Oct. 16 Meeting Set for Parkerford River Park Plan

There is currently a boat launch at Towpath Park in East Coventry.

Blogger's Note: The following information was posted on Facebook by the Schuylkill Greenways National Heritage Area.

A meeting to outline plans for a Schuylkill River Trailhead and 14-acre riverside park in Parkerford, and to get public input on those plans, has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 16.

It will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the East Coventry Township building on Ellis Woods Road.

The public meeting will discuss the Parkerford Trailhead and Riverside Park Concept Planning Project. The proposed park area includes nearly 14 acres among 6 parcels owned by Chester County, East Coventry and East Vincent Townships.

Project goals include providing public access to the Schuylkill River, promoting the appreciation of

The Cromby trailhead is located on
Township Line Road in East Pikeland Township

the area's historic resources and providing a direct link to the Schuylkill River Trail.

This public meeting will include:
• A presentation of the Schuylkill River Navigation Company history and overview of the Girard Canal remnants on the site, including the canal, towpath and aqueduct that enabled the canal to cross over Pigeon Creek.
• An overview of the proposed park plan, which includes a launch for non-motorized boats, a handicapped accessible fishing pier, picnic areas, trails with links to the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) and parking for the park and a SRT Trail Head

The project is an initiative of the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area and the Task Force includes representatives from the Schuylkill River Greenways, Chester County, East Vincent Township, East Coventry Township, North Coventry Township, Limerick Township and the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission.

The project design consultants include Ray Ott, of Ray Ott & Associates Town and Land Planners in West Chester and Robert Thomas of Campbell Thomas & Company Architects in Philadelphia.

Direct any questions about the meeting or the project to Ray Ott via email (rayott@rayott.com) or call his office at 610.429.9993.

The proposed park on the Chester County side of the river, if built, would be roughly opposite a

A view of the Schuylkill River from the Linfield Toll House property.

similar park in Limerick on the Montgomery County side of the river, just over the Linfield Bridge, according to plans reviewed last month by Limerick Supervisors.

Last year, Limerick purchased the three-acre property on Main Street, recognizable from the historic toll house that sits there.

Located adjacent to the Schuylkill River and the Linfield Road bridge, concepts for that property, and its connection to the sports park, Schuylkill River Trail and 16-acre Schuylkill River Park just upstream were unveiled.

This map shows Limerick's Schuylkill River Park, to the left, and

possible links to the toll house property and Linfield Road Bridge, 

in yellow at the right.

According to those plans, the historic toll house would remain at the property, but could be expanded, to make it more of a visitor center, as well as a possible raised boardwalk trail, pergola and kayak launch on the river, according to the concept plan.

Should the land between the toll house property and the township's Schuylkill River Park become available for purchase, a trail connection between the Schuylkill River Trailhead in Parkerford; the toll house, and the township's Schuylkill River Park could all be realized, Limerick officials said.

If built, this new Chester County park would also be located at a crucial juncture of the next phase of the Schuylkill River Trail expansion.

The Schuylkill River Trail near the Schuylkill Navigation
and Lock 60 in Mont Clare.

Currently, there is a break in the Schuylkill River Trail between Parkerford and Pottstown. 

In April, David Stauffer, capital projects coordinator for the Chester County Department of Facilities and Parks told The Mercury the final designs are now being drawn for the four-mile section linking the bridge crossing with the finished trail section at Linfield Road in Parker Ford.

Additionally, the six-mile section of trail from Parkerford to the Phoenixville borough line, which is now unpaved, will be paved as part of the same project, he said.

Work now being done on the Route 29 bridge between Mont Clare and Phoenixville will link the trail portion from Philadelphia, upstream through Valley Forge, and through Phoenixville up to Parkerford.

Second Trail Mural Design Session is on Wednesday

Volunteers work on design suggestions for the Schuylkill River Trail mural planned for Riverfront Park at the session on March 7. The next session is planned for March 20 at ArtFusion 19464 at 341 Beech St.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.
The creative juices were flowing when people drew objects found in nature during the first Schuylkill River Trail Mural Public Meeting.

A section of the trail will be transformed into a work of art through a community-involved project.

A trail mural being painted by volunteers.

Attendees of the March 7 meeting held at First Presbyterian Church learned more about the trail mural and participated in a hands-on art activity. People created drawings that may possibly be incorporated into the final mural design. 


The next and last public meeting about the trail mural will be held on Wednesday, March 20, at Art Fusion 19464, 341 Beech St. in Pottstown, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. All materials will be provided. 

