By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

The residents of Penn Township, as well as those in the greater southern Chester County area, can look forward to some elegant outdoor theater-going beginning next summer.

The township is engaged in a project to construct an amphitheater in its sprawling, 11-acre township park.

Located next to the municipal building and bounded on the south by the former Jennersville Hospital, the Penn Township Park is meticulously maintained and contains space for passive recreation, paths and a pavilion for social and other celebratory activities.

Karen Versuk, the township’s director of operations, said a survey was conducted to determine what the residents would like to see coming in the future. In addition to the sports park now in the process of being developed, an amphitheater was suggested.

Versuk said that, up until now, when special events were held, they have been in the flat, covered pavilion, which was never really built for theatrical and concert entertainment.  

The building of a theater would be a significant step up, they decided.

Plans include dressing rooms, lighting and adequate acoustics for plays and concerts.

Armed with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, the township proceeded with plans. The township is already soliciting bids for the electrical installations.

“An amphitheater also provides a unique entertainment or gathering spot for all of Southern Chester County,” Versuk said. “Penn Township Park certainly has a perfect space for it, and the rest is history. We hope the amphitheater will be available for use by Summer 2025.” 

At the Sept. 3 township meeting, there was discussion of traffic problems that have arisen in Penn from the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Street Road and Route 41 in Londonderry.

According to the press release from PennDOT, the detour resulting from the construction began on Sept. 3 and closed the intersection of Route 926 and Route 41 for approximately two months.

Car traffic is detoured south on Route 796 then north on U.S. 1 then to Route 41. Truck traffic will be detoured south on Route 10 then north on U.S. 1 to Route 41.

Township supervisor Laura Sperratore said she was frustrated to see that some trucks were not obeying the instructions to continue to Route 10 for exit if they are going southbound on Route 1. They are instead exiting at 796 into Penn and upsetting the traffic flow.

There was some sympathy stated for truck drivers who were unfamiliar with the area and for those who had deliveries to make in the Jennersville area.

Since then, however, many road signs have appeared on Route 1 and nearby instructing trucks to continue to Route 10 if they are planning to avoid the roundabout construction.

According to PennDOT, the roundabout will be located slightly south of the existing Route 41/Route 926 intersection. The roundabout will serve as a traffic calming measure to reduce the speed of vehicles entering the roundabout.

In other business, the supervisors are grappling with how to raise the allocation for the West Grove Fire and Ambulance, which serves Penn Township and some of the neighboring municipalities.

The costs of fire equipment and paid staff have increased significantly, and there was discussion of imposing a fire tax or an increased real estate tax.

One audience member pointed out that just one fire truck that, in recent years, would have cost several hundred thousand dollars, could now cost more than one million dollars.

There is also a lack of volunteers, which increases the need for paid staff.

Versuk said West Grove Fire Company is in a transition period to increase the number of paid staff over the next two years to reach what they hope will be a 70/30 split of paid/volunteer.

“With that as well as the ongoing absence of Jennersville Hospital, their budgetary requests/needs have increased. This, in turn, places pressure on the local municipalities reliant on their services. …the Supervisors are required to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the Penn community,” she said.