Frequently Asked Questions
What is the nature of the agreement with PERT and Abington Hospital regarding the Fair?
The Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (PERT) has an Agreement of Sale with Abington Memorial Hospital. Having an Agreement of Sale is very similar to a homeowner being “under contract” in a typical real estate transaction. The Agreement of Sale states that PERT will purchase the entirety of both parcels for $4.15M no later than June 30th, 2024. A “License and Use Agreement” (also part of the Agreement of Sale) defines the terms by which the fair can continue to operate. In essence, the fair can continue to operate as it currently does, in the time of year that it always has (early June), and in the physical configuration that we currently know (rides, fireworks, a horse show, and lots of parking). There are several ways in which Abington Hospital (and their Women’s Auxiliary) can elect to stop using the fairgrounds if they so choose.
You state that Abington Hospital will be the sole recipient of the funds. How will Jefferson Abington Use the Funds?
We understand that Jefferson Abington Hospital has any number of capital improvement needs. Exactly what those are we don’t know. We will have a joint press conference in spring of 2024 before the actual transaction and perhaps they will have more to say about that then.
Jefferson Abington Hospital, Jefferson Health, and PERT already have an Agreement of Sale signed between them that eliminates other competitors from interrupting the transaction. We have every confidence that this deal will happen as per that Agreement.
As of January 20th, 2024, PERT has raised $2.8M towards the purchase. $1.325,000 is in cash; the rest are pledges over a 4-year term. PERT will take out a sizable conservation loan from the Open Space Institute and borrow money from itself to complete the purchase. But PERT cannot sustain this heavily leveraged position for very long. The need for donations and pledges to both cover the transaction cost in six months and to replenish our financial capacity to save more open space is very real and critically important to our readiness for other similar opportunities in the future.
Is this deal really going to happen? If so, how can PERT afford to pay for it?
Would the newly acquired space essentially be a park, where dogs are allowed?
Yes, PERT envisions the space to be similar to its current look and feel so long as the fair is still the central programmatic use of the space. Dogs will be allowed on the parcel because PERT is aware that our membership needs a way of getting from Headquarters down to our only dog-friendly trail (Creek Trail) via Lords New Church.
How will the fairgrounds be managed for habitat? What kind of habitat can occur on these parcels given the impact of the June Fete Fair?
It’s amazing how much change can occur within a growing season. Those of you who run our 5K in late April know that our meadows have barely emerged from the soil at that point; by September they are head height! We envision the back parcel to be managed as a warm season grass meadow, much like PERT managed meadows at Raytharn for instance. But the area where the rides, horses, and main parking occurs (the lower parcel) will have to be maintained as turf grasses. Mowing will happen less frequently than it did, and not all of the lower parcel will be mown with the same frequency, but mowing will still be necessary in order to return it to a safe and functional surface to host the fair.
There are several drainage ways, or swales, that cut across the property. These are the headwaters of Mitchell Run, a tributary of the Pennypack Creek. We will give those swales new life, with native vegetation and wider buffers so that they produce clean water and provide great habitat for the little things: insects, amphibians, songbirds, and the like. If you’re worried that “vermin” will become a problem as the landscape naturalizes, keep in mind that hawks, owls, and foxes will continue to keep these populations in balance as they have everywhere else at PERT.
The footprint of the fair will continue to dominate the landscape. It precludes any serious attempt to reforest the area. However, we will plant trees over time in appropriate zones that will add structure to both the natural landscape and fair operations.
We have every reason to believe that the June Fete Fair will continue for decades to come. As such, we don’t have defined notions of what the property could become. But we do know that:
1. By way of its mission, PERT is focused on habitat and the re-establishment of natural lands.
2. We will place a conservation easement over the land that will strip away development rights (while also being mindful of the needs of the fair or the expansion needs of the Trust).
3. Overflow parking is needed when PERT hosts events at headquarters (for our 5K or Full Moon Hayride for instance), so having additional capacity directly across the street is a big advantage.
4. We may host our own events someday that could use a central gathering space, but these events would serve our mission as a land trust and nature preserve.
What will PERT do with the land if the June Fete Fair no longer happens?
For this land trust and nature preserve to grow, so must its membership. Since 1973, the preserve has expanded from 23 acres to over 950 acres (inclusive of the June Fete). We generally have a team of 8-11 full-time staff and a flexible number of part-time staff (usually between 1 and 7 seasonally). Most importantly, we support a local community of hundreds of volunteers. Comparably sized city parks or county or state parks tend to run on fewer staff. The key difference here is that the Pennypack Trust is a private nonprofit organization. Our staff are highly trained, experienced horticulturalists, educators, designers, researchers, and administrators. Our staff and the operations they run depend on donations, large and small every year.
It's important to note that not all tracts of land are created equal, and different habitat types have different levels of capital and operational investments. The maintenance needs of the June Fete grounds and the newly acquired 14-acre floodplain parcel on Valley Road are good examples of those extremes.
PERT seems to be growing rapidly (visa vie MacPhee, Valley Road, and the June Fete). How will you manage this growth sustainably?
In prior messaging, it was stated that a developer could place as many as 13 homes on the property. What does that mean exactly (dwelling type) Where does that information come from?
The Agreement with Jefferson/Abington required pricing to be established at “not more than fair market value”. PERT hired an independent appraiser with a long history of providing appraisals that meet DCNR standards for open space grant applications to determine fair market value. The appraisal process speculates on the development potential of the land in question. In this case, they used current zoning (3-acre minimum lot size for single family, detached housing) and recent comparable transactions to establish both the economic “highest and best use” of the land and its development valuation.
Zoning of the June Fete Fairgrounds and the surrounding neighborhood is not an arbitrary designation. There is no sewer or potable water service in the part of Upper Moreland Township, thus fixing density by forcing residents to have their own wells and septic systems. Higher density cannot be achieved without very costly expansions of both water and waste-water services.
PERT will own all the land within these parcels in perpetuity. The extent to which certain land will remain flexible for certain uses, and which will be permanently protected from any form of development not in keeping with conservation values remains to be seen. We will not, for instance, preclude the use of the site as a fairgrounds or gathering area.
It is worth noting that PERT will pursue a grant from DCNR to purchase this land. If DCNR provides grant money to this effort, they will require that a conservation easement be placed over the land.
Does PERT intend to continue to own the entire 41-acre property in perpetuity, or entertain options for partial subdivision if future needs compel?
Will the June Fete be permitted to use the property as they currently do? Including the ability to have fireworks?
In the recently executed Agreement of Sale, the Pennypack Trust granted certain rights for the June Fete Fair to continue on the property and to have a fireworks display.
The parcels of the June Fete fairgrounds are physically disconnected from PERT headquarters on Edge Hill Road and disconnected from other PERT-owned lands along Huntingdon Road. Roadways fragment habitat, but they don’t have to fragment the experience of the preserve. PERT realizes that incorporating the fairgrounds into the preserve necessitates thoughtful design and construction to allow universally accessible connections for pedestrians, bicyclists, horseback rides, and the like to and through the fairgrounds. Other, more habitat-centered connections may include wider and more naturalized swales and culverts that could allow small animals to cross below the roadway rather than over it. All of this requires coordination with Upper Moreland Township, their traffic engineers, and other agencies.