About 350 people came to the July 7 ribbon-cutting at Chester Ash Memorial Park. They saw a new splash pad where the old pool had been, three basketball courts with fresh color coating, and a pavilion with public restrooms. According to the Daily Local, City Manager James Logan called it "probably going to be the best park in Chester County."
What opened that morning is two phases of a five-phase plan. The pieces still to come are a loop trail, accessible paths that link the whole 9.3 acres, a new playground, and a South Fourth Avenue entrance. Those are the parts that change how the park works once the summer features are put away. On October 19, the City of Coatesville announced $908,900 in state funding to build them.
Two Phases Built, Three to Go
The summer reopening covered Phases One and Two. By the Daily Local's count they cost $4.2 million, all of it grant-funded. NBC10's coverage puts the restoration closer to $4 million. Here is the full plan as the city and local press have described it.
| Phase | What it includes | Where it stands as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| One and Two | Three renovated basketball courts, a splash pad replacing the pool, horseshoe pits, a pavilion with seating and restrooms, new walkways and stairs, landscaping | Open since July 7, 2026 |
| Three | Loop trail, accessible paths throughout, new fully accessible playground, multi-use field upgrades, South Fourth Avenue entrance, lighting, benches, a community wet meadow | $908,900 awarded October 2026; city says timelines will follow |
| Four | New picnic-area pavilion | Planned |
| Five | Amphitheater | Planned |
Most of the new features in the first two phases are about games and water: courts, horseshoes, the splash pad. The pavilion and restrooms are what make longer visits possible. Phase Three is a different kind of investment. A loop trail, connecting paths, lighting and benches are what a park needs for someone who comes to walk on a weekday morning in November.
The Grant That Arrived in October
The Phase Three money comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Community Conservation Partnerships Program. The city credits State Senator Carolyn Comitta and State Representative Dan Williams with advocating for the award. ECON partners, inc., a Pennsylvania economic development consulting firm that has worked with Coatesville on other revitalization projects, helped develop the application.
The application went in fast. On the day the park reopened, the Daily Local reported that the Phase Three grant request had been submitted the Friday before, and that groundbreaking might come in 2028. The city's October announcement gives no construction date. It says only that updates will follow as plans and timelines develop. So the honest expectation right now is a funded project without a start date.
When it is built, Phase Three adds the following:
- A new loop trail and ADA-accessible connecting paths throughout the park
- A new, fully accessible playground
- An updated multi-use sports field, with drainage underneath it
- A new park entrance from South Fourth Avenue
- New benches and seating, fencing and railings, signage, and site lighting
- Landscaping and a community wet meadow
The Fourth Avenue entrance stands out on that list. Today the park's address is 300 Kersey Street. A second way in from South Fourth Avenue changes which blocks are a short walk from the park.
A Plan Shaped by Residents
None of this was designed this year. The master plan came out of Greening Coatesville, a collaboration between Natural Lands, the city, and the Alliance for Health Equity. Natural Lands' account of the process describes online surveys, community meetings, and a seven-person advisory group of residents and community leaders.
By the spring of 2021, the Daily Local reported that residents had been part of the planning for two years. At that point a survey was asking them to weigh two concepts, a "Social Hub" and a "Recreational Hub." The final plan included meadow, wetland, shade trees, a splash pad and a relocated playground, and it was always meant to be built in phases as money arrived. That makes the July reopening the first installment of a plan built on years of community input.
The longer history explains why the wait mattered. The park has served Coatesville since 1925. When State Senator Andy Dinniman announced $200,000 toward reopening the pool in 2019, the Daily Local reported it had been closed since 2015. The city later called it non-operational for "more than a decade." In the end the pool was replaced by the splash pad rather than restored. At the July ceremony, former Recreation Director Earl "Soup" Johnson recalled the park as the hub of activity in Coatesville in the '70s, '80s and early '90s. County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz said it had never looked so grand in its 100 years, according to the Daily Local.
The Rink Found a Use Before the Plan Gave It One
One feature on the city's list of Ash Park facilities shows up in none of the five phases. That is the roller hockey rink.
The city scheduled a SkateChesco "Skate the Rink" pop-up there for Sunday, October 25, from noon to 3 p.m. It was billed as open to all ages and skill levels, with a limited supply of loaner skateboards and safety gear promised on site. The city's announcement thanked "the local skate crew for helping clean up the spot."
That detail fits the larger pattern. The phased plan names soccer fields, a playground, a picnic pavilion and an amphitheater. It does not name a permanent skate space. Skaters cleaned the rink, an organizer offered the gear, and the date was set for late October, after the busiest season. SkateChesco is the place to watch for future dates.
Booking the Pavilion
The new pavilion is the one Phase One feature you can reserve, and the city runs that through a set process:
- Call City Parks and Recreation at 610-384-0300.
- Submit a reservation request with the Finance department.
- Wait for approval from the city.
- Ask whether your gathering also needs an event permit, license or other forms.
The steps are on the city's pavilion reservation page. The fourth step is a question, so ask it before you send invitations.
Andréa's on East Lincoln Highway
Ash Park is a short drive from downtown. The newest stop there is Andréa's Jazz Café at 236 East Lincoln Highway, which held its grand-opening ribbon-cutting on February 17. Owners Bridget Dudley and Dennis Dantzler book scheduled live jazz, blues and other genres alongside American- and Creole-inspired food, as 19320 GO! reported in September. The published menu includes jambalaya flatbread, a shrimp rémoulade po'boy, Creole fried chicken and waffles, and shrimp étouffée, with a vegetarian jambalaya too.
The music calendar changes, so check the café's own channels before you go. Ash Park on a weekend afternoon and an evening set on East Lincoln Highway are two parts of the same downtown, and Phase Three adds a second way into the park from South Fourth Avenue.
Addison Wolfe Real Estate follows Coatesville's public spaces the way residents do, one phase and one grant at a time. If you're wondering how projects like Ash Park fit into your own plans in the city, our team is glad to talk it through. Contact Us.
