Trail News

O’Neill, developer, threatens to withhold improvements

The Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners recommended denying approval of O’Neill Properties Group’s plans for the now-vacant lot that formerly housed the Connelly Container/Georgia Pacific factory, which is adjacent to the township’s property which the Cynwyd Trail occupies.

“For four years, the township has been bragging about how it is connecting to a trail network in Philadelphia via the Pencoyd Bridge” on [O'Neill's] property, he said. “If my plan isn’t approved, they don’t get the trail, nor do they get the bridge.”  Read more about the decision-making process here.

Cynwyd Regional Rail Station Construction
Platform and Area Renovations

Beginning the week of May 21 and continuing through December 2012, the Cynwyd Trail Station will undergo significant renovations. The station and rail service will continue in active use during construction, but the construction will affect parking and pedestrian access to the Trail.

Highlights include:

-  New ADA-Compliant pedestrian ramp connecting the parking lot to the platform level on the Station side of the tracks

-  New Train Platform

-  New pedestrian/rail crossing allowing Trail users to cross the tracks safely to access the Trail

-  New fencing separating Trail users from the active rail trac

-  New paved plaza on the Trail (east) side of the tracks, to serve as a trail head gathering area

-  Improved and widened driveway for emergency vehicle access on the Trail

-  Landscaping and public amenities

You may direct any questions to Wendy Green-Harvey, SEPTA Community Relations, 215-580-7661. SEPTA thanks you for your patience during this project.

Plants on the Trail

Interested in learning about the perennials that we planted for Earth Day 2012? Well, below is a list of all the flowers, growing tips, maintenance and so much more.

The Friends can’t wait to experience all the flowers this summer when they are in full bloom. There will be wonderful blooms in the summer and fall.

Flowers of Cynwyd Heritage Trail

Lyme Disease and Tick Warning

Lower Merion’s Township’s Health Advisory Council urges all residents to be alert for ticks due to the mild winter and early onset of warm weather. Please see the following document from the Lower Merion Health Advisory Council.

Advisory from Lower Merion Health Advisory Council

Friends, West Laurel Hill and the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd Sponsors Cynwyd 5K and 1-Mile Walk

Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, in cooperation with West Laurel Hill Cemetery and the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd, are proud to sponsor the first annual Cynwyd 5K and 1-mile walk on Sunday, May 6, 2012 starting at 12:00 pm.  Race starts at 1 pm, walk starts at 1:15.  Click here for more information on this web site, or click here to register for the event (link to Bryn Mawr Running Company web site.

Lower Merion Township Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting

Please join the Friends at the next Parks & Recreation Committee meeting.  We need community support for the funding of the Manayunk Bridge Project.  It will be on Wednesday, March 21 at 7:55 pm at the Township Administration Building, 75 East Lancaster Ave, 2nd Floor, Ardmore, Pa 19003.  Learn more about the issues to be discussed thanks to Patch, the community news web site, by clicking here.

Friends Sponsors Eagle Scout Project

The Friends are proud to support Boy Scout Troop Bala One and Scout Eric Ramsey’s Eagle Scout project to install bat houses along the trail.  The Friends have agreed to fund the purchase of the bat houses, and Eric will facilitate the placement and installation.  The project is scheduled to be implemented on Saturday, April 14, 2012.  Click here to learn more about bat houses and why they are important to the Cynwyd Trail.

First Geocaches on Cynwyd Trail

Cyclists Urge Lower Merion, Montco to fund Manayunk Bridge Project

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, in cooperation with the Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, is petitioning the Lower Merion Township commissioners and the Montgomery County commissioners to approve funding for the extension of the trail across the Manayunk Bridge to join the Ivy Ridge Trail.  In total, the project is estimated to cost $2.8 million, and the City of Philadelphia has already pledged $1.3 million.  Read more about the petition here, or click here to learn more about petitioning the Lower Merion commissioners.  The Main Line Times and Philly.com Neighbors blog also highlight the Township’s efforts to fund the project.

