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Chester County Press

Chandler Mill Trail receives ceremonial grand opening

06/26/2024 01:06PM ● By Richard Gaw

Before nearly 50 residents, appointed and elected officials and conservationists, the Chandler Mill Trail received a ribbon-cutting opening on June 21, and becomes the latest link in the 14-mile-long vision of the Kennett Greenway -- a multi-purpose trail loop throughout Kennett Borough, Kennett Township, New Garden Township and northern Delaware. 

The ceremony was conducted by Kennett Township Public Works Director Ted Otteni, who along with his department oversaw the entire project. 

The Trail, which saw a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 23, 2023 and began construction on Nov. 1, 2023, created two asphalt trails from Hillendale Road to Oriole Road, and from Round Hill Road to a new, accessible overlook on the Chandler Mill Nature Preserve. The trail also includes comprehensive streambank and roadway stabilization along several sections of the West Branch of the Red Clay Creek, portions of which are adjacent to Chandler Mill Road, as well as the installation of plantings along both pathways.

The project received final approval on Oct. 4, 2023, when the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors awarded the construction contract to JVI Group, Inc., a York, Pa.-based construction company, at a cost of $2,774,385. 

The new trail creates additional walkable and bikeable connections for area residents and its northern-most segment will connect the Falcon’s Lair community to the Parrish Trail, Pennock Park and the Kennett Bike Park, which is also currently under construction. Future phases of Greenway construction will also connect Kennett Township residents into the Borough of Kennett Square.

“This project would not have been possible without many years of hard work and collaboration between Kennett Township, the Kennett Trails Alliance, the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance as well as numerous landowners along this road who have seen the power and the vision that were looking to create,” said Christina Norland of the Kennett Trails Alliance. “The township has done a great job in bringing a portion of that vision to reality.”

The Chandler Mill Trail represents the second major initiative Kennett Township has completed along the road. After a nearly decade-long battle of public hearings and discussions between public officials and residents, the historic Chandler Mill Bridge was officially opened on Oct. 2, 2020, following the purchase of the bridge by the township from Chester County for $1 and a $500,000 refurbishing, which was paid through grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

The 47-foot-long bridge – which spans the west branch of the Red Clay Creek and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places -- is accessible to pedestrians, bicycle riders and emergency vehicles.

“When built, the Kennett Greenway and this portion alongside Chandler Mill Road will allow access to this beautiful area and other preserved areas in our township by walking, running or bicycling,” Supervisor Rich Leff said during the ceremony. “It will give recognition to and honor the beauty, rich history, environmental, cultural and recreational value of this area. It will be a place for us to be amidst nature and the Chandler Mill Nature Preserve (kindly donated by landowner Tom Brokaw). It will give us a sense of nature and a sense of a place for us to remember those who were here before us, anchored by the historic 100-year-old-and-counting Chandler Mill Bridge.

“The Kennett Greenway isn’t being built only for us here today, but for those here tomorrow. When in the future more connections are made, those connections will help not only us, but those who come afterwards. Hopefully, like the bridge, it will last a century and more, and be treasured by those who are around to enjoy it and remember the efforts of their predecessors to make a better place for all to share in the enjoyment of nature and our past.”