Delco moves forward with Don Guanella property
Delaware County Council had its first formal hearing Wednesday of the ordinances authorizing the use of eminent domain to acquire 213 acres of the former Don Guanella facility, making it the largest county-owned park. And those in attendance applauded the council for their intent.
A second reading and public hearing will be held at council’s July 6 meeting, when council is expected to vote on the measure.
“This council is taking this action because we have recognized the extraordinary importance of this undeveloped and undisturbed piece of forestland for its economic benefit, for its positive environmental impact, for its benefits of health and recreation and for its general contribution to our quality of life for all residents here in Delaware County,” county Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer said. “This is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity for us that will last for generations.”
Delaware County Council Vice Chairman Dr. Monica Taylor added, “I am excited that we were able to take this step. The green space in Delaware County is quickly becoming non-existent and that’s one of the large tracts that are left. I am glad that we are able to take a step to make it a public park.”
Of the ordinances, Schaefer
said they are the culmination of years and years of work of many people.
On Tuesday, council announced they would be seeking to acquire Don Guanella through eminent domain procedures with the anticipation of paying “equitable just compensation” to the owner, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the developer, Carlino Commercial Development. That price will be determined through negotiations among the parties or through a value set by the county Board of View.
Schaefer added that we have all learned the value of nature over the past year and being able to connect with it and enjoy open spaces, as well as its mental and physical health benefits.
In addition, she said property values nearby tracts of land go up significantly when these open spaces are preserved.
Schaefer noted the tract’s ability to clean the air and called it “213 acres of a hard-working workhorse for our region which saves us significant money.”
County Councilman Kevin Madden talked to how rare it is to have such an agenda item that can have lasting impacts for generations to come.
“We are here so, so briefly,” he said. “We are here for a blink of the eye and we are one link in a very, very long chain ... And that’s what we have in front of us today. We are stewards and we are connected to the world around us. For centuries, Western civilization has lost that understanding. I am profoundly uplifted to live within a community that has ... begun to reawaken and to be a part of a council that understands that we’re shepherds for what we have in front of us and underneath us.”
Madden said at one time, Delaware County was completely forest.
“Over centuries, it’s dwindled down to what we have now,” he said. “And this is all we got ... This is a really, really big deal for our community.”
Madden thanked those who had been fighting for the Don Guanella preservation over the past years.
County Councilwoman Christine Reuther said for the county to take the undeveloped part of the property through eminent domain, they had to also take the developed part.
“We ran on the idea of investing in the county and that’s what we’re doing,” she said. “This is one investment that we’re making and I’d certainly rather be taken to task for what I do than what I failed to do ... (This) was an opportunity to buy a unique asset in the county and to preserve it for all the benefit of county residents.”
Plus, Reuther said this parcel is close to large amounts of people in a highly dense areas. “It’s accessible to very densely populated parts of the county in a way that some of our other parks are not,” she said. “Really, this is an accessible place and one that we should turn it into a destination for all the folks that want to enjoy it.”
County Council Chairman Brian Zidek was not present at Wednesday’s meeting.