Road with the Brandywine Battlefield Park, while the Creek Road crossing will be near the bridge over Harvey Run at Station Way Road.

According to the conservancy’s project narrative, “Safe crossings at the four locations would enhance the cultural and recreational opportunities available for residents and visitors.”

In her letter of support, Dort said: “This effort is important to our community as many of our local historic and cultural attractions are isolated from one another by state roads that create barriers to pedestrians... Safe crossings…would enhance the cultural and recreational opportunities available for residents and visitors. Beyond the recreational benefits, residents will recognize positive effects on their community through increased tourism and economic stimulation for the service industries.”

The above map shows the path of the Harvey Run Trail and the locations of the planned pedestrian crossings. Courtesy image.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...

Comments

comments

Leave a Reply