MONTGOMERY COUNTY GREENWAY

Schuylkill River Greenway Projects and Activities along the Greenway DRAFT August, 2010

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY SCHUYLKILL RIVER GREENWAY

Several organizations and governments have been busy underta king various activities to enhance the Schuylkill River’s recreation and usage, redevelop river towns, and preserve the river corridor. Understanding these efforts is important in developing complementary initiatives that would build upon their success and avoid any potential conflicts. Hyperlinks have been installed in this document to assist in navigating to organizatio n websites where detailed informatio n about each project can be found.

This listing will be revised as new efforts are discovered and changes take place in listed projects. A future Schuylkill River Greenway forum will provide the opportunity to explore these projects in more detail to identify how they fit in with the goals of the Montgomery County Schuylkill River Greenway.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY SCHUYLKILL RIVER GREENWAY

SCHUYLKILL RIVER GREENWAY PROJECTS

Specific Projects or activities are listed by general location along the river begin- ning at and proceding upriver to Berks County. 1. Friends of the Manayunk : The Friends of the Manayunk Canal organization has been working on the protection, restoration, and preservation of the natural and histori- cal resources of Venice Island, the Manayunk Canal, and 's Towpath in Philadelphia. They have also been working with other organizations on building a trail link from Ivy Ridge to the Manayunk Viaduct.

2. Destination Schuylkill River: Destination Schuylkill River is an initiative of The Schuylkill Project, dedicated to connecting the communities of East Falls, Manayunk and Lower Mer- ion to the river through planning, programming, and projects. Funded by the Foundation, Schuylkill Project partners include the East Falls Development Corpora- tion, Lower Merion Planning Commission, and Manayunk Development Corporation.

3. “Complete the ”: A collaborative initiative of stakeholders including Schuylkill River Park Alliance, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, and others fo- cused on continuously connecting the Schuylkill River between the tidal Schuylkill and Montgomery County. An initial report in 2009 identified nine gaps in the existing trail system. The TIGER Discretionary grant announced in February 2010 will fund many of the Philadelphia sections. An initial TIGER II Discretionary grant application was submit- ted to complete other sections of the trail including a trail connector a cross the Ma nayunk Viaduct to link with Lower Merion’s Cynwyd Trail.

4. 600 Righter's Ferry Development: Brian O’Neill is proposing nearly 600 units of luxury apartments at the former Georgia Pacific (Connelly Container) property in Lower Merion Township. Approval of the property may address potential bike and pedestrian use of the PennCoyd Bridge across the river.

5. Cynwyd Trail - Lower Merion: The development of a 2-mile trail from the Cynwyd train station to the Manayunk Viaduct and Belmont Hills is expected to be under construction in early 2011. This Lower Merion Township trail project includes the donation of river- front property from Connelly Container Corporation, the acquisition of two land parcels

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with Montgomery County GF/GT grants, acquisition of a riverfront trail easement on a portion of the connecting Harry Olson Trail, and the establishment of a “Friends of the Cynwyd Trail” group. The entire trail corridor has been cleaned up through active volun- teer efforts.

6. Flat Rock Dam Fish Ladder: The Flat Rock Dam is the highest dam on the Schuylkill River south of Reading. The Commonwealth of , which owns the dam, completely rebuilt it with concrete in 1977. The Manayunk canal begins at the eastern side of the dam. Below the dam is a popular whitewater canoeing/ kayaking area. The fish ladder was completed in 2006 on the west side of the dam and is currently providing a migra- tory passageway for American Shad as part of the PA Fish and Boat Commission’s Ameri- can Shad restoration efforts on the Schuylkill River.

7. Flat Rock Park Boat Access and Trail Improvements: Lower Merion Township has cre- ated an off-road trail running the length of Flat Rock Park and connecting with the access lane to the fish ladder at Flat Rock Dam. This park trail connects Flat Rock Park with the upcoming Cynwyd Trail via the informal Harry Olson Trail along the river’s edge.

