December 4, 2020

Dear Kennett Township Residents and Business Owners,

First of all, this email will be long. Thank you for taking the time to read through it all. I wanted to remind everyone that the Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting this coming Monday, December 7^th with the intent to enact a Local Service Tax via Ordinance. A Local Services Tax is a $52.00 per year tax on individuals who work in the Township and earn more than $12,000.00 a year. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. To see the information as advertised in the Daily Local News along with Zoom information and the draft Ordinance, see the News Flash on our website HERE. The agenda for the meeting along with detailed Zoom instructions can be found on the Agenda Center HERE.

If you were one of the 100+ people who joined us for last Wednesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, you know that we had to postpone the Kennett Greenway and Chandler Mill Road presentation and discussion until this upcoming special meeting. Specifically, the Board will be deciding whether to hire the township’s trail consultants to perform a traffic study, discuss potential changes with residents and seek the residents’ feedback on potential trail designs.

If you missed the last meeting, there was an in-depth discussion on EMS delivery for Kennett Township. We will be posting the video next week. Sadly, the meeting was Zoom interrupted by inappropriate distractors and we are working to make the recording appropriate for all. Thank you for your patience.

In the effort to kickstart the Greenway/Chandler Mill Road discussion, I hope you find the information below useful. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email my Executive Assistant, Gretchen Flack (gretchen.flack@kennett.pa.us) and she will make sure I and the Board receive your comments.

Thank you and have a great weekend,
Eden.

The Kennett Greenway

The Kennett Greenway is a key Township priority and part of the Township’s Open Space, Trails and Parks Master Plan. When completed, the Greenway will provide over 14 miles of continuous trails and connect the Township’s neighborhoods to everyday destinations, businesses, nature preserves and each other. Imagine safely getting into downtown Kennett Square by bicycle, taking the family to a concert at Anson B Nixon or visiting Auburn Valley State Park without having to get in the car! As COVID-19 has shown us, access to outdoor activity and nature is critical to our community’s physical, mental and spiritual health.

The Chandler Mill Trail

The Chandler Mill trail is the backbone of our trail system in the south western corner of our township. It will connect neighborhoods such as Round Hill, Falcon’s Lair, Candlewyck and the Preserve at New Garden to downtown Kennett Square, including to schools, businesses and recreational assets. It will also connect residents to the many acres of existing open space, including Chandler Mill Preserve and the historic Chandler Mill Bridge.

In 2016 and 2017, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Financing Authority recognized the vision and importance of this trail network, and awarded $1.7 million to Kennett Township to rehabilitate Chandler Mill Bridge and complete portions of the western Greenway, including Chandler Mill Trail.

2020 Progress

Earlier this year, the Township retained Biohabitats, Unknown Studio and Meliora Design as its trail consultants after its previous consultants, Penn Trails, resigned. In September, on a recommendation from the Trails and Sidewalks Committee, the Board of Supervisors requested that the new consultants perform a due diligence review. The purpose of this review was to determine how to efficiently use the grant funds – which are set to expire on June 30, 2021 – to complete portions of the western Greenway. The consultants completed this due diligence review in November and have provided a proposal to the Township’s Trails and Sidewalks Committee on how to proceed.

Due to time constraints and permitting requirements, the consultants are recommending the Township use the grant funds to complete the Chandler Mill Trail. The consultants have reviewed four potential options for the trail, with the most cost-effective, environmentally-friendly and feasible option being the conversion of Chandler Mill Road into a one-way road. The consultants and the township recognized that this approach would impact local residents of Chandler Mill Road, Round Hill and Falcon’s Lair. At this time, no design has been chosen or finalized. The Trails and Sidewalks Committee has recommended that the Township retain the consultants to complete a traffic study, discuss this potential change with local residents and review potential design options. The Board of Supervisors will consider the committee’s recommendation on Monday night. Pending the results of any traffic study and community input, the Township plans to make a decision regarding the western portion of the Kennett Greenway in early January 2021.

We Want Your Feedback

The construction of Chandler Mill Trail will create significant value for our Township and for local residents. The Township also recognizes that the conversion of Chandler Mill Road into a one-way may be burdensome to the residents of Chandler Mill Road, Round Hill, and Falcon’s Lair. As a result, we want your input and feedback. If you have specific questions or wish to discuss the proposal further, please join us for the meeting on Monday night or reach out to Gretchen Flack by email at gretchen.flack@kennett.pa.us. We look forward to continue working together to build a connected, healthier community.