|
About Us:
Kennett Area Park Authority (KAPA) - Nine individuals appointed by the Borough of Kennett Square and Kennett
Township. KAPA owns and operates Nixon Park. Meetings are held at 7:30 PM on the third Tuesday of the month at the
Kennett Township Building, 801 Burrows Run Rd., Chadds Ford, PA 19317. To contact KAPA, call 610-444-1416, or email
kapa@kennett.net
Pam Carter
Richard Lyon
Jerry McCarron
Michael Perna
Priscilla Roberts
Rudolf Steinberger
Janice Taylor
Jim Colbourn
Jack Williams
Eva Verplanck
KENNETT AREA PARK AUTHORITY
MISSION STATEMENT
The Kennett Area Park Authority (KAPA) is guided by the following principles:
- preservation of an open, natural and largely passive environment that lends itself to both tranquil and rigorous pursuits, with free access to the general public;
- promotion of recreational interaction among the community's diverse ethnic, social age and economic groups by providing a safe outdoor venue that offers facilities compatible with a multitude of social, cultural, spiritual and sporting endeavors;
- collaboration with other established community educational, cultural, civic, and recreational organizations and institutions to further the principles of this mission statement;
- establishment of an endowment that will ensure the financial stability of the park for generations to come.
|
Friends of Anson B. Nixon - Organizes events in the Park and helps to raise financial support. We are always looking for fresh ideas and welcome your participation! Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at the Kennett Township Building, 801 Burrows Run Rd., Chadds Ford, PA 19317. To contact KennParc, call
610-444-1416, or email kapa@kennett.net
Adelle Racca, Chair
Janice Taylor
Pam Carter
Betsy Coons
Pete Kennedy
Aleida Diaz
Drew Williams
Jen Harris
Joe Young
History of Anson B. Nixon Park
Envisioned by Kennett Township from the early 1960s, planning for a regional park began in earnest in 1986 with the appointment jointly by the Township and Kennett Square Borough of a Regional Park Planning Committee. The proposed site, a total of 106 acres, consisted of 27 acres in the northeast quadrant of the Borough, extending to the East Marlborough Township line, with 79 acres encompassing land in Kennett Township. The Township had purchased its portion of the site in 1967 which was then leased to the Southeastern Chester County Refuse Authority for use as a landfill; the successful landfill operation was closed in 1978. The tract was named "Nixon Park" in honor of Anson B. Nixon who masterminded the landfill project.
The Borough portion of the site included two large stone-lined ponds which were part of the waterworks and water treatment process. The east branch of the Red Clay Creek flows through the tract. Between the Township and Borough's tracts was the "Bloomfield" property, site of an historic mill operation by the Chambers family dating to 1794. This property was donated to Kennett Township to be included in the proposed park.
In 1988 the Kennett Area Park Authority (KAPA) was formed as a joint municipal authority of Kennett Township and the Borough of Kennett Square, with a total of nine volunteer members appointed by both municipalities. KAPA's mission was to develop plans for the park, and a Chester County Park Acquisition Grant was received to begin the process. Because of the fragility of the property, the landfill site was removed from the plans. Over a period of years, an environmental audit and test wells assured that the landfill settlement was proceeding as expected. KAPA took title to the land in 1990. In 1991 another grant was received, this time from the state, followed by the second County Open Space grant.
Anson B. Nixon Park was opened for use on June 12, 1993 for simple, passive recreation purposes. A non-profit support organization,
KennParc (now Friends of Anson B. Nixon Park), was created in 1995 to help raise funds to maintain the park, to formulate infrastructure details, and to organize programs. With support from grants, volunteers laid out trails through the woodlands, meadows and open fields.
As visitation increased over the next year and with additional grants, plans developed for a comfort station, parking lot, improved trails, bridges, picnic pavilion, and tennis courts. Supported by a large corps of community volunteers,
Friends of Anson B. Nixon Park presented summer programs in the park, including an Easter egg hunt, talent nights, a production of the musical "Oliver."
By 1996 the park promoted a children's playground, five picnic pavilions, four trails with fitness stations, two sand volleyball courts, two
bocce courts, a Frisbee golf course, stocked ponds for fishing, and a portable
show mobile stage. Boy scouts helped with infrastructure improvements; the Kennett Fire Company has been on hand for parking assistance.
In 2001 KAPA built an entertainment pavilion on the pond bank which has been the venue for theatrical and musical productions. In 2004 Kennett Township donated to KAPA the 23 acre former landfill site with plans to create athletic fields for the community. With support from a Chester County Park Facilities grant, generous foundations, corporations and individuals, the fields will be ready for play in the fall of 2006.
The park you see today is the result of the combined efforts of scores of individuals. To name only a few who have provided invaluable support over the years:
Larry Bosley
Bill Buffington (deceased)
Pam Carter
Charlie Cramer
Nicky Ellis
Dave Erikson
Tom Harvey (deceased)
Aaron Martin
Jack & Kay Massau
Marshall Newton (deceased)
John Pusey
Prissy Roberts
David Shields
Rudi Steinberger
Eva Verplanck
Marsha Wingrave (deceased)
Shirley Zunino
Kennett Township Supervisors
Kennett Square Borough Council
|