7. Schuylkill West Regional Trail Feasibility Study: With DCNR funding, this 2008 study examined the most feasible alignment of a continuous riverfront trail between City Line Avenue in Lower Merion and Valley Forge National Historical Park in Upper Merion. The report identified issues, opportunities, public, private, and utility landowners, and alignment alternatives in Lower Merion, West Conshohocken, Upper Merion, and Bridge- port. Implementation of this trail has been deferred pending further study and the avail- ability of funding.

8. Philadelphia Canoe Club: The canoe club hosts various training sessions and events in several miles of Class I-II whitewater from the Flat Rock Dam to the Belmont Avenue Bridge. The Canoe Club is located just down river from the Wissahickon Creek off Ridge Avenue, before the entrance to the .

9. Schuy lkill Center for Environmental Educa tion: The Schuylkill Center is a 500 -acre out- door environmental education center well know for its active land management and res- toration mission and for promoting education in the region. It serves over 50,000 visitors a year many of who are young students from urban neighborhoods in the Philadelphia School system. With funding from PA DCNR, an easement covering 330 acres of SCEE’s property, will be acquired by Natural Lands Trust and will ensure the permanent

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY SCHUYLKILL RIVER GREENWAY

preservation of the majority of the Center’s undeveloped acreage. The Center has cre- ated a wayside bike stop on the Schuy lkill River Trail tha t marks the beginning of a future improved spur trail between the Schuylkill Center’s headquarters and the riverfront. In spring 2010, SCEE embarked upon an intensive strategic planning initiative focused on updating its mission, long-term educational objectives, and excellence of visitor experi- ence. At the same time, the Schuylkill Center is working with Natural Lands Trust and Philadelphia Fairmount Park to implement various spur connections to the Schuylkill River Trail and riverfront through adjoining park land.

10. Manatawna Farm/ East 33 Property: In spring 2010, Whitemarsh Township, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Educatio n, and Fairmount Park engaged Natural Lands Trust to prepare a comprehensive land management plan for these two adjoining properties. The planning process has included several stakeholder meetings to discuss land use, trail con- nections, and stewardship strategies for Manatawna Farm (owned by the City of Philadel- phia but located partially in Montgomery County) and the East 33 property (a recently acquired Whitemarsh Township open space site). The report, now in draft form, will be completed in Fall 2010. The Natural Lands Trust and Fairmount Park Commission are advocating various property improvements and use changes and have access to grant funding to implement the co nversion of both properties. Opposition to the proposal has been voiced by area residents who have formed a group called East 33.

11. River Park: Preferred Real Estate, Inc redeveloped the former Simpson Paper plant in Whitemarsh Township into a 228,000 square foot office complex. As part of the pro- ject, 33 acres of land formerly owned by the paper company was permanently preserved as open space and transferred to Whitemarsh Township. The development adjoins the Miquon SEPTA sta tion.

12. Successful Preservation Initiatives in the Miquon Area: The Miquon Area Preservation Society (MAPS), a group of residents in the Miquon section of Whitemarsh Township, have worked with various partners to preserve open space near the former Simpson Pa- per Company Plant (now River Park). MAPS currently holds conservation easements on a 26-acre former landfill area and portions of five adjoining residential lots on the north side of Manor Road above Hagys Mill Road. Continuing up Manor Road, a contiguous 67-acre property owned by the Girl Scouts is under open space deed restriction and sub- ject to reversio n to the Nature Conservancy if no longer used for Girl Scout activities. On the north side of Manor Road, another development project has resulted in 23 acres under conservatio n easement to Montgomery County Lands Trust and a 5.5-acre open

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space parcel owned by Whitemarsh Township. MAPS was also involved in facilitating the acquisition by Whitemarsh Township of the East 33 property described above.

13. Flat Rock Park/ Simpson Island- Lower Merion Township: Lower Merion Township main- tains a boat launch, trail and picnic grove at the 24.3 acre Flat Rock Park. The township also owns a two-acre island up river from the park.

