Commissioners OK trail funds

SOUTH COVENTRY — A $3 million project to build a new trail that will connect to all the major parks in the northern part of the county received the green light recently after the Chester County commissioners approved half the funding.

The $1.5 million grant award was given to the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust to purchase trail rights and finance construction of 2.7 miles of a multi-use trail along the former Boars Back Railroad.

The trail will connect St. Peters Village to Route 345 in Warwick Township. It is a link to Warwick County Park, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Natural Lands Trust Crow's Nest Preserve, the French and Pickering Creek State Park and the Horseshoe Trail.

The other half of the funding is being provided by Earth Cos. of Kimberton, a land-development company that owns St. Peters Village and is developing it. The company's matching funds will be in the form of donations of material, manpower and the purchase of land.

Pam Brown, French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust conservation director, said the project received the support of the commissioners and the county's Open Space Department, and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

"I appreciate the commissioners for embracing our vision and making this long-anticipated trail a reality," said Brown in a statement. "Trails represent a high-priority activity for the commissioners, and this project directly supports the county's Linking Landscapes comprehensive plan."

Brown said that about a year ago three people, including herself, teamed up to apply for the grant.

"We called ourselves the F.E.W.," said Brown. The "F" stands for French & Pickering. The "E" stands for Tom Drauschak, president of Earth Cos. of Kimberton. The "W" stands for Charles Jacob, chairman of the board of supervisors of Warwick Township.

The F.E.W. dedicated themselves to the project. Included in the project is the purchase of three acres of land at Route 345 to build a parking lot and trail head. It will also purchase one acre of land in St. Peters Village and help rehabilitate the old train station to create offices for the county park rangers and a visitor pavilion.

The new trail is just the first phase of a five-phase project to build a 15-mile trail known as the French Creek Trail.

The trail is on the former railroad bed of the Boars Back Railroad and the Sowbelly Railroad. The area used to have short-distance railroads to take out granite and iron, said Brown. While the track and railroad ties are gone, the elevated area where the track used to be is still there. The trail will be a multi-use, non-motorized, natural- and crushed-stone surface, providing recreation for hikers, equestrians and bicyclists.

The trust hopes to get started on the trail within the month.

To contact staff writer Anne Pickering, send an e-mail to apickering@dailylocal.com.