Art and the Trail

“Under the Bridge” painting by:
Nancy Herman, Merion, PA

The Friends are always interested in seeing your pictures and art work of the trail. Share your trail art today! We’d love to see your work and share it with our members. Just email us your images or art, along with the following information:

1. Your Name
2. Contact Information
3. General Location or Caption/Description

Lower Merion Eyes Funding for Cynwyd/Manayunk Trail Link

Dreams of a trail across the Schuylkill are one step closer to reality after Lower Merion commissioners have given township staff the green light to pursue a $500,000 state grant toward reopening the Manayunk Bridge.  However, they want more information on how to provide the required matching amount.  Learn more about their decision and what lies ahead here.  Additional information is available via Patch by clicking here.  Even the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Neighbors blog is getting excited!  Each link opens in a new tab.

Manayunk Bridge Project Update

Will the township fund the project? The thought is that the Manayunk Bridge will connect Cynwyd Heritage Trail to Philadelphia’s Ivy Ridge Trails, but a funding gap for the $2.5-million construction portion of the project still remains. The $1.3-million Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative grant given for the reconstruction required for the bridge could foot almost half of the bill.

Though the City of Philadelphia will manage the construction process, Lower Merion is still heavily invested in the project, as it plans to lease all, if not portions, of the Manayunk Bridge from SEPTA. (SEPTA bought the bridge in 1976.) The Board of Commissioners gave the township the go-ahead to prepare a grant application to eventually submit to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. If awarded, the $500,000-grant would require a $500,000 match.

The board hasn’t decided how it would match the amount, but if it would add $1 million to the construction portion of the project, leaving the city, township and Manayunk Development Corporation with a much smaller gap of $200,000.

Manayunk Towpath Gets a Makeover

Mayor Michael Nutter and several others were on hand for the ribbon cutting and re-opening of the Manayunk Towpath, after extensive cleaning, repairs, and other improvements.  With the planned connection to the Cynwyd Trail this makes the Manayunk Towpath even more of a destination to look forward to! Read the whole article on Patch here.

Cynwyd Trail Winter Trek a Success!

Another Successful Day of Service

The Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail (FOCHT) would like to thank everyone who came out for their Third Annual MLK Volunteer Day of Service for the Cynwyd Heritage Trail on Monday, January 16^th, at the Barmouth Crossing (at the end of East Levering Mill Road after crossing Belmont Avenue) in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. It was a cold but fun day. Special thanks to Michelle Dunn from Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful who provided all the coffee, donuts, snacks, pizza and drinks for the day.

Lower Merion Township Seeks “Go for the Green” Nominations

To raise environmental awareness throughout Lower Merion Township and to highlight environmental achievements, the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is planning to sponsor the 5th Annual “Go for the Green” awards this spring.

Trail Benches

The township has begun in stalling benches on the trail.  Bike racks will follow this week.   If you are interested in sponsoring a bench, please contact the friends at  info@cynwydtrail.org . Please make checks out to:

FOCHT
PO BOX 695
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

Please note, there is a limited amount of benches available. It will be first come, first serve.

The minimium donation for a bench is $1500.

Dumping on the Trail

Attention Neighbors of the Trail: Please do not dump leaves on to the trail. The leaves are blocking the drainage swales.

Tree Care/Pruning Workshop on the Trail

On Saturday, December 3rd,  Sav-a-Tree’s Alison Pottage conducted a workshop how to prune trees along the trail. The event was co-sponsored by Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, Lower Merion Township and Sav-a-Tree. It ran from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.  

Email: apottage@savatree.com
Phone: (610) 941-7766

CHT Grant Application Submission Approved

The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners authorized submission of a grant application to create a plan to connect the Cynwyd Heritage Trail to the Righter’s Ferry Trail, and also extend the Trail to Bala Station and City Avenue.