14. Whitemarsh Power Line Trail: Whitemarsh Township has identified the PECO high volt- age power line corridor east of the Schuylkill River as a parallel trail to the Schuylkill River Trail. This future trail corridor will link to the Manatawna Farm area and will also extend toward Plymouth Township via a connecting PECO utility corridor.

15 . Riverbend Nature Center: Riverbend is a non-prof it environmental education organization serving the Lower Merion Township area. The center includes 31 acres with creeks, fields, forests and pond habitats. A discovery room, classroom, library and offices are housed in a 1923-converted barn at the center. Riverbend’s 2004 Master Site Development Plan is in the implementation stage, with an ongoing initiative to improve land stewardship, create enhanced visitor amenities throughout the site, and formalize linkages to the future Schuylkill West Trail.

16. Whitemarsh Boat Club: The Whitemarsh Boat Club maintains a boat house and access for members along the river in the Conshohocken area. Members include individuals and school crew teams.

17. Whitemarsh Township Riverfront Open Space Plan: This plan, currently in draft form and expected to be finalized by Whitemarsh Township in Fall 2010, looks at opportuni- ties for better access to the river between Miquon and Consho hocken. Findings and rec- ommendations will focus particularly on the Spring Mill area and on creating a framework for riverfront amenities in the Township’s Riverfront Redevelopment Zoning District.

18. Spring Mill County Park Trailhead and SEPTA train station: The County parkland at Spring Mill, currently minimally improved, provides passive riverfront context for the Schuylkill River Trail as it emerges from the densely developed Conshohocken area. A parking area, leased by the County to SEPTA, provides spaces for both commuters and trail visitors. The trailhead and train station are a hub for workers in nearby office com- plexes, such as Lee Park, adapted from former industrial sites. Developers have proposed residential developments on the adjoining industrial properties.

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19. Millennium Corporate Center: O’Neill Properties has developed portions of the Millen- nium Corporate Center along the riverfront in Conshohocken Borough. This develop- ment on older industrial properties contains both offices and rental apartments. The apartments are called Riverwalk at Millennium. Access to the river was established in the approval of this development project, though no riverfront amenities have been con- structed.

20. Conshohocken Redevelopment Area: The designated Conshohocken Redevelopment Area along the riverfront was developed by the Pulver Corporation. Since 1985 over 1.6 million square feet of office development has been completed in this area. Unfortu- nately very minimal public access was provided as part of the development.

21. West Conshohocken Redevelopment Area: Twenty-five years ago, West Conshohocken was a small borough with no public sewers, no office buildings, and several old abandoned mills. Since that time over 1.4 million square feet of commercial development including offices and a 200-room hotel has been completed along the riverfront within the redevel- opment area. Much of this development was performed with minimal public access to the river and insufficient river buffer area.

22. Plymouth/ Linfield Dams: Both the Plymouth and Linfield Dam, old rock filled timber crib dams owned by the state, have been recently removed. Both dams had deteriorated sig- nificantly allowing the wooden members to become exposed to the atmosphere. Since both dams served no purpose and blocked the natural flow of the river, they were breached by the state to improve the migratory passage of fish, particularly American Shad. The former Plymouth Dam site is accessible via a privately owned riverfront trail on the West Conshohocken side. The former Vincent Dam site is fully accessible to the public via State Game lands in Limerick Township.

23. Cross County Trail Connection to Schuylkill River Trail: This recent addition to the County’s trail network intersects with the Schuylkill River Trail near the Plymouth Creek in Conshoho cken and continues several miles through Plymouth Meeting to in Plymouth Township.

24. Swedeland Basin: The desilting basin in Swedeland is 14 acres in size and is owned by Up- per Merion Township. This basin was never used for silt dredging and could be used as open space and nature preserve.

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25. Norristown River Front Revitalization/ Brownfields Redevelopment: The Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority is negotiating with O’Neill Properties to purchase sev- eral properties along the riverfront South of Ford Street. These properties would be used as a new wastewater treatment plant site.

