Dear West Goshen Residents and Business Owners,
Spring brings good intentions to freshen up our homes and yards. Similarly, cleaning up trash and litter is a great way to show local pride and help make our community attractive. This Saturday, March 25th, 9:00 to 11:30 am, I’ll be participating in the Chester, Ridley, Crum Watersheds Association 25th annual streams cleanup at the West Goshen cleanup site at the rear of the McDonalds parking lot off of Montgomery Avenue. This is a wonderful initiative to support if you have a little time to spare. See the Calendar on the Township website for a link to more information.
A big shout-out to the Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC) and Board liaisons, Ashley Gagne and Tinamarie Smith, on their recent award from the State of Pennsylvania. The West Goshen SAC was selected for their efforts on Clean & Green initiatives for the Township including: Tree City USA designation, the first Second Class Township in Chester County to pass and implement a ban on single-use plastic bags and straws, EV charging station installations, and many other projects.
Keeping the focus on outdoor activities, here is a look at the current initiatives, plans, and other news for our West Goshen Parks & Recreation department:
We are getting ready to roll out on-line registration and payment for Parks & Recreation summer programs, anticipated to go live in early April. Quite a few residents have asked for this capability to more efficiently manage the registration process. Please be patient if there are one or two problems during the initial system roll-out, as testing isn’t always 100% effective!
The Public Works Parks team is partnering with the Sustainability Advisory Committee on a Board-approved Arbor Day Project at Hamlet Crest Park in the Township. The event will be on Saturday, April 29th, and involves planting approximately 120 trees of various species in the open area of the Park. The more volunteers the easier the project will be to get accomplished. Please consider helping out. More information can be found here: https://www.westgoshen.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/284?fileID=1698
Township staff is continuing efforts to secure grant funding from Chester County and PA State programs for improvements to West Goshen Community Park. This project will refurbish the existing basketball courts, provide additional restroom facilities, improve tennis court drainage, and provide a new splash pad. Designs will be finalized if grant funding is successful, and construction would be in 2024.
Included in the 2023 Township Budget is funding the development of a Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan. The Board recently approved applying to the Chester County Vision Partnership Program (VPP) for grant funding to support creating this plan as an amendment to the Township’s Comprehensive Plan. If we are successful in obtaining this grant, it would pay for approximately 50% of the cost. The Parks & Recreation Board would oversee a long-term plan to best utilize the fund balance in our Restricted Parks Account so that we can refresh and improve our many park locations.
A question that we are asked frequently is, “When will the new park at Greystone be dedicated to the Township for public use?” At this time, the Developer has significant work to do before the park and trail system are finished to the standards set out in the Agreement for this large development. Therefore, we don’t have a specific date or timeframe agreed to yet for the Township to take over ownership. Township staff is evaluating how best to manage and maintain the park once it becomes a Township asset and the impact that will have on our Parks & Recreation department manpower and budget for the future.
Congratulations to Ken Lehr, Director Parks & Recreation, who has been voted by his peers to be President of the Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks Society (PRPS). The Board applauds Ken’s long-term involvement in PRPS and this well-deserved recognition.
The Board always welcomes input on any of our initiatives, or other Township questions/concerns you may have, either via email or through in-person participation at our public meetings.
Shaun Walsh
Chair, Board of Supervisors,
West Goshen Township