By HaLeigh Abbott
A new park is in the works at Cypress and Dalmation streets, and Kennett Trails Alliance wants the public’s help to name it. It’s referred to as a “pocket” park for its small size, and it will be converting the green space between Anson B Nixon Park and the railroad line. The park will also be a stopping point along the Kennett Greenway, a 14-mile, multipurpose trail connecting Kennett Square with surrounding nature areas.

Christina Norland, the executive director of the Kennett Trails Alliance, presented the plans and naming initiative at the July 14 Kennett Square Borough Council meeting. “It’s a place to bring people together to enjoy nature right within the borough limits,” explained Norland.

Work on the 33,000-square-foot park should be completed by fall of 2023. It will feature a stony step-down beach into the creek accessible for all mobilities, native flowering plants and trees, benches along the trail, and nature play constructed of fallen trees affected by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer.

Name suggestions should focus on natural or geological features of the park, native plants, insects or animals, the cultural significance of the surrounding neighborhood, or the geographical location of the park. The name should be easily translated from English to Spanish, or Spanish to English, but proposals to name the park after specific people will not be accepted.

Submissions are due by July 31 and can be submitted in English or Spanish on the Kennectivity website at: https://www.kennectivity.com/name-the-pocket-park.

The project is primarily funded by Square Roots Collective, which describes themselves as “a collection of social enterprises that join in advancing our community toward an ecosystem in which everyone can thrive.” Additional grant dollars awarded to Kennett Trails Alliance will round out the $700,000 price tag for the park’s construction. There is no cost to the borough, or borough residents, for the park’s construction and use.