As part of the second phase of a $10 million Regional Trails Program, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is accepting grant applications for trail-related planning studies, Chris Leswing, the township’s assistant director of planning, said in a memorandum which was included as part of the agenda for the board’s Building and Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday night.

In the grant application, the township will seek $40,000 in funding in order to complete the Cynwyd Heritage Trail by connecting it to the Righter’s Ferry Trail—which is required to be constructed by Righter’s Ferry Associates along the Pencoyd waterfront—and to also extend the trail to Bala Station and City Avenue, Leswing said in the memo.

The Township would provide a $10,000 grant match from unbudgeted funds in the Capital Improvement Plan.

The 2009 Cynwyd Heritage Trail Master Plan recommended that a multi-use trail be constructed between the Cynwyd Trail and the Righter’s Ferry Trail through the 9-acre parcel donated to the township by Tom Connelly in 2006, but making the Connelly connection requires a high level of study because there is a significant grade change between the Righter’s Ferry Trail and Cynwyd Trail, Leswing said in the memo.

The grant funds would allow the township to study the best way to solve the grade change with a multi-use trail, and explore extending the Cynwyd Trail a third of a mile from Cynwyd Station to Bala Station at City Avenue.

Trail Hailed as “Crown Jewel” of Montgomery County Network

The Cynwyd Heritage Trail was praised as the “crown jewel” of the Montgomery County Trail Network, in a recent report by the county Open Space Board to the County Commissioners. Speaking at the September 28 public meeting of the Commissioners, Open Space Board Chair Phoebe Driscoll credited Lower Merion Township and the Friends of Cynwyd Heritage Trail for making excellent use of the $1.5 million in county grants awarded to the Township for the project to date on an 80/20 county/township matching basis.

The Trail was one of three county projects Driscoll highlighted as prime examples of 442 grants to townships and private organizations using funds authorized by county voters in 1993 and 2003. The other projects highlighted included an 87-acre working farm now serving an educational center and a 77-acre tract near Ambler rescued from residential development to preserve Wissahickon wetlands, woods, and a variety of recreational fields.

Three such grants to Lower Merion in recent years have made possible both the construction of the basic Trail, on the discontinued R-6 SEPTA rail line from Cynwyd Station to the Schuylkill River, and the crucial purchase of additional land from Westminster Cemetery and an abandoned spur line connected to the main Trail where it reaches the Manayunk Viaduct Bridge. The additional land purchases have significantly enhanced the Trail’s designation and appeal as a true “linear park” of 60 acres.

Thanks to a plan for conversion of the Manayunk Bridge, recently approved with funding from federal, state and local sources, Cynwyd trail users will be able by the end of 2013 to link up with a rapidly expanding network of regional trails. County open space funding has enabled Montgomery County’s network to expand from 12 to 53 miles since 1993. More than 10 miles of the regional network along the Schuylkill River are completed or in various stages of planning and construction within the city of Philadelphia. $55 million of the $150 million authorized by Montgomery County voters in 2003 remain to be appropriated before the current ten-year authorization expires in 2013.

Another Successful Friends Event: November Tree Planting

As part of the ongoing development of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, nearly 40 volunteers worked on Saturday, November 12 to plant trees around the grounds of the former Barmouth Train Station near Levering Mill Road and Belmont Avenue in Bala Cynwyd.

The  Friends purchased 40 trees from the Pennsylvania Horicultural Society for the project. Trees purchased included Quonshan Cherry, Cherry Dogwood, and English Oak. Another workday occurred the following Saturday to finish mulching the area. Friends and Trail supporters are welcome to come out and support the Friends on workdays (which are listed on the Calendar, under the Events tab).

Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail led the workday with support from the Lower Merion Conservancy.

Why Two Paths?

The design professionals and community members who collaborated in planning the Cynwyd Heritage Trail were concerned that the straight and moderately sloping alignment of the original rail bed along most of its length could lead to potential conflicts between high speed cyclists or skateboarders and lower speed runners, hikers, small children, and dog walkers.

