Meeting set for Parkford River Park plan
EAST COVENTRY >> A meeting to outline plans for a Schuylkill River Trailhead and 14-acre riverside park in Parkerford, and to get public input on those plans, has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 16.
It will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the East Coventry Township building on Ellis Woods Road.
The public meeting will discuss the Parkerford Trailhead and Riverside Park Concept Planning Project. The proposed park area includes nearly 14 acres among 6 parcels owned by Chester County, East Coventry and East Vincent Townships.
Project goals include providing public access to the Schuylkill River, promoting the appreciation of
the area’s historic resources and providing a direct link to the Schuylkill River Trail.
This public meeting will include:
• A presentation of the Schuylkill River Navigation Company history and overview of the Girard Canal remnants on the site, including the canal, towpath and aqueduct that enabled the canal to cross over Pigeon Creek.
• An overview of the proposed park plan, which includes a launch for nonmotorized boats, a handicapped accessible fishing pier, picnic areas, trails with links to the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) and parking for the park and a SRT Trail Head
The project is an initiative of the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area and the Task Force includes representatives from the Schuylkill River Greenways, Chester County, East Vincent Township, East Coventry Township, North Coventry Township, Limerick Township and the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission.
The project design consultants include Ray Ott, of Ray Ott & Associates Town and Land Planners in West Chester and Robert Thomas of Campbell Thomas & Company Architects in Philadelphia.
Direct any questions about the meeting or the project to Ray Ott via email (rayott@rayott.com) or call his office at 610.429.9993.
The proposed park on the Chester County side of the river, if built, would be roughly opposite a similar park in Limerick on the Montgomery County side of the river, just over the Linfield Bridge, according to plans reviewed last month by Limerick Supervisors.
Last year, Limerick purchased the three-acre property on Main Street, recognizable from the historic toll house that sits there.
Located adjacent to the Schuylkill River and the Linfield Road bridge, concepts for that property, and its connection to the sports park, Schuylkill River Trail and 16-acre Schuylkill River Park just upstream were unveiled.
According to those plans, the historic toll house would remain at the property, but could be expanded, to make it more of a visitor center, as well as a possible raised boardwalk trail, pergola and kayak launch on the river, according to the concept plan.
Should the land between the toll house property and the township’s Schuylkill River Park become available for purchase, a trail connection between the Schuylkill River Trailhead in Parkerford; the toll house, and the township’s Schuylkill River Park could all be realized, Limerick officials said.
If built, this new Chester County park would also be located at a crucial juncture of the next phase of the Schuylkill River Trail expansion.
Currently, there is a break in the Schuylkill River Trail between Parkerford and Pottstown.
In April, David Stauffer, capital projects coordinator for the Chester County Department of Facilities and Parks told MediaNews Group the final designs are now being drawn for the four-mile section linking the bridge crossing with the finished trail section at Linfield Road in Parker Ford.
Additionally, the six-mile section of trail from Parkerford to the Phoenixville borough line, which is now unpaved, will be paved as part of the same project, he said.
Work now being done on the Route 29 bridge between Mont Clare and Phoenixville will link the trail portion from Philadelphia, upstream through Valley Forge, and through Phoenixville up to Parkerford.