Schools
School Board Considers Trail on Property
Representatives for the project presented their case to Great Valley School District's facilities board, which will present the info to the board next Monday.
Representatives of Malvern Borough, Willistown Township and Willistown Conservation Trust set out to create a trail to connect green spaces in Malvern made their case to the Great Valley School District's (GVSD) facilities board Monday.
The four-mile Malvern-Willistown Greenway Project -- which representative from Land Concepts Group Richard Collier, Jr. said is a tentative distance -- aims to connect 12 different green spaces both to promote physical activity and link area green spaces together.
The green spaces include the Paoli Memorial Grounds, Paoli Battlefield, Burkey Park, Quann Park, Randolf Woods, Greentree Park, Mill Road Park, S. A. Rubino Memorial Park, Malvern Borough Library, Sugartown Elementary School and General Wayne Elementary School.
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Since the trail will run alongside the two schools, Greenway Project representatives need the district's approval before any action can be taken.
Collier said plans for the Greenway will be finished by the end of the year but sectional construction won't likely move forward for a year or more.
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Though the committee was generally receptive to the idea, some concerns were raised in regards to maintenance and safety.
"I think philosophically of course it’s a project that anyone could get behind," said committee member Ellen Behrle. "But we, in this economy, need to make sure if there are costs for us that we know exactly what they are."
Collier said that not all details have been worked out, but he suspects each property owner will be the one managing maintenance -- namely cracked sidewalks or snow removal.
"I think frankly it’s going to work on a property-by-property basis," he said. "It could be a friends group [that does this]."
So far, Collier said, the plan is to use concrete for the trail, but macadam could be a better low-maintenance solution.
"A big issue for me is do we have to plow the snow off," said Richard Krumrine, committee member and supervisor of buildings and grounds.
Krumrine added that he is concerned about an individual slipping and falling during winter as well as the district being required to plow the walkway.
There will be a public meeting regarding the Malvern-Willistown Greenway Project in Sugartown Elementary School's cafeteria on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
The facilities committee will present the information to the school board meeting on Oct. 8.