The solution was to provide two separate paths of different materials, to accommodate different levels of users.

SOFT SURFACE (tan): It’s not just “dirt”! Actually, it’s a high-quality composite all-weather surface put in place to encourage its use as a “local” lane for slower users such as pedestrians, joggers, dog walkers, and small children on bikes or walking.

ASPHALT (black): The asphalt surface provides an “express” lane for higher speed trail users such as adult cyclists, skateboarders, and runners accustomed to a harder surface.

Please be aware that others may be using the trail differently than you. Have fun, respect other trail users and be safe.

Dogs on the Trail

Dogs are welcome on the Trail but need to be on leashes. Even fairly placid breeds and individual dogs can be unpredictable out of their territory and when encountering unfamiliar people and other pets. For this reason, please keep your dog leashed on the Trail. It is the responsibility of the owner to have control of their pet at all times.

In addition, owners are also responsibile for removing waste. Please pick up the waste and carry it out of the park.

• Carry extra bags.
• Take more than you’ll need on trails so you can help out someone who forgot.
• Tie extra baggies to your leash handle.
• Remind people that animal waste harms the environment.

The Friends will be enforcing these rules on the Trail.

Next Phase of Development for Manayunk Bridge

Mayor Nutter and other elected officials kicked off the next phase of development for the Manayunk Bridge. The bridge will use a bike and pedestrian trail to connect the Ivy Ridge Trail in Philadelphia with the Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Lower Merion. The event occurred on October 20, 2011. Attendees were: Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Jim Matthews, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Lower Merion Commissioners President Elizabeth S. Rogan, Lower Merion Commissioner Brian Gordon, State Senator Daylin Leach, Lou Cappelli, Chairman of DVRPC, Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities Rina Cutler, Joseph M. Casey, General Manager, SEPTA.

Manayunk Bridge Update

On September 15th, 50 residents of both city and suburb converged in Ardmore to discuss design plans for a multi-purpose trail across the Manayunk Bridge. The project is a collaborative effort between several agencies, and brings together the City of Philadelphia, the Schuylkill Project and the Township of Lower Merion, in addition to SEPTA, the owner of the bridge. The Manayunk Bridge ends at Dupont & High Streets – the site of a former train station – and would be used to connect the Ivy Ridge Trail to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Montgomery County.

The meeting lasted approximately two hours and was facilitated by the bridge’s project manager, Jeffrey Riegner. Biggest concerns were design, timing,  and safety.

Montgomery County Open Space Board Gets Tour of the Trail.

On August 22, the Montgomery County Open Space Board had a tour of the Cynwyd Train Station, the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, and  the Manayunk Bridge.  The Montgomery County Open Space Board is comprised of five members appointed by the Montgomery County Commissioners. The board meets monthly to review open space grant applications and make recommendations to the County Commissioners for open space acquisition and preservation. Attendees included  Phoebe Driscoll, Paul Meyer, Bob Thomas, Mark Vasoli, Bruce Reed, Steve Nelson, Ken Hughes, John Corcoran and Beth Pilling. Tour were led by Chris Leswing (Lower Merion Township), Kim Douglas (Studio Gaea), Byron Comati (SEPTA), Robert Strauber (Cynwyd Club), Peter Brigham (neighbor), and Jerry Francis (Historical Society).

FOCHT Received Specialized Grant

Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail have been awarded a Specialized grant to purchase specialized bicycles to haul supplies and tools for the Trail.

In addition, this grant also supplies the Trail with bicycle art bike racks.

The Friends are very excited about this grant and would like to thank Specialized for their support. Special kudos also go to Boris Kaplan and Dave Rende. To find out how Specialized can help your organization, check out their site.

