The decision is seemingly in the hands of voters. In fact, other than the city of Philadelphia, we are by far the biggest recipient of funds from both the (state) Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Chester County.” “Natural Lands has an excellent track record at helping communities like East Bradford and others secure matching grants from state, county, and other sources. “(East Bradford) using its own money to leverage grants is a model that other townships after them have followed,” Stefferud said. The conservancy is working to save Crebilly Farm from bulldozers. Jack Stefferud is senior director of land protection for Natural Lands. He said that with development, like Toll Brothers had envisioned for Crebilly Farm before those plans were scrapped, comes added costs for additional public works upgrades, police coverage and other township provided services. He talked about leveraging projected future tax income to borrow for land acquisition. Vince Pompo is a former supervisor in East Bradford and a lawyer. “Open space, parks, and trails have become defining characteristics of this township and I think they are traits the vast majority of our residents value deeply.” “We would have been a much different community if our preserved land had become residential communities,” Cantlin said. This does not include acquisitions made with grants. Township taxpayers have invested $21 million. Mandie Cantlin is the East Bradford Township Manager and while she wasn’t working at the township in 1998, she said that the open space referendum then was “a significant leap of faith” or a “defining moment for East Bradford.” “But nothing about this referendum or its ultimate costs is new. “I understand the concern about a new tax,” Snook said. Snook noted that more than 30 municipalities in Chester County have enacted such a tax. 8 referendum, voters there would decide whether to increase their property taxes and agree to save the iconic farm from development.īy voting “Yes,” voters will tell township officially that they prefer paying to preserve the property for perpetuity. Now, Snook and other East Bradford residents are encouraging Westtown residents to save Crebilly Farm - a treasured property linked the the Revolutionary War - from development with a similar levy on themselves. Since then, East Bradford has preserved about 1,300 acres of land through titled property and easements. Two years later, township voters elected to raise the township Earned Income Tax on open space to. In 1998, East Bradford residents were the first municipality in Pennsylvania to pass a referendum to fund open space.
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