New leader named for parks, open space in Chester County
WEST CHESTER » In choosing a person to lead Chester County’s newly reconfigured open space and parks department, the county commissioners decided to think inside the box.
On Friday, the commissioners announced that they had selected longtime county employee David Stauffer as director of the new Department of Parks and Preservation. Stauffer moves to this new role following 12 years as capital projects coordinator within the county’s Department of Facilities.
The new department combines oversight of the county’s seven public parks and three hiking/ biking trails with its Office of Open Space Preservation, which doles out grant funds used by municipalities, land conservation groups, and the county’s farming community to preserve land from development.
Stauffer will be the first person to lead the county’s successful open space program who came from inside the county government structure since the creation of the independent office in 2004. The first director, Bill Gladden, arrived from East Bradford, where he had served as assistant township manager. After his departure for a position with the French and Pickering Creeks Land Preservation Trust in 2018, he was replaced by Hawaiiresident Brianna Zanin, who had led Maui’s Department of Parks and recreation.
The position opened in July when Zanin moved to become the deputy county administrator. Oversight of the parks had been under the county’s Facilities and Maintenance Department for several years.
Stauffer’s experience as capital projects coordinator included management of the design, permitting and construction of the county’s newest parks and regional trails capital improvements projects, and liaison with the Chester County Parks Board, consultants and construction management. He was most instrumental in development of the 13-mile-long Schuylkill River Trial through the county.
Prior to joining the county, he served as a project manager with Simone Collins Landscape Architecture of Norristown, where his responsibilities included open space, parks, recreation and trail planning, design and development for municipal clients.
Commenting on the appointment, the three commissioners — Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline — said in a press release that, “David’s knowledge of Chester County’s parks, trails and open space, and his immense understanding of the methods with which to expand and develop parks and preservation is invaluable. He has managed many projects and worked with many partners to develop our parks and trails, and this provides a great foundation to lead our Parks and Preservation Department.”
Stauffer, 44, of East Brandywine, will oversee parks that have a total of 4,350 acres, and an open space program that in 2020 awarded $3.5 million in open space grants. The county protected 2,400 acres of land in 2019, bringing the amount of open space protected through the grants program to 142,000 acres, or more than 29 percent of the county’s total size.
“We are proud of the quality of staff that we have within Chester County Government, and are confident that both David and Brianne will undertake their new roles with professionalism and a thorough understanding of our County’s systems and goals,” added the three commissioners.