East Pikeland Receives French Creek Trail Grant

The following was submitted on behalf of East Pikeland Township. 

East Pikeland Township, Chester County, has been awarded a $213,600 grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for development of a trail along the French Creek between Township Line and Hares Hill roads. 

The two-mile stretch of trail will include two foot bridges over French Creek,  a foot bridge over the mill race at historic Snyder’s Mill, trail signage and landscaping. Trailheads to access the future trail will be located at the Rapps Dam Road Covered Bridge and the Hares Hill Road Bridge. The trail link in East Pikeland will eventually connect to French Creek Trail links in adjacent municipalities.

Stated Township Manager Kim Moretti, “The plan for developing a trail along picturesque French Creek has been a vision of East Pikeland Township since the late 1980s when we started to acquire open space along the creek through the land development process. In 2010, we updated the French Creek Trail Master Plan. The grant funding was the last piece needed to accomplish our goal.” 

The centerpiece for completing the trail was the 2010 acquisition by the township of the 43-acre former Phoenixville Borough-owned property in East Pikeland Township, consisting of approximately 6,400 feet along the French Creek.

According to Chairman Ron Graham, “The French Creek Trail project has been the result of tremendous effort by volunteers, our township manager, as well as past and present board members, all of whom have great respect for the historical and recreational significance of the French Creek Trail.”

This past summer, Boy Scout Jacob Miller from Troop 158 in Kimberton blazed a one-half mile section of the trail for his Eagle Scout project. That section begins at the Rapps Dam Covered Bridge and goes through township property towards Township Line Road and is now open for public use.

Funding for the grant comes from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Environmental Stewardship Fund and federal funding sources. The funds are administered through DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnership Program. The township will be responsible for matching the grant funds with $213,600 of their own money. 

The French Creek Trail Master Plan is available for viewing at the township office on Rapps Dam Road in Phoenixville or on line at www.eastpikeland.org.