Kennett Twp. supervisors unearth land issues
Dirt dominated the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 3, ranging from what ground could be disturbed for a planned park to how the township can protect residents from tainted soil.
Erin L. Gross, a land planner with Thomas Comitta Associates, Inc., provided an overview of plans for Barkingfield Park, a 45-acre tract the township purchased in February. Adjacent to the township’s maintenance garage at Bayard and Hillendale roads, Barkingfield will become the first township-owned park; while Anson B. Nixon and Pennock parks both occupy land within the township, Kennett does not own them.
Gross said the plans, which include a butterfly garden, a children’s play area, dog parks, sunflower fields, walking trails, an orchard, and nature study areas, would be implemented in five phases. The first phase includes a gravel driveway and parking lot off of Bayard Road, a mowed trail, plantings and signage.
Township Manager Lisa M. Moore said a township committee has been working on the plans for about a year and hoped to have a grand opening for the first phase at the end of September.
That goal hit a snag when Gwen Lacy, executive director of The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County, pointed out that the plans violate the terms of the easement the conservancy holds on the property. She said originally the developed area had been situated closer to the maintenance garage, an area not subject to restrictions on development.
Both Gross and Moore acknowledged that a change had occurred, prompting Supervisor Whitney S. Hoffman to ask why the conservancy’s representative on the park committee had not flagged the problem sooner. Lacy responded that everyone had access to the easement, prompting the supervisors to focus on moving forward.
“We’ve done a lot of work here,” said Supervisors’ Chairman Scudder G. Stevens. “It [the layout] needs to be tweaked.”
The supervisors expressed enthusiastic support for the concept, suggesting that the proposal would need more time on the drawing board. Supervisor Richard L. Leff said he particularly appreciated the rollout of different phases that would offer options for growth in the future.
The board also spent time discussing a recommendation from the conservancy for a soils ordinance, an effort to ensure that residents are protected from contaminated land. Moore said she surveyed a number of townships to learn whether any of them had such an ordinance; she said 22 responded that they did not.
The supervisors commended John Wilkens, a consultant for the conservancy, for the research he presented; however, David J. Sander, the borough’s solicitor, said more work needs to be done. He said he wanted to make sure that the township does not create an ordinance that could be superseded by state or federal regulations. Stevens added that he also wanted to know how a township ordinance would differ from the guidelines of the Chester County Conservation District.
The board also heard an overview of a report prepared by Remington, Vernick, and Beach Engineers designed to support a proposed Transportation Impact Fee, which would be paid by developers to mitigate the expected impact of projected developments on township traffic. To access the report, click here.
In other business, the board voted to reenact its gun discharge ordinance, which was withdrawn after a federal law gave organizations like the National Rifle Association the right to sue local municipalities over gun restrictions, a right since deemed unconstitutional by an appellate court.
The supervisors also voted to remove Officer Amanda Wenrich from probation, and they tabled a vote on a Sterling Act Resolution. The Sterling Act, passed by the state legislature in 1932, has enabled Philadelphia to tax township residents without remitting any portion of the wage fee back to the township. Area municipalities were asked by the Chester County Association of Township Officials to join an effort to repeal the law. The supervisors wanted more time to determine how many township residents work in Philadelphia and what the wages total.
In her manager’s report, Moore said the Economic Development Study the township commissioned with the borough and other stakeholders in the region has been completed. A public meeting to discuss the results is scheduled for Sept. 8 at the American Legion building in downtown Kennett Square.
Moore said plans for another collaborative venture with the borough, a Holiday Village, were progressing. She said it would be held the first weekend in December at The Creamery, a pop-up beer garden on Birch Street in Kennett Square. Area artisans would be selected to sell their wares, encouraging residents to shop locally. Hoffman said the school district had approved the use of its nearby Legacy Field lot for parking.
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