26. Bridgeport River Front Revitalization Area: A 22-acre section of Bridgeport’s riverfront, currently vacant due to a major fire in May 2001, has been proposed as the future Bridgeview mixed use development that would incorporate public riverfront amenities to complement and connect with the Borough’s current downtown streetscape improve- ment initiative. The 2009 completion of the Dekalb Street Bridge over the rail line pro- vides safe pedestrian connections between the Borough’s downtown and Norristown’s business district. The proposed Chester Valley Trail will cross the river from Bridgeport at this location to intersect with the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown.

27. Norristown Dam: The dam was completely encased in concrete by PECO Energy before being transferred to Montgomery County in the 1990s. It impounds the second largest pool on the river after the Fairmont Dam pool in Philadelphia and offers a variety of slack water recreation uses including rowing, power boating, water skiing, and fishing. The fish ladder was constructed by PECO in 2008 on the Bridgeport side of the dam to facilitate migration of shad. A small county park has been developed to provide public access to the fish ladder area. Bridgeport Borough has created a stone canoe launch area just downstream from this park. Additional improvements, including parking spaces, river- front benches, and a small gazebo have been added to the riverfront below the canoe launch by the owner of the Frosty Falls deli and ice cream shop located at DeKalb Street and the riverfront.

28. Upper Merion Boat House: Upper Merion Township owns a crew rowing boat house and dock facility on the southern side of the river across from Barbadoes Island. The boat house is used by individuals and high school crew teams. About 2.3 acres of land adjoin- ing it and the Norristown Dam is owned by Bridgeport Borough.

29. Barbadoes Island: PECO Energy and now Exelo n Corp. have owned Barbadoes Island located in West Norriton Township since 1922. The island formerly held a large power plant which had not been used in several years. PECO also operates a substation and a maintenance facility on the island. Prior to PECO’s ownership, the island was used for recreation including bathhouses and a horse track. The power plant was demolished by Exelon in 2009, though they have not expressed plans for other uses on the island. The

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island could provide open space and recreation uses in the future.

30. Riverside and Montgomery Cemeteries: Both historic cemeteries over look the river near the corporate limits of Norristown. Riverside Cemetery is 50 acres and Montgomery Cemetery is approximately 25 acres. Montgomery Cemetery is the oldest public ceme- tery in Montgomery County and is owned and managed by Historical Society of Mont- gomery County. Orna te monuments of many prominent 19th century families, including 5 Civil War Generals, have been identified and repaired, and the original gatehouse has been fully restored for exhibition use. A spur connection between the cemetery and the Schuylkill River Trail has been proposed.

31. Norristown Rail Extension: Work is underway as part of the Route 422 study to evaluate the feasibility and funding sources for some form of passenger rail service extension along the Schuylkill River potentially stopping at Phoenixville, Royersford, Pottstown and other communities.

32. Riverview Apartments: 698 apartments were constructed in 2004 and 2007 (Riverview Landing at Valley Forge) on the former Alco Standard manufacturing site along the river at Betzwood. This 53-acre industrial site near the Betzwood Bridge and Route 422 also contained an historic building which was rehabilitated into an office and vacant land pro- posed for future redevelopment. A riverfront trail connecting with the Schuylkill River Trail is located along the river at this property.

33. Betzwood Bridge/ River Crossing Complex Project: The former Betzwood Bridge, lo- cated within Valley Forge National Historical Park, was removed in the early 1990's due to structural deterioration. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is working rebuild and widen the existing Route 422 bridge and develop a new bridge at this location for pedestrians and cyclists.

34. Valley Forge National Historic Park: This 3,466-acre Valley Forge National Historical Park is being maintained to commemorate of the Continental Army's difficult 1777-78 winter encampment in the fight for American independence. It contains recently rein- terpreted Washington's Headquarters area and 12 other encampment-era buildings, other historic structures, original earthworks, historical monuments, replicas of soldier log cabins and cannons, and valuable open space. Over 1.6 million people visit the park each year for historic interpretation and education, nature appreciation, and other recreational

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activities such as walking, hiking, biking, and fishing. The park operates in accordance to a recently prepared General Management Plan.

