Notes from 2024 Annual Meeting

Board Member Attendees: 

Barry Pinkowicz (President), John Paulson (Treasurer), Janilyn Pinkowicz (Membership Director/Secretary)

Ira Josephs (Vice President) Unable to attend due to vacation

T-shirts & Hats

T-shirts and hats were for sale prior to the meeting.

Meeting Called to Order:

The meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m.

Meeting Minutes Approval:

Barry Pinkowicz requested approval of the minutes from the prior annual meeting.  John Paulson made a motion, which was seconded by Janilyn Pinkowicz to approve the meeting minutes from the former 2023 Annual Meeting.  Minutes were approved unanimously.

Board Member Nominees:

John Paulson, Treasurer of the FOCCB, introduced our four FOCCB Board Member Nominees that would like to join the FOCCB Board.  Their names and roles are as follows:

• Lathish Vellingiri (Website Director)
• Samantha Kelly (Social Media Director)
• Glen Clark (Project Manager Director)
• Michael Penzone (Maintenance Director)

Each of the board member nominees spoke and provided a brief bio and discussed the projects they have been involved with to date, as well as what their future roles would be moving forward.

Glen Clark spoke regarding his family, community service, his tenure as a Scoutmaster, and the various projects he has been involved with along the trail.   Some of these projects included refurbishing and placing the old Railroad Mile Marker sign at Mount Alverno trailhead, bench repair on the Knowlton Road section due to the sinking and bowing of the bench, heading up the millings project for the Mount Alverno parking lot, and assisting with obtaining large water containers that are being used for the native plant project at Mount Alverno.  Glen will be spearheading the general project management on the larger projects on the trail.

Glen also gave kudos to Ryan Pinkowicz for doing a nice promo video on social media regarding the bench repair project.

Samantha Kelly spoke regarding her graduate degree from Widener University and her love of marketing.  She has been involved with posting the FOCCB events, meetings, trail updates, etc. on social media (Facebook and Instagram).  Her goal is to bring her knowledge to our organization in the hope of providing a larger online presence.  She would like to foster a connected trail community by involving them with events, photo challenges, interactive responses on social media, as well as inspire others to get out and adventure!

Lathish Vellingiri spoke regarding his family (his wife and two children), his bachelor’s degree in computer science engineering, and his love of the outdoors and the trail.  He also spoke regarding his goal of organizing, modernizing, and improving our FOCCB website and making it more user friendly.  He is always up for tackling technical challenges. Lathish has been involved with posting important events, meetings, trail updates, special projects, board governance, etc. on our website and has already made a huge impact!

Mike Penzone spoke regarding his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geology.  Mike is a licensed geologist in both Delaware and Pennsylvania. Mike gave a great presentation on a project he would like to implement on the Chester Creek Trail.  He would like to launch an “Adopt-a-Trail” program where volunteers, such as our community, schools and universities, and local scouts/leaders adopt a portion of the trail and help-out with light maintenance and cleanup.  He would like to divide the maintenance of the trail into 3 sections and have a community or group take care of one of those segments.

What is Adopt-a-Trail? The Adopt-a-Trail program invites volunteers like you to take an active role in caring for a designated section of our trail network. By adopting a trail, you commit to periodic light maintenance activities such as:

• Cleaning up drainage swales
• Assisting in stormwater management efforts
• Light maintenance of installed trail amenities
• Trimming weeds and mulching
• Removing invasive plants

3 Proposed Sections

• Section 1-Creek Road to Mount Alverno Road (1 mile)
• Section 2-Mount Alverno Rd to Mount Rd (0.9 Mile)
• Section 3-Mount Alverno Rd to Mount Rd (0.9 Mile)

Why Join? Participating in the Adopt-a-Trail program offers numerous benefits:

• Community Pride: Contribute to the well-being of our community by maintaining its natural resources.
• Healthy Living: Enjoy the outdoors and physical activity while making a positive impact.
• Environmental Stewardship: Learn about local ecosystems and help preserve them for future generations.

How to Get Involved: Joining is easy! Contact Mike Penzone, Maintenance Director of the FOCCB, at mikepenzone11@gmail.com to sign up and request a section of the trail to adopt. We provide all necessary training and equipment to ensure your volunteer experience is safe and fulfilling.  Please note, you must be 18 or over to operate the gas leaf blowers and weed trimmers.  However, under 18 years of age can assist with other Adopt-a-Trail duties.  Some tools will be provided but groups should bring their own.

