Chester Valley Trail Recognized by Transportation Group

The Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association recognized several municipalities, businesses, and other organizations for "excellence in leadership" at its annual meeting in King of Prussia on Wednesday evening.

Those honored included the Chester County Planning Commission, State Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware), Limerick Township and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, Montgomery County Community College, Boles Smyth Associates Inc. and the CEO Council for Growth. The association also presented its annual Peter Quinn Leadership Award to board member Jeff Guzy.

GVF is a "non-profit transportation management association" that says its mission is "to improve quality of life in the greater Philadelphia area by advocating for improvements in transportation, developing commuter programs and creating solutions by working on initiatives at all levels of government." Its membership comprises municipalities, school districts, developers, engineering firms, and other businesses.

Prior to the awards, Steve Wray, the executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia gave a keynote address about what it will take to make this region a "world-class" region. He said that the keys are advocacy, sustainability, and partnerships, and a focus on the important issues facing our communities. The Economy League recently completed a study called "2026: Future Histories of Greater Philadelphia" that outlines four scenarios that could occur in the next 15 years and how the region can conquer the issues in those scenarios.

The Chester County Planning Commission was recognized for the planning and implementation of Phase I of the Chester Valley Trail, which stretches from Valley Creek Boulevard in Exton to Route 29 in Great Valley. The trail crosses through West Whiteland, East Whiteland and Tredyffrin Townships in Chester County, from Downingtown to PA 29.

Phase I, which opened in September 2010, is approximately 3.9 miles and is open for walkers, cyclists, joggers, in-line skaters and in winter, cross-country skiers.

Senator Leach was recognized by GVF for legislative leadership. Leach has been a vocal advocate of expanding the Norristown High Speed Line and had a hand in getting funding to study the possibility.

In accepting the award, Leach said, "[P]ublic/private partnerships are the new sort of model for how we're going to accomplish things in this commonwealth. The public sector as you know just doesn't have the money to do a lot of things anymore that it used to do. The private sector, sometimes things won't get done without a push from the public sector, so one of the things I plan to work on very hard is bringing those two entities together to try to accomplish great things for the people of our community and our state."

In the area of planning leadership, GVF honored Limerick Township and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture for the Joint Master Plan for the area of Limerick Township and Lower Pottsgrove Townships that surround the Philadelphia Premium Outlets. Township Supervisor Thomas Neafcy expressed his appreciation to Lower Pottsgrove for their cooperation in the planning.

Montgomery County Community College was honored for its implementation of a shuttle bus program that carries students between the Pottstown and Blue Bell campuses. The shuttle holds 14 passengers and has a wifi hot spot so riders can use mobile devices on board.

Director of College Services George Shal said that the school is considering moving up to a larger bus due to the heavy use the shuttle has been getting. He said the college has heard from many students that without the shuttle, they wouldn't be able to attend classes at all.

Boles, Smyth Associates, Inc. was recognized for engineering leadership for their work on the new on- and off-ramps from Henderson Road and North Gulph Road to I-76. Jack Smyth, Jr., accepted the award for the company and said that the new on-ramp has already opened, and that the off-ramp should be open in the fall.

GVF honored the CEO Council for Growth for private sector leadership. The CEO Council for Growth is a group of business executives who plan to set an economic development agenda that will foster growth and prosperity in the region. GVF selected the CEO Council for Growth for their commitment to developing and improving the transportation infrastructure in the area, especially for public transit.

The CEO Council for Growth is also heavily involved in the push to improve traffic and congestion conditions along the 422 corridor and maintains a website at www.get422rolling.com.

Finally, GVF announced that the recipient of their Peter P. Quinn Leadership Award was GVF board member Jeff Guzy, the board's vice president. Executive Director Rob Henry said that Guzy is a "quiet leader" but has made many contributions to GVF's mission.