35. Valley Creek Watershed Stormwater Management Plan (Act 167): Valley Creek, a popu- lar fly-fishing stream, enters the Schuylkill along the boundary with Chester County. It is the only Exceptional Value stream ( highest water quality ranking) in Montgomery County and flows almost two miles through the Valley Forge National His toric Park. Washing- ton’s Headquarters is located along the Valley Creek just upstream from its mouth on the Schuylkill River. The Valley Creek Stormwater Management Plan prepared under Act 167 has been recently completed by both the Chester and Montgomery County Planning Commissions and will be considered for adoption soon.

36. Acquisition of the Former American Revolution Center Lands by the National Park Ser- vice: A 78- acre property, formerly the proposed home of the American Revolution Cen- ter, will be transferred to the to expand the Valley Forge Park. This property adjoins the Schuylkill River Trail and the Audubon Loop Trail. The land transfer is part of settlement that involves other federal land owned in Philadelphia.

38. John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove: The Pennsylvania Audubon Society has been managing the Mill Grove site through a lease with Montgomery County. Planning and fundraising are underway to develop a $10 million visitor center at the site.

39. Port Providence Desilting Basin: The Oaks impounding basin which comprises 34 acres is currently used by a private contractor, Stoudts Ferry Co., to process reclaimed coal sedi- ments from other impounding basins. This large parcel along the Schuy lkill River can be- come a significant public riverfront open space property when no longer needed for coal reclamation.

40. Schuylkill River Trail: In addition to the trail originally constructed between the Philadel- phia border and the Betzwood section of Valley Forge National Historical Park, Mont- gomery County has more recently extended the Schuylkill River Trail from Betzwood to a regional trailhead at Pawlings Road in Lower Providence. From the Pawlings Road Trailhead, the Schuylkill River Trail continues across the Perkiomen Creek and along the Schuylkill Riverfront to another regional trailhead at Longford Road in the area of Upper Providence Township. Beyond the Perkiomen Creek crossing, the Schuyl- kill River Trail includes an intersection with the County’s Perkiomen Trail Design is cur- rently in progress for a towpath trail that will link the Longford Trailhead with the Route

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29 trail bridge crossing into Phoenixville, Chester County.

41. Black Rock Important Birding Area: The Valley Forge Audubon Society is in the process of designating the Schuylkill River corridor near Mont Clare and Black Rock as an Impor- tant Birding Area (IBA).

42. Schuy lkill Canal Associatio n: The canal association offers various events and education programs within the county Schuylkill Canal Park. They also organize a volunteer net- work to maintain the Lock Keepers house and various parts of the canal property.

43. Schuylkill Canal/Lock 60 area: In 2010, PA DEP conveyed ownership of the canal corri- dor and Lock 60 lands to Montgomery County, who will manage the site as a public rec- reational/heritage amenity.

43. Black Rock Dam: Exelon maintains the Black Rock Dam to ens ure cooling water supply for the Cromby power plant located between Phoenixville and Spring City in Chester County approximately three miles up river. Recently Exelon announced that the Cromby plant will close in May 2011. The Dam, originally constructed as part of the Schuylkill navigation canal system, has been well maintained and appears to be in good condition. A fish ladder was completed by Exelon in 2010 on the Phoenixville side of the dam.

44. Black Rock Sanctuary: Chester County has successfully enhanced the 119-acre former Black Rock desilting basin into a migratory bird sanctuary. An interpretative trail system surrounds the basin providing views viewing stations for park visitors.

45. River Crest Property: The Malickson and the former KenCrest properties in Upper Provi- dence Township have been developed by the LeJuene and Toll Brothers Developers who constructed over 300 housing units and a golf course. As part of the both developments, undeveloped portions have been set aside for future dedication as public open space and trail corridors.

