A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on July 31 to celebrate the opening of the Atglen Borough Hall Park, which includes a new playground for children to enjoy.

Mayor Darren Hodorovich welcomed those who attended the event, which included representatives from the park's designers and local and county officials.

"The purpose of building this (park was to create) a gathering place, a place for active play, a place to just sit for a moment and enjoy the inherent qualities of a small town, a place to have conversations and to meet your neighbors and soon a place to access a trail network," he said.

The park is part of the Enola Low-Grade Trail, which will eventually join the Chester Valley Trail, providing trail access from Chester County all the way to Philadelphia.

"Since our soft opening at the beginning of July, we have seen many of you and your family stop on the way home from the library, after dinner to let the kids burn off some energy or a place to meet up with some friends," he added. "All of this speaks to the fabric of what we call community."

Hodorovich provided a list of organizations and people who led to the creation of the park, including borough manager Caren Andrews; administrative assistant Chrisi Hahn; Hodorovich's wife, Sandy, who first thought of the idea to create the park; members of the Atglen Borough Park and Recreation Commission and Borough Council; Peter Johnson and his crew from ThinkGreen, who provided landscaping services; and SALT Design Studio. Grants to build the park were obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and through the Chester County Community Revitalization Program.

"This park is a testament to the dedication and creativity and commitment of all involved. This is eight years in the making," Hodorovich stated.

Sara Pevaroff Schuh from SALT Design Studio was on hand at the ribbon-cutting to highlight some of the aspects of the park. She explained that SALT was hired to lead the planning and design process, which included community input.

"People love living here because it's safe, clean and family-friendly. They wanted new public spaces to reflect sustainability and ecological stewardship," she stated. "Here it is in full color - the community vision. Children and adults need to play, and we hope that this space becomes a multigenerational space where you are meeting your neighbors and meeting people you may not have met otherwise."

She pointed out that the artifacts that were found during the construction can be viewed in a glass display case at the new park, which also features native plants and shrubs. "One of the things that is unusual about this place is that some of the artifacts that came out of demolition have been preserved. That is what makes this public space unique to your community and not generic," she said, adding, "There are 55 new trees, more than 2,600 new shrubs, perennials and grasses - all native. Two silver maples that had to come down are repurposed and are part of a nature play space."

Also offering remarks at the event were state Sen. Katie Muth; Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell; and Dolores Colligan, director of the Chester County Department of Community Development.

Following the remarks, Hodorovich was joined by local children in cutting the ribbon to open the new park.

The park is located across from the Atglen Public Library at the Atglen Borough Hall, 120 Main St., Atglen. For more information about the park and to view photos of the ceremony, search for "Atglen Borough" on Facebook.