Saved: Coveted W. Chester land becomes park
With the cutting of a large red ribbon, a plot of land in West Chester that developers had coveted for decades officially became a borough park Friday, ensuring that the latest battle for its preservation, which lasted three years, would be the residents' last.
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With the cutting of a large red ribbon, a plot of land in West Chester that developers had coveted for decades officially became a borough park Friday, ensuring that the latest battle for its preservation, which lasted three years, would be the residents' last.
The 1.4-acre tract is the first new park in more than a decade in the borough, which has experienced explosive development in recent years. A plan to build luxury homes on the property, which was privately owned but served as a public park for decades, spurred the latest preservation effort.
It succeeded thanks to the activism and fund-raising of current and past residents; open-space proponents; and state, Chester County, and borough officials.
"I can't think of a better way to celebrate Earth Day," said Mayor Carolyn Comitta, speaking to about 70 people at the site Friday afternoon.
Some were members of the Barclay Grounds Preservation Alliance, a group of volunteers that organized opposition to development plans. The group raised $200,000 toward the purchase of the property, a piece of land in front of an estate house. It managed to secure the necessary $1.2 million.
"This shows what a group of citizens can do," State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D., Chester) said.
West Chester received $700,000 in state grants for purchase and preservation of the land from the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in late 2014. The Chester County commissioners also committed $250,000.
The alliance now needs to raise $135,000 to pay back several families that lent money to save the land. At the ribbon-cutting Friday, it encouraged people to donate by adopting the park's trees, some of which are more than 150 years old, and sponsoring lots in the park.
A group of about 80 children from West Chester Friends School, which is across from the park, started the ribbon-cutting ceremony by singing songs about the environment, including "Branching Out," about being a tree.
Officials said they were pleased the park, the borough's 12th, would be around for the students' children and beyond.
The park is "an oasis," said John Cottage, president of the Barclay Grounds Preservation Alliance.
"We're all absolutely elated today," he said.
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