Kennett Township gets $1.3 million

Posted by Press Release on October 8, 2018

Kennett Township is the recipient of a generous land conservation grant of $1,300,000 from Mt. Cuba Center, the 1,000+-acre botanical gardens in Hockessin. The grant is earmarked for the township’s fee simple acquisition of two important open space parcels.

In a recent letter to Lisa Moore, Kennett Township manager, Mt. Cuba Center’s President, Ann Copeland Rose wrote, “I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Managers of Mt. Cuba Center has unanimously approved a grant to Kennett Township in the amount of $1,300,000.00 for the acquisition of these two properties. The Board is happy to be able to provide this support for such a worthy cause and passes along its best wishes for the continued success in your conservation efforts.”

According to Moore, “We are absolutely thrilled that the prestigious Mt. Cuba Center, a powerhouse in regional land conservation and land stewardship, is providing us with what is by far the largest single open space grant we have ever received. Typically, our major conservation grants come from the State of Pennsylvania and Chester County, both of whom are exceptionally supportive of our open space program. However, for those grants, the Township is required to provide at least a 50% match and meet a number of complex requirements. Amazingly, Mt. Cuba Center’s grant does not require matching funds or any contingents, and was granted within weeks of our request, making it an especially timely and generous gift.”

According to Scudder Stevens, chairman of the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors, “Receiving such a substantial grant from Mt. Cuba Center provides a major boost for our on-going efforts to conserve at least 30 percent of our township’s acreage as permanently protected open space. In addition, while most of the township’s previously protected open space is held by conservation organizations and homeowners associations, these newly acquired properties will be owned solely by the Township with a conservation easement held by a conservation organization, providing us with maximum flexibility to manage them to meet the changing recreational needs and environmental challenges of the township. Many thanks to Mt. Cuba Center for making this possible.”

Jeff Yetter, who heads the township’s Land Conservation Advisory Committee, added that “This incredible gift from Mt. Cuba Center helps us effectively double the size of our Township-owned protected open space at a very low per-acre cost to the Township. In addition, both of the two properties involved are adjacent to existing protected open space and to other properties we are targeting for permanent conservation, ultimately creating entire corridors of conserved lands. These are major wins for our Township and its residents, and we thank Mt. Cuba Center for their helping hand.

“The Township will provide additional details about these properties which total 123 acres and its plans for them after their purchase has been finalized, which is currently expected later this month.”