Square Roots Community Initiative Lauds the Outstanding Work of Local Organizations

Eight Kennett Square organizations received a total of $156,000 in grant funding for the 2022 fiscal year.

The Creamery, one of Kennett Square’s most popular destinations, has teamed up with Square Roots Collective to launch “Winter Park at the Creamery” featuring a new ice-skating rink and other family-friendly outdoor activities to enjoy now through April.

“Over the previous century, this old piece of Kennett Square history has been through many changes. Finally, giving up its industrial past at the hands of new owners in 2011. Thus The Creamery was born, and a unique feature of Kennett Square’s cultural scene opened its doors to art and beer lovers across the community…”

In 2020, a consortium of the trail’s stakeholders and owners began a conversation with Square Roots Collective that reimagined the trail as something greater, both in aesthetics, environmental cohesiveness and functionality.

Square Roots Collective is thrilled to announce that a multi-municipal collaboration between the Borough of Kennett Square and Kennett Township has resulted in this tremendous investment in the Kennett Greenway.

With these funds, the Greenway will be able to complete two segments (i) the Birch Street Streetscape in Kennett Borough and (ii) the Magnolia Underpass, a railroad underpass that will connect Pennock Park to Kennett Borough.

Calling all trail enthusiasts! The Kennett Area Regional Trails Committee recently partnered with the Chester County Planning Commission and Square Roots Collective to put together new, interactive trail maps of our regional area.

Voices Underground, the Kennett Greenway, and SCCON were featured in the most recent Kennett Township newsletter, highlighting the topics like Voices Underground’s work for the Chester County Juneteenth Festival, SCCON’s support during COVID, and a Kennett Greenway update on the Chandler Mill Traffic Pilot Study.

Kennett Township supervisors voted 3-0 in favor of moving the continued realization of the Kennett Greenway forward to its final design phase in order to support future implementation and construction.

In collaboration with Square Roots Collective and others, Historic Kennett Square will be hosting a speaker series featuring national and local experts to discuss equitable and sustainable community building. The inaugural event will take place on September 28th at the American Legion Building in Kennett Square.

An appreciative audience of more than 150 – some tip-toeing through what would be their first steps in a maskless hint of a post-pandemic world – gathered at the architectural splendor of The Creamery on Birch Street to cheer on Matthew Gordon as he was sworn in as the new Kennett Township Chief of Police…

“At its June 16 online meeting, the board approved a task order for the completion of the final design and engineering for the project, which is estimated at $628,397 and will take between six and seven months to complete. The design of the project will be developed by Biohabitats, a Baltimore-based ecological firm dedicated to restoring ecosystems and conserving habitat through assessment, planning, engineering and design….”

SOURCE: CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

“From the time the pandemic arrived last March, SCCON began an across-the-board plan to address the need to develop a robust and modern technology infrastructure that would extend to its underserved populations…”

SOURCE: CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

“Voices Underground – a project under the umbrella of Square Roots Collective and in partnership with Lincoln University -- is producing The Chester County Juneteenth Festival: Journeying Towards Freedom -- in collaboration with the Chester County Historic Preservation Society, the Chester County History Center, the Chester County Planning Commission and numerous other partners…”

SOURCE: CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

Recent citizen surveys to gauge priorities in the continuing development of the Kennett Greenway showed that local residents would like to see the circuitous trail system maintain its natural beauty, provide access to open spaces, connect neighborhoods and continue to provide a broad range of activities for individuals and families…

SOURCE: Chester County Press