Over the past three years, Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors has highlighted Edgmont Township’s officials and community advocates for their ongoing commitment toward a healthier, more beautiful and more sustainable place to live, work and play.
In January, the township announced that it was awarded $76,939.00 in funding from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through their Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program. This grant money will go towards developing a Master Plan for the Township’s Cisler Tract, located at 1031 Gradyville Rd., which makes up a portion of Edgmont’s 16.11-acre Municipal Complex.
Assistant to the Township Manager Jessica Redding said, “The Cisler Tract has been identified as a potential public open space in the Township’s Comprehensive Plan, but is currently inaccessible to the public due to its existing state.” Jessica noted that the Township saw an opportunity to expand available open space, which significantly aligns with the Township’s values to protect and preserve nature and its natural beauty.
The main goal of the Master Plan is to construct a design that will best serve the residents. Ideas for future development consist of a combination of passive and active recreational space, including a sitting and picnic area balanced by a trail that could provide opportunities for walking, jogging or light hiking.
The Cisler Tract was previously known as the Walker Cisler Estate, after Walker Lee Cisler, who served as Chief Engineer of Power Plants, former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Detroit Edison. Cisler grew up in Gradyville and went on to become the chief of public utilities headquarters for General Eisenhower’s command. Jane Levis Carter, an Edgmont historian and author of Edgmont: The Story of a Township, lived on portions of the property, which now remain in their natural, undisturbed state.
The Cisler Tract is home to a small arboretum of numerous and diverse tree species, a dense tree cover, wetlands, floodplains, steep slopes, wildlife habitats and a sub watershed of Ridley Creek, which is one of the highest quality watersheds in southeastern Pennsylvania. Edgmont is cognizant of the importance of conserving and protecting the town’s natural features. Therefore, the Master Plan will consider the need to incorporate the design of an ecologically sensitive and resilient infrastructure while providing ongoing operation and maintenance to sustain improvements and ensure the preservation of the site’s natural resources.
In addition to the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program, Jessica said that Edgmont was awarded $240,500.00 in funding during the fall of 2024 from DCED’s Local Share Account Statewide Grant Program for the invasive remediation of 40,000 square feet of bamboo present on the parcel. Jessica added, “The Township is extremely grateful for DCED, as they have given us the opportunity to adequately plan for future development and begin remediation on a parcel with so much potential!”