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East Whiteland wins $1 million DCNR grant to help buy 52‑acre Schiffer Property
Summary
The East Whiteland Board of Supervisors announced a $1,000,000 grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to help acquire and preserve about 52 acres known as the Schiffer Property; residents asked questions about purchase price and use of funds.
East Whiteland Township announced on Nov. 13 that it received a $1,000,000 Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to help acquire and preserve roughly 52 acres along Morstein Road, known as the Schiffer Property.
Chair Scott Lambert told the Board the award recognizes the township’s recreation and conservation work and that the funds will be used toward acquisition and preservation of the parcel. "East Whiteland Township was awarded a grant in the amount of $1,000,000 from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources," Lambert said.
Assistant Township Manager Catherine Ricardo called the award "so impressive," and Member Peter Fixler said it was "incredible." Vice-Chair Rich Orlow noted the township had expected about $800,000 and said, "we were expecting $800,000ish and getting an extra $200,000 is impressive." The Board thanked Chester County, state partners in Harrisburg, consultants and township staff for supporting the project.
During public comment, residents asked how the grant would be applied and what the township would pay for the property. Staff said the township has a letter of intent to move forward with the sale and that acquisition would proceed at appraised value; Assistant Manager Ricardo stated the appraisal was $5.1 million. Resident Deb Mobile questioned why the township would spend that amount on a single property and asked whether all grant funds were being used for the purchase; officials responded that the grant is being applied to the acquisition and that the township intends to use appraised value as the purchase basis.
The Board did not take a final purchase vote at the Nov. 13 meeting; officials described this as the next step toward preserving open space. The open space referendum results were also reported at the meeting: 4,044 yes votes (55.6%) and 3,224 no votes (44.3%).
The township said additional steps, including land‑transfer paperwork and any required approvals, will follow as the acquisition proceeds.
