{"id":44576,"date":"2025-07-30T08:55:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=44576"},"modified":"2025-07-30T08:55:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T12:55:32","slug":"local-officials-celebrate-start-of-ash-park-renovations-in-coatesville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=44576","title":{"rendered":"Local officials celebrate start of Ash Park renovations in Coatesville"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan speaks at Monday’s event marking the start of renovations for Ash Park.<\/p><\/div>\n

On Monday morning, Coatesville City Manager James Logan welcomed 100 neighbors, stakeholders, government officials and guests to kick off the groundbreaking celebration for Phases I and II of a five-phase project to fully renovate Ash Park. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since being founded nearly 100 years ago, Ash Park has served as the community\u2019s most visited park by residents and visitors. It covers 9.3 acres and is a community hub in the heart of the City. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019, the City collaborated with Natural Lands to prepare the Ash Park Master Plan, and the project received multi-million-dollar funding support from the PA Department of Conservation of Natural Resources (DCNR), Community Project Funding from U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, and Keystone Communities funding from State Senator Carolyn Comitta. The project was also funded in part by the Chester County Preservation Partnership program, Natural Lands and MCDC (Movement Community Development Corporation) with the help of Senator Casey and State Representative Dan Williams.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Much of this funding would not have been possible without the collaboration and economic development expertise of Coleen Terry, Founder and President of ECON Partners, according to Logan.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The multi-million-dollar project went out to bid for design in July 2023.\u00a0 After careful review and completion of the bid process, Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT) was selected to bring the new design of Ash Park to fruition.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant City Manager Roberta Cosentino outlined the plans for the first two phases that are now underway. \u201cA project of this magnitude happens with the collaboration of hundreds of people,\u201d said Cosentino. \u201cToday, as we celebrate the groundbreaking of Ash Park, we extend our gratitude to all who have helped the City secure funding and who have provided support and guidance throughout. Once the park is completed it will, without a doubt, be one of Chester County\u2019s premiere community and family parks.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the design phase completed, significant development will occur over a four- to six-month period and include:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Expanded play and recreation areas<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Renovated basketball courts including a new third court<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A vibrant splash pad to replace the pool, which has been<\/span><\/p>\n

non-operational for more than a decade<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A new common area for gatherings<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Landscaping and stormwater infrastructure improvements<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New pavilion with seating area and restrooms<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Future Phases III \u2013 V will address upgrades to the soccer field and playground and the construction of a new picnic-area pavilion.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis park is an important part of the heart of Coatesville, and the City of Coatesville is a remarkably important part of the heart of Chester County,\u201d said U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan. \u201cIt\u2019s because of all your input and hard work that we are here today, and it\u2019s my privilege to have played a supportive role through the Community Project Funding that helped make this project possible.\u201d Houlahan acknowledged the strong support provided by Senator Casey, who was instrumental in bringing the project to the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

State Senator Carolyn Comitta offered appreciation to the myriad collaborators who brought this project to fruition along with volunteers, City staff, City Council members, public works, fire and police departments, Chester County Commissioners and more. \u201cIt\u2019s another example of Coatesville rising,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToday marks a significant day in Coatesville,\u201d said State Representative Dan Williams. \u201cAsh Park is a special place to build community. It\u2019s a place where people come to play, to pray, to reflect and to build relationships.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chairman of the Chester County Board of Commissioners Josh Maxwell praised the collaborative nature of the renovation project, noting it is another example of how the City is thriving.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cParks are so important to our communities,\u201d said Vice Chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners, Marian Moskowitz. \u201cThis park is a gathering place and a promise to our children, our seniors and every Coatesville family to connect, enjoy and make memories. This is an investment that will pay great dividends going forward.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

City Council President Linda Lavender Norris expressed gratitude for the opportunity to renovate the park, \u201cenabling new experiences and a lifetime of memories for our City\u2019s youth and everyone who will enjoy the park for years to come.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Monday morning, Coatesville City Manager James Logan welcomed 100 neighbors, stakeholders, government officials and guests to kick off the groundbreaking celebration for Phases I and II of a five-phase project to fully renovate Ash Park. \u00a0 Since being founded nearly 100 years ago, Ash Park has served as the community\u2019s most visited park by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[14638,370,6518,5147],"class_list":["post-44576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ash-park","tag-coatesville","tag-featured","tag-renovations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44577,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44576\/revisions\/44577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}