The Kennett Consolidated School District Board approved a project that would transfer a piece of the Legacy Fields land to an organization that pursues trail-building and outdoor education.

The motion to move forward received unanimous “ayes” at the July 8 school board meeting in Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center.

Legacy Fields sits at the corner of South Walnut and Birch streets in Kennett Square. It is home to the Kennett High School soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams, as well as several local recreational organizations. The sports fields are meticulously maintained and are a well-known destination for fans of sports teams.

Legacy Fields, however, also holds a swath of thick, wild vegetation that skirts the Red Clay Creek along its south side. It appears not able to serve any playing field activities and is so densely forested that it cannot even serve as a place for recreational jogging or casual walking.

That piece of land caught the eyes of members of the Kennett Trails Alliance.

The Alliance is introduced online as a non-profit community organization with the goal of creating a well-connected regional trail network in the Kennett area. It currently maintains or is building a 14-mile stretch in Kennett Square, Kennett Township and even beyond into Delaware.

Anita Robinson, the director of trails development with the Alliance, spoke to the board on behalf of their idea.

The alliance proposes turning that forested area into a public outdoor attraction where people could not only ramble, but also learn more about outdoor life and the nature of the Red Clay Creek.

The request offered by Robinson was to either have the district transfer or lease the land.

She showed sketched proposals of the boardwalk and a covered area for outdoor education that also offers protection from the elements.

She backed up her request with the evidence that the group has already produced results with other successful areas of the 14-mile pathway. However, she said, they are eager for the Legacy Field area because it would be the only section of the trail in wetlands.

When she was asked how the project would be financed for building and maintenance, she said there would be grants available, as there have been for previous projects.

School Board member Mike Finnegan responded positively, but he said in view of liability issues, it would be better for the school district to give the land to Kennett Township for usage rather than lease it.

“I’m really excited about this,” Robinson said.

In other business, district CFO Mark Tracy updated the board on the progress of getting construction approvals for the planned new Greenwood Elementary School in Kennett Township.  He had reported at the June meeting, and several before, that the last stumbling block had been bringing an onsite sewage system into compliance.

Last week he announced that Kennett Township had approved the school plan and all that was left was an approval by the Department of Environmental Protection..

The district is currently in the process of building replacements for the two 60-year-old elementary schools, New Garden and Greenwood. Ground has already been broken and work begun for New Garden. That parallel work will follow the DEP approval and bid approvals for Greenwood.

Retiring superintendent Dusty Blakey was lauded for his accomplishments as the head of the school district during a short presentation by board members Vicki Gehrt and Ethan Cramer. They praised him especially for seeing the district through the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gehrt also presented him with a bell engraved with his name.

Blakey’s successor, Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, will take the reins on Aug. 23.

Assistant superintendent Michael Barber will fill the superintendent gap from July 27 to Aug. 22.

Rizzo Saunders was on hand at the July 8 meeting in the capacity as an observer.

Board President Dave Kronenberg announced that the school is considering a policy that will dictate what electronic devices, from phones to computers and other devices, students will be allowed to being to and use at school. The issue is presented on the Kennett School District website and has a feedback section. He encouraged the public to respond.