Since it's creation, the East Pikeland Park and Recreation Board has worked to improve and expand East Pikeland’s Park and Recreation facilities. As our population continues to grow their goal is to ensure that the Township is providing adequate infrastructure and recreation facilities for our residents.
Summer Concert Series at the Kimberton Park Amphitheater
The Park & Rec. Board has taken direction from the Township’s Comprehensive Plan, the Township Trail Plan, the Phoenixville Regional Comprehensive Plan, and the Northern Federation of Chester County’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. In addition, verbal and written resident feedback, as well as a 2018 community Park and Recreation Survey have all been taken into account.
Regional and local comprehensive plans all concur that our region needs additional recreation facilities for passive and active recreation. The Northern Federation Plan also indicated that East Pikeland was deficient in parkland. In response to planning and community feedback, the Park and Recreation Board has been working to identify additional park and trail facilities and match those opportunities with available land.
ADA accessible path with educational signs
Specifically, the Park and Recreation Board saw a local and regional need for ADA accessible walking trails, additional ball fields, a community garden, dog park, and access to native meadows and woods. Upon further discussion, and examining available locations, the Park and Recreation Board identified the property along Ridge Road as an ideal location for ball fields and/or a dog park and community garden. As discussions progressed, it was decided that a dog park and community garden would result in less impact to the surrounding neighbors, while providing a needed public recreation facility in an area of the Township that is currently lacking any recreational options.
Additional reasons for selecting the Ridge Road property for this use include:
- It was obtainable at no cost to the Township, saving tax payers money;
- The land was relatively flat and would require little to no earth moving, saving thousands;
- The property was more centrally located than other potential properties;
- The property was close to two major transportation routes in the region, 724 and 23; and is easily accessible from other areas of the Township, and
- It is less than a mile away from a new apartment complex and subdivision with single family homes.
- With the addition of a new elementary school being built across the street, and the revitalization efforts planned for the 724 corridor, this property is even more attractive for these uses.
The Township took ownership of the Ridge Road property in 2019 with the intention of creating new public recreation space (see below for information on the history of the dedication). In 2020 they engaged an engineering firm to create a draft plan for the property. A public comment meeting was held virtually on October 1, 2020 to present the draft plan publicly and receive public comment. Based on the feedback from this meeting and from correspondence with residents, alterations were made to the draft plan and were reported at the May 20, 2021 Park and Recreation Board Meeting.
Image from the Public Meeting held in 2019 about the Crouse Property, now Hidden River Park & Preserve
Note: When the Kimberton Meadows subdivision was approved in 2005 the developer was required to provide land as open space and it was agreed that this part of the property would be dedicated to the Township for future public park use. It was never intended to remain as vacant land. The Township took dedication of the land in 2019 with the intention of following through with the original plan to make this property a publicly accessible facility.
