At the Board of Supervisors Work Session on September 28th, Gilmore & Associates, along with the township’s contractor Wycombe Outdoor Services, and staff presented a plan to maintain the Township-owned open space parcels. The Board of Supervisors approved the two-phase approach to getting the maintenance underway and funds will be used from Open Space Funds as the Township is permitted to use a portion of the open space for maintenance.
What's next?
Below are the approved plan and the tentative schedule for maintenance of the Township Open Space Properties. Please note property owners will be contacted directly if temporary access may be needed from their property to assist with accessing certain portions of the Open Space so that maintenance can be completed. Also, we hope to have letters to anyone next to open space to let them know approximately when the work will start once we have a schedule. We hope to have some letters out to the affected properties in the coming weeks.
Bennett Lane- Access Plan Delineation Plan
Matthews Ridge- Access Plan Delineation Plan
Jane Chapman East- Access Plan Delineation Plan
Parsons Lane- Access Plan Delineation Plan
Jane Chapman West- Access Plan Delineation Plan
Details of the Plan
Gilmore & Associates (G&A) have coordinated with Wrightstown Public Works (PW) and Wycombe Outdoor Services (WOS) in prioritizing open space areas, developing an action plan, and preparing cost estimates for the delineation of the property boundaries at the five open space areas owned by Wrightstown Township. Prices provided below are based on sourcing labor (WOS, G&A) and materials via COSTARS. Granite marker costs below are as quoted by Rolling Rock Stone.
Prioritization of Work Areas
• Bennett Lane – 1st Priority (fall 2026-spring 2027)
• Matthews Ridge – 1st Priority (fall 2026-spring 2027)
• Jane Chapman East – 1st Priority (fall 2026-spring 2027)
• Parsons Lane – 2nd Priority (tree work fall 2026, remaining work fall 2027-spring 2028)
• Jane Chapman West – 2nd Priority (tree work fall 2026, remaining work fall 2027-spring 2028)
Action Plan
Work is to be completed in two phases, with work starting in the fall of 2026 and finishing in the spring of 2028. Work is to be prioritized based on the list above. Please note that all work is dependent on weather and site conditions, ease of access to property boundaries, difficulty of large tree removal, extent of wet areas on each site, and other considerations:
Phase 1: Fall 2026-Spring 2027
Confirm access permission from property owners where cooperative access* is needed (WOS, PW). All 5 open space areas.
Remove approximately 31 hazardous trees** where easily accessible (WOS). This is to take place ASAP on all five open space areas.
Boundary retracement and survey delineation of property lines (G&A) for Bennett Lane, Jane Chapman East, and Matthews Ridge. Timing of stakeout for each property is to be determined in coordination between G&A survey department and WOS, as stakeout too far in advance of tree removal and clearing work increases probability of stakes being knocked over or removed.
Perform property boundary clearing work (WOS). Completion of this work for the cost estimated is dependent on weather, site conditions and ease of access, difficulty and quantity of large tree removal, extent of wet areas, etc.
Brush hog/clear vegetation along property lines in dry areas.
Brush hog/clear vegetation in wet areas along property lines when ground is frozen.
Remove remaining hazardous trees once access is established. These trees are in addition to the removal of the initial 31 hazardous trees.
Reset survey stakes where needed to ensure property delineation is clear (G&A).
Install monuments/markers and/or signage (PW) for Bennett Lane, Matthews Ridge, and Jane Chapman East. This work is to be completed by Public Works.
Phase 2: Fall 2027-Spring 2028
Boundary retracement and survey delineation of property lines (G&A) for Parsons Lane and Jane Chapman West. Timing of stakeout for each property is to be determined in coordination between G&A survey department and WOS, as stakeout too far in advance of tree removal and clearing work increases probability of stakes being knocked over or removed.
Perform property boundary clearing work (WOS). Completion of this work for the cost estimated is dependent on weather, site conditions and ease of access, difficulty and quantity of large tree removal, extent of wet areas, etc.
Brush hog/clear vegetation along property lines in dry areas.
Brush hog/clear vegetation in wet areas along property lines when ground is frozen.
Remove remaining hazardous trees once access is established. These trees are in addition to the removal of the initial 31 hazardous trees.
Reset survey stakes where needed to ensure property delineation is clear (G&A).
Install monuments/markers and/or signage (PW) for Parsons Lane and Jane Chapman West. This work is to be completed by Public Works, so there is no estimated labor cost.
Previous Information
At the July 27th Work Session, the Board was presented with a report from Gilmore and Associates regarding access points to maintain the open space throughout the Township. At a future meeting tentatively scheduled for September 28th at 5PM, the Board will be looking at choosing different monument delineations rather than fencing which is currently out there and planning how the Township can proceed with maintenance at each of the Open Space areas throughout the Township.
The Township would like to share the report from Gilmore and the maps of the potential access points. Please feel free to send any questions or feedback to the Township Manager at scrandell@wrightstownpa.org.