The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area in partnership with Art Fusion 19464 is seeking the community’s help to both contribute to the mural design and paint it on the trail. 

The mural will include varying shapes of nature and wildlife representations found throughout the Schuylkill River Watershed. The watershed is a land area which encompasses about 2,000 square miles and is the largest watershed that feeds into the Delaware River.

The art mural will celebrate the natural beauty of the watershed and help connect people to two significant resources within the region, the Schuylkill River and Schuylkill River Trail. 

After the community creates and submits their drawings to Schuylkill River Greenways, local artist Jody Wenzel will merge some of the publicly created designs with her own to create the final outline.

Volunteer artists with some of their trail mural design
suggestions from the March 7 session.

Wenzel is a retired Pottstown School District art teacher and an ambassador for the Schuylkill River Trail. She has crafted several art designs for Schuylkill River Greenways including all of the interpretive signs seen along the Pottstown RiverWalk, a trail located at Riverfront Park that connects to the Schuylkill River Trail for a 1-mile loop.  

Wenzel said incorporating art along the trail has several benefits. 

“It helps to engage new audiences,” she said. “It’s another approach to convey information in a way that’s visual and relatable.”

A public mural installation will be held on April 27 at Riverfront Park in Pottstown. The estimated 120-foot mural will be painted along the trail section in front of the pollinator garden and near the park’s amphitheater. 

Schuylkill River Greenways invites area residents and community groups to attend the installation and paint a section. Volunteers that want to paint the mural in April can sign up for a time slot on the event page at schuylkillriver.org/events/trail-mural-public-installation.


Community and school groups interested in participating on April 27 are asked to contact Le’Santha Naicker at lnaicker@schuylkillriver.org.

The Schuylkill River Trail mural is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and several generous individuals. For more information about the mural project, visit the Schuylkill River Greenways website at schuylkillriver.org or call 484-945-0200.

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA is a non-profit organization with the mission of connecting residents, visitors and communities to the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement and economic development.

Greenway Heritage and Hops Tour Sold Out

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area has introduced a new brewery tour that will pair beer tastings with lessons on history and the environment.

The unique Heritage and Hops Brew Tour being offered on Saturday Feb. 24 will take 45 participants to four local breweries located within the Schuylkill River Watershed from Phoenixville to Reading.

Unfortunately, it is also sold out and the wait list is full. But it sure sounds fun.

Each brewery, in addition to offering tastings of beers produced on site, will provide a presentation about its connection to the Schuylkill River, Schuylkill River Trail or regional history.

The Heritage and Hops Brew Tour has proven to be overwhelmingly popular. Past events sold out one week after ticket sales opened. Cost of the tour is $55 per person.

The tour will begin at Oakbrook Brewing, in Reading, where the presentation will focus on its historic firehouse location. 

The next stop will be Sly Fox Brewery, in Pottstown, where participants will learn about how SRT Ale supports the Schuylkill River Trail. 

After that, Hidden River Brewing Co., located in the Historic Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, will discuss the fascinating history of its 18th Century building. 

The final stop will be Root Down, in Phoenixville, where the topic will be the history of Phoenixville and their building’s industrial past.

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA is introducing the Heritage and Hops Brew Tour to draw attention to some of the unique breweries in the area, while simultaneously promoting regional history and underscoring the value of clean water.

“You can’t make great beer without clean water,” said Schuylkill River Greenways NHA Executive Director Elaine Schaefer. “We know the people who will take this tour all enjoy local beer. But they may not consider how integrally beer making is connected to protecting and preserving the Schuylkill River, which is a source of drinking water for over 1.5 million people.”

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA, located in Pottstown, is dedicated to connecting people and communities to the Schuylkill River, and to encouraging people to value the region’s history and protect the environment. The organization is best known for its role in working with partners to build and improve the Schuylkill River Trail.

Building the trail and protecting the river both have economic development and community revitalization benefits that are related to the rise of breweries throughout the Schuylkill River region.

“Breweries benefit from the presence of the Schuylkill River Trail, just as they benefit from clean water,” said Schaefer. “Sly Fox Brewery created SRT Ale because they recognized that beer and recreation often go hand in hand.”

Schaefer said she is excited about the popularity of the tour. But she hopes the message about the importance of history and conservation resonates far beyond the tour itself.

“Beer and breweries are a valuable and fun piece of our regional culture. We want people to recognize the role the river and the Schuylkill River Trail play in building that culture,” she said. 

For more information, call 484-945- 0200

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA mission is to connect residents, visitors and communities to the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Trail by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement and economic development in order to foster stewardship of the watershed and its heritage.