Charlestown Township Parks & Recreation Board
Great Valley Middle School
Thursday, August 16, 2018

Present

Parks and Recreation:
Chris Lawrence, Chairperson, and Frank Beyer. Bil Longua, Marylou Forcine, Karen Schlichter and Jim Quay were absent.
Additional Visitors and Volunteers:
Tim Hubbard, Richard Findlay, Kevin Kuhn, Keith Maurer, Charles Buck, and Lisa Gardner

Announcements

The new banners for were on display tonight:

Charlestown Day, September 15th 2018, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (rain or shine),

Minutes for Approval

The July minutes were approved with a minor edit. The last paragraph for Brightside Farm should read “point to a future farmer”.

Old Business

There was none.

New Business

  1. New Volunteers for Parks and Recreation Board

    2. Ms. Staas announced in a previous email, the new chairperson of the Charlestown Township Trails Committee. This week, Mr. Beyer will be meeting with the Roadmaster, Alix Coleman, Charlestown Landscaping, and Mrs. Csete, to better understand what role each plays in Trails. Mr. Beyer will attempt to harvest volunteers from the lengthy email list. Volunteers are needed to adopt a trail, walk it every two weeks, maybe attend a future training session that would include a binder for guidelines and information, and CPR training.

    Mr. Beyer will also be meeting with Ingrid Cantarella-Fox, President of the Horseshoe Trail Conservancy. Mr. Lawrence will put Mr. Longua, Mr. Beyer, and Ms. Cantarella-Fox, in contact with each other about trail signage.

    So far, Mr. Beyer is beginning an inventory of trail needs, such as replacement trail signs. There was some invasive bagging done this week. Mr. Lawrence and those in attendance thanked Mr. Beyer for stepping up.

    The Tree Tender program initiative had a few very interested people. Mr. Lawrence will connect them with the EAC. The trees at Charlestown Park are doing well, 47 of the 50 are surviving. Deer protection is the first item on the tree program, Mr. Lawrence is ordering cages.

  2. Social Media Outreach

    3. Mr. Hubbard and Ms. Kristin Heisey have been added to the administrative list for Facebook. Ms. Ashlee Smith is cross posting to Instagram and sharing any social media posts with Phoenixville related sites.

  3. Charlestown Park Report

    4. Davey Tree has not been to the Park to take care of the tree near the snack stand or check for any other problems. The drain problem is still there per Mr. Maurer, that was discussed in June. Mr. Lawrence gave Mr. Maurer the go ahead to have the club landscaper repair the area, then submit an invoice.

    Mr. Hubbard has placed barley balls in the standing water after receiving calls from Park goers concerned about mosquitos. Mr. Lawrence has 3 bat boxes for the Park, the EAC can decide where they should be placed. Mr. Lawrence talked with Charlestown Landscaping about when to mow according to the invasive limiting guidelines of Mr. Theurkauf. They are planning Phragmites removal and mowing for spring.

    Mrs. Csete keeps a list of pavilion rentals, and if anyone wants to be on the circulation list let Mr. Lawrence know. Mr. Beyer would like totals with this information. Although most rentals are from outside of the Township, Members discussed emailing the renters to thank them and then promote volunteering for the Park. The fee is between $25-50 for a pavilion rental, except non-profits groups rent for free.

  4. Brightside Farm

    5. There has been no word from Michael Rodgers’ family (former Township Supervisor, recently deceased) regarding a bench to be placed in his honor along the Brightside Trail. A pavilion will also be named in Mr. Rodgers honor. Scout Nemeth is obtaining materials for the sign next week and has final approvals. One minor detail is still pending.

    At the last meeting, Members briefly discussed the future of the Farm. Members agreed tonight, they have a vague vision for the future of the farm, but this is perhaps decades ahead.

    Mr. Richard Findlay, resident of the Township, asked about having a dog park area at Brightside, since there are none locally. Mr. Hubbard has researched the maintenance, management, and upkeep of other township dog parks and it is not a small undertaking. Mr. Lawrence suggest a group of volunteers get together to initiate the fundraising and formation of a dog park somewhere in Charlestown. Other issues to consider would be membership, staffing, fees, etc.

    Mr. Findlay also discussed topics brought up by Alix Coleman in the May 2018 meeting. Although he is a proponent of the bike club, he suggested there be a better ratio of coaches/volunteers vs. bikers. The parking lot needed better supervision, since 20-30 kids seemed to be riding on the trails, riding beside the trails, and not just in the practice area. The club was told to have volunteers stationed at crossings, and to use cones, for the safety of those walking the trail. Mr. Lawrence or Mr. Hubbard will contact them again.

  5. EAC Report

    6. Mr. Findlay stated that Mrs. Csete visited the Charlestown EAC to outline Township needs. She discussed septic regulations. There will be an article in the newsletter to educate residents.

    Also, the Director of the Green Valley Watershed, and a rep from the Schuylkill Township EAC, visited and described their organizations to the benefit of Charlestown’s EAC. Discussion followed about naming streams, eagle projects, the Spotted Lantern Fly, the pipeline, plastic bags and bottles, and Turnpike noise pollution. Mr. Findlay will attend a Board meeting to update the Supervisors about the sound barrier goal in September. He can not get a response from PennDOT about the sporadic herbicide spraying along state highways. He said the EAC needs volunteers to support the six active members of the EAC.

  6. Charlestown Day September 15th 2018, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

    7. There was a Charlestown Day meeting before tonight’s meeting, it was held at the Park.

    8am -Set Up Begins
    9am -Vendor Set Up
    10am-2pm -Events
    3pm -Clean Up

    The University of Valley Forge is organizing a basketball tournament, and a band is scheduled along with approximately 20 vendors. Mr. Findlay accepted the task of getting the food truck to use non-plastics. The scouts will assist with parking. The two main sponsors this year are Karen Beam, Architect LLC, and Theurkauf Planning and Designing.

Other Business

Mr. Lawrence wants to remind residents to stay clear of swollen waterways around the Township. Members discussed damages from recent storms. Mr. Beyer will be walking trails this week to assess any further damage from flooding.

Thank you to the Kimberton Fire Company, and the accompanying swift-water rescue team, that assisted with the rescue of a 12 or 13-year-old boy from the Pickering Creek on August 13th.

Adjournment

Adjourned at 9:00 p.m.