Meetings planned for water trail

Posted by Press Release on January 23, 2019

As part of the Brandywine Creek Greenway initiative, the Brandywine Conservancy and Chester County Planning Commission are studying the feasibility of a Brandywine Water Trail—a formalized route along the waterway for recreational use, enhanced by connections to land trails. Two public meetings are scheduled for Feb. 5 and 12 to get input from the community on routes that are currently used; areas that are unsafe and need improvement; areas where additional access would be helpful; and opportunities for stewardship and education.

The first public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 5, from 5-7 p.m., at the Downingtown Borough Annex (4 West Lancaster Ave., Downingtown). The second public meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 12, from 5-7 p.m., at the Brandywine River Museum of Art (1 Hoffman’s Mill Rd., Chadds Ford). Both meetings will be held open house style, and attendees can arrive at any time during the two-hour window. Families are welcome to attend, and light refreshments will be provided. Registration is requested at www.brandywine.org/events; there is no cost to register.

Once complete, the Brandywine Water Trail will be a 22-mile bi-state water route that connects communities to the creek in Pennsylvania and Delaware, improving access to the waterway for increased recreational and educational use, while also protecting and enhancing the natural, scenic, cultural and historic resources along the river. The feasibility study will focus on the east and west branches of the Brandywine starting from Coatesville and Downingtown, to the Brandywine Creek State Park in Delaware. Residents of both states are welcome and encouraged to attend one or both of the meetings to provide input.