West Goshen resident and township leader press Chester County on grant timing and open‑space cut

Two public commenters on Sept. 9 asked the Board of Commissioners for clarity and transparency around county grants and open‑space funding.

Margie Swart, a West Goshen Township resident, said her township’s new Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan (partially funded by a $45,000 Chester County Vision Partnership Program grant) faces a deadline and asked whether the county requires plan adoption by a specific date to receive reimbursement and whether extensions are available. "Does the vision partnership program grant require West Goshen to adopt the plan by a specific date in order to receive reimbursement?" Swart asked; the board said staff would try to provide an answer.

Blair Fleischman, president of Upper Oxford Township, urged commissioners to be transparent about a decision he described as a last‑minute removal of $10,000,000 in open‑space funding from the 2026 county budget and asked that commissioners state their positions before upcoming budget meetings.

Commissioners acknowledged the comments and asked staff to follow up; no policy change or vote on restoring funds occurred during the meeting.