Election of the Officers:

John Paulson facilitated the “Election of Officers.”  Deb Paulson volunteered to count the proxy votes for the FOCCB Board members and nominees.

Five proxy votes were sent in via email prior to the meeting.  In addition, there were fourteen votes submitted during the annual meeting.  A total of nineteen votes were counted, and the slate of candidates and nominees was approved per the proxy.  The FOCCB Board now has a total of eight volunteer Board members.

Treasurer Report:

Financial Report was presented by Treasurer, John Paulson. Revenues and expenses were reviewed. This report is available upon request for review.  Janilyn PInkowicz made a motion to approve the Treasurer Report.  Glen Clark seconded the motion.

Kelly Johnson (Former FOCCB Board Member – Communications Director)

Barry Pinkowicz advised that Kelly Johnson, FOCCB Board Member since 2014, has stepped down from the Board.  However, Kelly has kindly agreed to serve as a non-profit volunteer consultant and will help the board as needed.  Kelly did a wonderful job managing our website and social media.  In addition, Kelly wrote support letters to County and Township officials for grants needed for funding.   She also provided many other administrative duties on the board throughout the years.   Kelly will be greatly missed!

Accomplishments/Acknowledgements 2023/2024:

Special thanks to:

• Williamson College of the Trades (Michael Rounds, Peter Zwolak, & students) for fixing the bench on the Knowlton Road section of the trail and to Glen Clark for undertaking and overseeing this project.
• John Anshant for donating Railroad Mile Marker and to Glen Clark for the complete restoration and painting of this historical landmark. Special thanks to the leaders of Scout Troop 225 and Glen for the digging and placement of this marker at the Mount Alverno Trailhead.
• Glen Clark for the repair of the “Little Library” at Mount Alverno trailhead due to damage from vandalism.
• FOCCB recently had native plants planted and placed at the Mount Alverno Trailhead (Hollywood Landscaping is the company we hired for this project). In addition, we purchased two very large water containers for the watering of the plants.  A HUGE thank you to Aston Fire Department for filling up these large water containers multiple times upon request.  This was a huge cost savings for the FOCCB.
• Mike Lancellot – Mike was a huge contributor and sponsor for the native plant project. Mike contributed $5,000 towards this project. We appreciate his generosity and support with this endeavor. Also, a shout-out to Delaware County Parks & recreation for also contributing and covering a portion of the cost.
• Hollywood Landscaping – for providing a good-neighbor non-profit discount for this native plant project. In addition, they have graciously volunteered their time and services at our Mount Alverno Trailhead Garden area.  Several times a year they trim back bushes, weed, and mulch the area free of charge. We really appreciate their generosity and support over the years.
• State Representative Leanne Krueger, Aston Township, and Middletown Twp Public Works/PennDOT for the millings for the Mount Alverno Parking Lot/area project.
• Delaware County Park & Recreation for ongoing trail maintenance, emptying of trash cans, the cutting and removal of fallen trees, and line painting of the trail. In addition, the County will now be supplying the dog station bags moving forward, like they do for other County Parks.
• Guest speakers. Peter Williamson, Assistant Director (Delaware County Planning Dept.) and Jennifer Maull, Director of Parks & Recreation, Middletown Twp., and John McMullan, Township Manager of Middletown Twp.
• Marc Manfre, Director of Delaware County Parks & Recreation, who recently retired. We appreciate all his help and support over the years.   We wish him all the best!  We look forward to working with Anne Stauffer, the new Delaware County Director of Parks & Recreation.
• To our community and our FOCCB volunteers for a great turnout for our very first Trail Day on June 1^st. We hope to make this an annual event.  Also, to Delaware County Parks & Recreation for providing plenty of bottled water for this event.
• To our members who have supported us for 30 years. Without your support over the years, we would not be the trail we are today.
• To Deb Paulson for her help during our first Trail Day selling t-shirts, hats, and assisting with donations received. Also, we appreciate her help at our annual meetings at our check-in table and assisting with proxy votes. Although Deb is not on the FOCCB Board she is always willing to lend a hand whenever needed.
• John Paulson thanked Barry Pinkowicz for all his hard work that he does behind the scenes.

Historical Signage

Barry Pinkowicz presented the next sign that will be placed along the Chester Creek Trail titled “Chester Creek Rails to Trails.”  This is a brief history of the Chester Creek Rail Trail and FOCCB.  There will be another sign that will depict the Railroad Stations along or near the trail, and two others that will give a brief history of the Mills along the trail.

