New nature trail set to open: Pennypack on the Delaware Park

The grand opening of a new nature trail is set for Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m., at Pennypack on the Delaware Park, Rhawn Street at the Delaware River.  (The park is located behind the prison complex and Riverview Home for the Aged.) Guest speakers include Mayor Michael Nutter and Secretary Michael DiBerardinis, of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), along with local elected officials. 

The event is free and open to the public.  Everyone is welcome, and urged to dress casually, as a tour of the new nature trail to the mouth of Pennypack Creek will be offered.

This new project is the first of many construction projects scheduled for the next two years along the riverfront in Northeast Philadelphia. The Delaware River City Corporation (DRCC) and the Fairmount Park Commission are working diligently to restore the relationship between residents and the Delaware River by building new parks and trails along 11 miles of riverfront between Pulaski Park in Port Richmond and the Glen Foerd Mansion in Torresdale. The North Delaware Riverfront Greenway project, when completed, will transform vacant former industrial properties into destination frontage in Northeast Philadelphia, and contribute to the economic revitalization of the area.

This project is funded through a $1 million grant from the PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources that DRCC received for construction of public access projects, including this nature trail that winds through a formerly unopened section of Pennypack Park.  The remaining funds will be used for construction of the new Lardner’s Point Park at the foot of the Tacony Palmyra Bridge that will connect with a bike trail along two miles of the former Kensington and Tacony rail line. These projects are scheduled to begin construction in mid-2009.