Rules Meeting

On July 12, Friends of the Cynwyd Trail met with the Township to discuss the Rules of the Trail. The key take-aways were as follows:

- Etiquette guidelines will be posted at the entrances
- Bikes will be allowed, with appropriate caution exercised when passing pedestrians
- Pedestrians will have the right of way and must keep right
- The park/trail hours will be dawn to dusk
- Dogs are allowed on short leashes.

Kick-off Bridge Meeting Well Attended

On Thursday, June 9, 2011, the public was invited to North Light Community Center on Green Lane, Manayunk to share and provide feedback about the Manayunk Bridge trail. Kay Sykora, director of the Schuylkill River Project kicked off the meeting and the design team, led by Whitman, Requardt and Associates gave a background of what has been happening. Attendees included Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, Lower Merion Township, Greater Philadelphia Bike Coalition, Schuylkill River Project, Lower Merion Historical Society, SEPTA as well as many neighbors and trail and biking enthusiasts.

For even more information about the meeting, check out the blog.

Day of Service: Harriton Students Volunteer on the Trail

May 10, 2011 – Harriton High School students were part of a service day effort to clean up the  Trail. It was a beautiful day and students worked hard and received FOCHT t-shirts for their service. Students perform various activities and tasks on the trail. Nearly thirty students participated.

Cynwyd Heritage Trail Breaks Ground

On Thursday, May 5th, Lower Merion officials symbolically broke ground for construction of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail. However, this is not the first time the trail has seen a shovel.  Over 30,000 volunteer hours have been spent transforming an abandoned, overgrown rail bed into the basis for a new multipurpose trail running from historic Cynwyd Station to the Schuylkill and one day across the river to Manayunk.

Construction started in March on Phase 1 of the two-mile double trail, putting it on track toward a September opening.

Cynwyd Heritage Trail Design Received Prestigious Award

The Cynwyd Heritage Trail design has been selected to receive a Merit Award from the Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). It will now be entered in the ASLA national competition, which recognizes the best in landscape architecture from around the globe.

“This award is a credit to our outstanding consultants from SALT Design as well as the inspiring leadership of Christopher Leswing, our Assistant Director of Building and Planning,” noted Board President Elizabeth Rogan. “Our Board of Commissioners is to be commended for supporting this award-winning design and most of all, this recognition is a credit to the many citizens who have invested their time, creativity, money and much more to cultivate an award-winning design for the Trail.”

The award was presented to the Township’s Chris Leswing at the ASLA regional conference in April 2011.

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 17,000 members in 48 professional chapters and 68 student chapters. Landscape architecture is a comprehensive discipline of land analysis, planning, design, management, preservation, and rehabilitation. ASLA promotes the landscape architecture profession and advances the practice through advocacy, education, communication, and fellowship. Members of the Society use their “ASLA” suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. More information is available by visiting www.asla.org.

Graffiti: Vandalism Not Art

Graffiti is “unauthorized writing or drawing on a surface in a public place.”  Graffiti is “unauthorized”, and it destroys property. Repairs are costly for the property owner. Please help us end graffiti. If you see graffiti on the Trail, please report it immediately to Dave DeAngelis (Parks and Recreation) at at (610) 667-1590 or send Dave an email at ddeangelis@lowermerion.org.

Plant One Million

Plant One Million is a regional partnership led by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) to plant one million trees throughout 13 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The goal is to restore the “tree canopy cover”—the area of land shaded by trees—in the Greater Philadelphia Region to 30 percent. The tree canopy is the upper branches or crowns of mature trees. Measuring the area of land covered by tree canopy is an important yardstick for a healthy environment, since trees improve air and water quality and help reduce erosion, water pollution, and flooding. Learn more about the benefits of trees. In recent decades the Greater Philadelphia Region has lost millions of trees to development. To address the problem, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources created TreeVitalize, a public/private partnership led by PHS in southeastern Pennsylvania, which has added 150,000 trees since 2004. Plant One Million expands and builds on that program. To learn more about this initiative, please visit the PHS site.