Pocopson Township
Chester County, Pennsylvania
 

Parks, Recreation & Trails Committee
Minutes from Meeting of August 14, 2007

Attendees:

Tom Bierl                     Chris Conaway
Zeke Hubbard              Alan Johnson               
Sandy Retzlaff              Joe Stumpo                 
Ricki Stumpo

Also in attendance were residents Bill Brown and Jamie White, and Pete Photopoulos of Clocal (new owner of the Hipkins property).

1. Open Meeting: Zeke Hubbard opened the meeting at 7:35 PM.

2. Review of Minutes from Meeting of July 10, 2007
Motion to accept minutes of July 10, 2007 as amended (specify Bill Haaf on page 3, change Route 62 to 82); seconded; approved by all in attendance.

3. Announcements: Zeke did not request Bill Harwood’s attendance at this meeting (as had been originally planned at the previous meeting) due to other Township work responsibilities.

Per Section 4 of the 7/10/07 minutes regarding cost of resurveying existing trails: Chris will speak with Jim Fritsch of Regester to get this information.

4. Old Business:

Clocal: A variety of issues related to the former Hipkins property were raised. Zeke Hubbard cautioned that the information discussed tonight is strictly tied to this Committee; his role as a Supervisor is separate from these discussions.
·        Can a building permit be issued for the center lot? Owner believes that it can be.
·        The new owner is aware of activities that occurred on that property in the past; paperwork outlining some of those activities has been provided to Clocal.
·        3-4 dumpsters of metal, trash, etc., have been removed; Clocal still needs to remove trailers, roller, small pile of pallets and plastic. Bulldozer is Mr. Hipkins’ property and will be returned to him shortly. 
·        Filling in of stream, construction of pond:
        -         According to the owner, the Army Corps of Engineers considers the land as relocated, not filled in. Stream is natural, spring-fed; because of the high water table and additional springs throughout the area, nearby properties will experience standing water in spring and fall. 
        -         According to neighbors, the contour of the land was changed and has affected drainage. It used to be basically a swamp; water from the surrounding hillsides fed into it as a collection basin; the dirt that has been added prevents water from draining there.
        -         While the Army Corps won’t require the new owner to undo what Hipkins did, there may be problems there that will require remediation.
·        The proposed septic system was brought up, but discussion was stopped since the issue is not related to the work of this committee.
·        Original subdivision plans show easement for a trail. The owner is working with Regester, who will resurvey Lots 4, 6 and 8 by October, 2007, to identify conservation easement, corners of lots, and trail location before potential buyers come in. The issue of a fence blocking the emergency access will be addressed after the resurvey, as well.
·        It was agreed that there would be no additional discussion of the trail until the survey is completed, since that effort will clarify many of the issues that keep coming up.
·        Regarding Brandywine conservancy’s easement, public access is restricted to the trail easement area, not to exceed 20 ft. in width, with limitations on use (no hunting, e.g.)

Playground at Pocopson Park:  Tot lot is starting to take shape. Benches would be a nice addition -- perhaps a scout project?—as would shade trees. Zeke suggested developing a list of desired improvements to be addressed in future budget cycles.

Pavilion: Footers are in place and posts will be installed shortly.

Founders Day:
·        Fire Police will be stationed at four locations; they will be available from 10:30 – 5 pm at no charge (this is considered a donation)
·        Asking all committee members to come by 11:45 to help with setup, greeting, etc.
·        Will be selling dark green Founders Day t-shirts for $10 each
·        Numerous crafters/vendors/artists will attend
·        Horseshoe area will be installed by the Public Works crew, as planned. Sun may be an issue if this becomes a permanent installation. Planting trees on one side might help, but the present set-up is a definite disadvantage for one side.
·        Bill Harwood is looking for help with assembly, which Sandy will discuss with him.

 Trail between Riverside and Pocopson Elementary

·        Legal description is being reviewed at the district and will go to School Board on 8/20/07 for approval. Installation will occur some time after that date. Horse easement is on the north side. Bikes will not be permitted; may need to modify ordinance because currently they’re allowed on Township trails.

 4. New Business:

White Farm: The Committee’s recommendation for trail location was accepted in part.  The base trail is where the Committee laid it out; it stops at the Piola property and does not cross the railroad tracks. The loop and the proposed area along Lot 4 are not included.

Mason Dixon trail: Does this run through Pocopson? Even if it goes through private property and can’t be accessed, could it be marked as a historical feature? Would need to verify first; it may go up as far as Marsh Creek, near the Brandywine Creek. May want to bring this issue to the Historic Committee for consideration.

 Trails on new 80 acres: $144,000 has been budgeted for trails on the 80 acres ceded to the Township by the County. All Township trails should be shown on the comprehensive Trail and Bikeways Map. Some portions are private property; many were never marked or installed, but they can be in the future, as long as easements are on deeds. Many areas need to be cleared, maintained, etc., by volunteers and/or Public Works. Process of resurveying is being started so that the actual, existing trails match the plans.

 6. Township Meetings Review:  No report

 7. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 PM.

__________________________________________                       

Ezekiel C. Hubbard, Chair, Parks, Recreation & Trails Committee

 ______________________________

Peggy Lennon, Recording Secretary