Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
BLOOM AND GROW
Local and state officials attend ceremony for park expansion
NEW GARDEN » “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” once declared Albert Einstein, the famous German physicist who fled across the Atlantic Ocean from Western Europe to America on the eve of World War II.
“Knowledge is limited,” he said. “Imagination encircles the world.”
And in New Garden Township, supervisors and municipal staff have imagined key enhancements to its flagship community park, working with “tenacity and ambition” as a united team.
New Garden continues to grow, bloom and thrive.
State, county and local lawmakers united on Friday the 13th to celebrate the fall 2020 phase two expansion of a beloved, and centrally located, community New Garden Park in the heart of Southern Chester County.
Township supervisors established New Garden Park in 1997.
Since then, the municipality
successfully gained county and state grants to support the expansion of the nearly 24- year- old park, including the construction of a brandnew full- sized soccer field.
Friday’s ribbon cutting event marked a township milestone as New Garden supervisors, both present and former, joined state and county dignitaries to recognize the moment.
The low- key, lightly attended event was held outside the township’s municipal headquarters on Starr Road.
New Garden offi cials recognized individuals who supported and contributed to the success of the park’s expansion, including the creation of a new threemile continuous path for everyone to enjoy.
High hopes
A few days prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony, Kati Parlier, New Garden Township secretary and grant coordinator, thanked lawmakers and community stakeholders for their longstanding and instrumental advocacy of the Southern Chester County regional park.
“Because of you, we are now able to off er our community an additional two miles of paved multi- purpose trails, a full- sized soccer fi eld, additional parking lot with handicapped accessibility, stormwater site improvements and,” “Parlier said, “a connection to the existing park on Route 41 to complete a total three- mile loop of paved trails.”
New Garden Township Board of Supervisors thanked state and regional lawmakers, with several elected offi cials delivering formal remarks before supporters and fellow Pennsylvanian attendees. Speakers included senate and house members of the Pennsylvania State Legislature.
“This pandemic has reinforced just how important our community parks are in providing important and healthy outlets and opportunities for outdoor recreation,” said retiring state Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D19th, of West Whiteland.
“Whether you want to relax and recharge on a leisurely walk or get some more intense exercise, New Garden Park offers more than enough open space to meet your needs,” Dinniman said.
The senator added, “I am proud to have supported this project and will continue to work to support efforts to expand our parks and land preserves.”
Southeastern hub
New Garden Park is along the southeastern edge of Landenberg, near the intersection of Route 41 and Newark Road and west of Kennett Square and Avondale boroughs.
The park’s existing features include a creative playground for children, many trails, several wellmaintained pavilions plus athletic fields for baseball and softball players.
The playground, a workout loop and paved trails plus the pavilions and Lyceum Hall and the township’s baseball and softball fields are all accessible at 8934 Gap Newport Pike.
And on the opposite side of the parcel, there is plenty of parking space available for folks to access the onsite soccer fields and nature trails at 299 Starr Road, where the municipality’s government headquarters, a state- of- the- art picturesque building, is also located.
“New Garden Township must be commended for its vision and drive to complete this wonderful project for the community,” said state Rep. Christina Sappey, D- 158th, of West Bradford.
“I cannot think of anything better than a new opportunity for individuals to enjoy the outdoors. Whether it’s using the new paved trails, sports fields, playgrounds or enjoying rain gardens that feature native species plantings, the park expansion provides even more people the chance to exercise, play, gather and relax in a magnificent setting,” Sappey said.
Strong team
Township Manager Ramsey Reiner delivered welcoming remarks on Friday. She recognized township supervisors who worked together with “tenacity and ambition.”
She also thanked her predecessor Tony Schievert, who resigned in February from his longstanding role as township manager in New Garden.
“This park also owes a huge amount of gratitude to our Township Secretary and Grants Coordinator Kati Parlier, who not only helped secure funding, but coordinated every step of bringing this to reality from initial planning coordination to ensuring every detail on site was correct,” Reiner said.
The New Garden township manager added, “I am really fortunate to be a part of this team.”
Key ‘ quality’
“Chester County is pleased to be included as a funding partner for this beautiful park,” said Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz, chairwoman. “Our ‘ Quality of Place’ in the county is defi ned by the equal focus on progress and preservation; preservation of our open spaces, our nature preserves, and farmland, and our parks and trails.”
Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell, vice chair, also attended the event.
“Investments in parks not only create more green and recreational spaces, but they also benefi t our health and our economy,” Maxwell said. Prior to becoming an elected commissioner in his first bid for county offi ce last November, Mayor was borough mayor of Downingtown for roughly a decade.
Maxwell said homes located near parks and trails increase in value.
Further, he said parks and trails help people to de- stress. They are community places where people can “walk, run, cycle, play sports and enjoy nature.”
Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline, who was unable to attend the event, concurred. “We appreciate the importance of parks to a community and importance of investing in them.”
New Garden Park features designated bike and rollerblading trails. Two pavilions with electricity and grills have served as meeting places to hold family reunions, graduation celebrations, birthday parties and small get- togethers since the late 1990s.
“The people of Chester County love their parks and trails,” Kichline said.
The New Garden Park ribbon cutting event ended on Friday evening as a collection of autumn clouds swiftly grew vivid with citrus hues across the Landenberg skyline at sunset.
New Garden Township is home to an estimated 12,000 residents.
In other news, the township continues work on the completion of a new master plan pertaining to the creation of a second community park at St. Anthony’s on the Hills, composed of 137- acres, on Limestone Road just north of the Delaware State Line in Southern Chester County.