46. Upper Schuylkill Valley Park: Riverfront restoration at the Upper Schuylkill Valley Park several years ago. Currently plans are being developed for a boat launch, fishing area, and new rustic picnic grove. With the removal of the cattle herd at the farm adjoining the park, new public uses are being considered for the fields and pond area. Trail connec- tions with the canal and Black Rock Sanctuary are also proposed at this site.

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47. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Black Rock Access: A power boat access facility maintained by the PA Fish and Boat Commission is lo cated along the river in Chester County near the Route 113 Bridge. This access contains a large parking lot for over 50 vehicles and boat trailers and is the largest boat access facility along the river.

48. Mingo Basin: This 66-acre riverfront property, formerly a silt basin, was recently acquired by Montgomery County from PA DEP as a future riverfront natural area. Located near the border of Upper Providence Township with Royersford Borough, this acquisition nearly completes a continuous swath of protected riverfront open space between Port Providence and Royersford.

49. Royersford Borough Brownfields and Main Street Redevelopment: Several older indus- trial sites along the river have been recently built as a 366-unit residential development. These two projects include the Riverwalk townho uses and Oxford Riverwalk Apartments along First Avenue. Other former industrial lands in the borough north of Main Street are proposed for residential development.

49. Royersford Borough: The borough has recently completed improvements along Main Street leading to the river, a riverfront promenade, and is working on improvements to the Riverfront Gateway Park.

50. Linfield Landing Park: This 7-acre park was purchased by Limerick Township in 1984 with the assistance of $30,000 grant from Montgomery County. It provides a boat launch which was funded by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and a large picnic pavilion.

51. Vincent Dam: See note about the Plymouth Dam.

52. Pennsylvania Game Lands: The Pennsylvania Game Commission maintains a 155-acre small game preserve along the river in Linfield. This property has a small parking lot and is open to the public and is generally used in the fall for hunting.

53. Linfield Distillery Brownfields Redevelopment Site: The former Continental Distillery lo- cated in Linfield contains approximately 180 acres and 1,766,000 square feet of vacant warehouses. The owners of this vacant property recently entered a consent order with the Department of Environmental Protection to perform selected site clean up work. The property has been subject to several development proposals in the past decade, but has remained vacant for approximately 30 years.

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54. Schuylkill River Trail in Chester County: The Schuylkill River Trail is under construction in Chester County from Route 724 in Parkerford to west of Phoenixville.

55. Limerick Nuclear Power Generation Station: The large nuclear power plant owned by Exelon produces 2,200 megawatts of power. The twin nuclear power units and 507-foot cooling towers sit on 587 acres. The plant first began producing power in 1984 after a long and controversial siting and licensing process. One of the controversial issues was water supply. Each day the plant consumes up to 45 million gallons of water drawn from the Schuylkill River. The security at the property has been upgraded in September 2001 so that no public use is permitted.

56. Linfield Basin: (Chester County) is 49.8 acres and was acquired by Chester County. This basin will be restored as a natural habitat area.

57. Sanatoga Basin: A 67-acre river-impounding basin used during the river desilting project exists along the river on the Chester County side. The commonwealth sold this basin and two others with surrounding lands to Chester County. The co unty has plans to restore them as natural areas.

58. Occidental Chemical Corporation Plant Site: The former OxyChem plant site is being de- molished and cleaned up by Glenn Springs Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of OxyChem. The property includes about 260 acres within the bend in the river at the Sanatoga Exit of US Route 422. Portions of the site contain chemical landfills which have been remediated under Superfund. The large tire warehouses that was once part of this complex is under separate ownership.

59. Montgomery County Community College Pottstown Bra nch Ca mpus: The Montgomery County Community College and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area has established a part- nership to develop a Schuylkill Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center at 140 College Drive in Pottstown, with the support of the Borough of Pottstown a nd the Montgomery County.

