144 acres added to Twp. Agricultural Security Area, total of 1,629 acres now protected
By Kelli Siehl, Staff Writer, UnionvilleTimes.com
A map of Pocopson Township showing areas in green that represent argicultural easements and areas in light green show areas covered by the Argicultural Security Area, which townhip supervisors expanded by 144 acres this week.
POCOPSON — Farming is alive and well in the township.
Shortly after Monday night’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting began, Supervisors’ Vice-Chair, Georgia Brutscher, closed the regular meeting and opened a public hearing for modification to the township’s Agricultural Security District and to review the district’s Agricultural Security Area (ASA).
Brutscher gave a brief history to the 1992 creation of the ASA. She said the ASA is a “tool to strengthen and protect Pennsylvania agriculture promotes permanent and viable farming operations over the long term by strengthening the farming community’s sense of land use and the right to farm.”
Monday night’s addition of just over 144 acres to the township’s Agricultural Security District brings the total number of holdings in the township’s ASA to more than 1,629 acres.
Brutscher added that residents should be “very proud we have so much farm land left in our township.”
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In other township news, the Chester County Planning Commission asked Pocopson and Birmingham townships to OK revised plans for the Route 926 bridge to include a bike/walking lane that can be incorporated into their Brandywine Battlefield trail system.
The plan would add an additional two feet in width to the bridge for a dedicated bike/walking lane on the south side of the project. Pocopson and Birmingham townships would have to pay for construction of a barrier to separate the bike/walking lane from traffic. Although near to a state biking route — which currently runs up Creek Road in Birmingham, the bridge currently is not a designated bike trail.
Supervisors voted in favor of the proposal, only if it does not hold up the design and schedule of the bridge replacement.
I think it is great that the township is working on preserving farm land in Pocopson. However, I do have some financial concerns. The other day I was on the Brandywine Valley Association’s website and I read their mission statement; (… to promote the restoration, preservation, conservation and enjoyment of the natural resources of the Brandywine Valley..) I also spoke with someone who advised me that the BVA has never developed any of the land that they own. If this is true, then why did Pocopson Twp. pay the BVA $850,000 for the development rights of some land that they own. That is just about a years budget for our township I might add. Its amazing that the township would pay a group for development rights that would never be developed anyway. And now we want to renovate the Bernard House, which I might add is going to cost a small fortune. I don’t know where everyone else is with this situation, but I think there are a number of questions that must be answered.