Guest Speakers:

Jennifer Maull (Director of Park & Rec Middletown Twp) & John McMullan (Twp Manager of Middletown Twp)

Mint Trail

• Jennifer Maull provided a presentation and update on the Mint trail in Middletown Township.
• The trail access is at the Cul-de-Sac on Switchman Road (Franklin Station Development) and goes southwest toward the Chester Creek (SEPTA rail bed) then turns North to the SEPTA/Wawa Parking Garage. (Basically, a horseshoe). This section of the trail will be approximately 8 tenths of a mile.
• The section access off Switchman Road will be crushed trail stone and the segment of the trail that turns and heads North toward the parking garage will be porous pavement.
• The Lenni Trail Phase 2 will connect to the Mint Trail to the Chester Creek Trail. This section will be approximately 3/4 of a mile.
• Phase 1 of the Mint Trail is currently under construction. Completion for Phase 1 of the Mint Trail is expected by November 2024. 

Phase 3 (Chester Creek Trail-Lenni Rd to Wawa Train Station):

• Middletown is looking into acquiring an easement which would extend and connect the trail from Lenni Road, to the Mint Trail, and terminate at the Wawa Train station. In addition, they are looking into acquiring additional parking for this section of the trail. 

Peter Williamson Assistant Director (Delaware County Planning Dept) 

Phase 2 (From Creek Road to Bridgewater Road)

• Peter spoke regarding Phase 2. The county is hoping to go out to bid by the end of this year. 
• The county is requesting Aston Township to participate as the holder of the permit for the pedestrian signals at the Dutton Mill Crossing.
• The county would appreciate the support of Aston township citizens along with the commissioners for the extension of the Chester Creek trail in general. It is important that the residents show their support at upcoming public meetings for this extension of the trail into Aston.
• Phase 2 parking was discussed. Parking will be in the vicinity of Endless Pools (but not on their property).  There will be a separate entrance off Dutton Mill Road to the parking lot.  We received most of the permits and permissions.  There will also be a small parking area off Bridgewater Road.
• If everything goes as planned, construction to begin in 2025 for Phase 2 (Creek Road to Bridgewater Road). Construction costs will be approximately 7.6 million dollars.

Phase 1 (From Lenni Road to Creek Road)

• The county is working on parking concerns They have applied for grant money to extend the Knowlton Lot parking area. There has been a plan to enlarge it for quite some time.  The county is moving ahead on a design to add 26 more parking spaces.  The grand total will be 37 parking spaces.  Twenty percent of the grant money has been received.  The county is waiting for another grant to be received in September.  Expansion of the parking area will commence as soon as the final grant is received.

Phase 4: (From Bridgewater Road to Caleb Pusey House)

• The County will hire a consultant this fall to complete a Feasibility Study of a looped section from Incinerator Road northwestward along the Creek using the SEPTA right of way, crossing on a pedestrian bridge to Toby Farms, traversing that neighborhood to Upland Park and thence through Upland Borough on its street system back to Incinerator Road near the Caleb Pusey House. The Consultant will also study a spur trail behind the warehouse complex on Concord Road leading to the 2SP Brewery

• FOCCB will be asked to have a representative on the Steering Committee for the study, which should take 12-18 months to complete

Questions from the audience:  Time was provided for question-and-answer period.  Some of the items discussed are below.  The guest speakers answered any questions from the audience regarding the trail time-line, parking, etc.

• Veronica Batter mentioned the Aston Commissioners meeting so that we can show support for the Phase 2 Aston section of the trail. Barry checked with the township, and this will be held on August 21, at 3:00 pm at the address “2 New Road” in their meeting room located in Lenni.
• Motorized vehicles (E-Bikes): The county does not have a regulation on this either way.
• Porta-potty – where is it located? This is located at the Mount Alverno Parking lot. 
• Someone in the audience mentioned having a rain garden on the trail. Someone else mentioned there is one located at Tyler Arboretum.  Barry Pinkowicz mentioned that there is a Girl Scout earning her Gold Medal and that she will be looking into building a rain garden on the Chester Creek Rail Trail using native plants.

Meeting Adjourned:

Barry Pinkowicz thanked everyone for coming out.  Meeting was adjourned at 8:13 pm.  John Paulson made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Mike Penzone seconded the motion.