60. Pottstown Riverfront and Memorial Park: Pottstown Borough has undertaken several projects to upgrade and improve Memorial Park located along Manatawny Creek near the river. These include the redevelopment of the ball fields and the installation of a spray park. The borough is currently working with the Carousel at Potts town to locate the Derek Saylor Memorial Carousel at Pottstown Exhibition Center on King Street next to

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the Manatawny Creek.

61. Schuylkill River Festival: The Montgomery County Community College along with other partners has hosted the Schuylkill River Festival in Potts town during the month of Octo- ber.

62. Brownfields Development/ KOZ Area: Keystone Boulevard providing access to the Key- stone Development area along the Schuylkill River in Potts town was developed with fund- ing from Montgomery County.

63. Pottsgrove Manor: Montgomery County has been operating Pottsgrove Manor in Potts- town under a lease with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The county is now seeking to acquire the property.

64. Schuylkill River Trail/ Berks County Connector: Montgomery County recently co n- structed a section of the Schuylkill River Trail along the Schuylkill Riverfront through Pottstown and West Pottsgrove Township. At the county border, this trail co nnects with the Thun Trail, a multi-use trail constructed by Schuylkill National Heritage Area from the Berks County line at Stowe throug h the Reading area. Shortly into Berks County, the Thun Trail gives direct access to Morlatton Village, an 18th century village settled by Swed- ish immigrants and managed by the Historic Preservatio n Trust of Berks County.

65. Route 422 Redevelopment Project at Pottstown: PennDot is planning to redevelop por- tions of the Route 422 Pottstown Bypass. The redevelopment of the Stowe interchange area would create surplus property along the Schuylkill River. A pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing that would be part of the Schuylkill River Trail is also planned as part of this project.

General River Projects not focused on one portion of the river:

65. Philadelphia Bike Coalition: The coalition has been working on the completion of the Schuylkill River Trail and improved bike opportunities throughout P hiladelphia. The Bike Coalition has been partnering with other organizations such as the Pennsylvania Environ- mental Council to secure financing for the completion of the trails along and to the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia area.

66. Trail Town Conference: The Schuylkill Heritage Area is sponsoring a trail town confer-

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ence on September 23 in Pottstown.

67. Schuylkill River Towns Tool-Kit: The Schuylkill Heritage Area has engaged Peter Johnston and Associates to develop a Heritage Town Tool-Kit to assist municipalities in better utiliz- ing their river and trail based assets and resources in future economic redevelopment ef- forts.

68. Schuylkill River Sojourn: Each June (PA Rivers Month) the Schuy lkill Heritage Area Spon- sors a 7-day sojourn along the Schuylkill River from Schuylkill County to the Boat House Row in Philadelphia.

69. Schuylkill Action Network (SAN): The Schuylkill Action Network was formed as a part- nership of organizations to address watershed protection issues thro ughout the Schuylkill River basin. SAN works to develop various projects through individual workgroups.

70. Schuylkill Congress: The Schuylkill River Keeper (part of the River Keeper organization) convenes an annual Schuylkill River Congress to discuss various issues vital to the Schuylkill River drainage area. The River Keeper also serves as an advocate for the health of the river. Currently the Schuylkill River Keeper has funding to prepare a history of the Schuylkill River Reclamation Project.

71. Schuylkill Highlands Compatible Economic Development Plan for the “Middle Schuylkill: This plan covers the river corridor from the Valley Forge National Historical Park to the City of Reading. Teams have been working with the consultant team of CVDA, Susah Huffman, and Campbell Thomas along with a Task Force to develop the action items for compatible river corridor development. The Schuylkill Highlands initiative was started by DCNR.

72. Stroud Center Schuylkill Project: The Stroud Center Schuylkill River project is an effort to describe stream water quality throughout the 1900-square mile Schuylkill River basin in southeastern Pennsylvania.

73. Philadelphia Water Department Philly RiverCast: The office of watersheds at the Philadel- phia Water Department maintains information about the Schuylkill River including maps and water testing information included in the Philly RiverCast.

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