To Subscribe Call 610.869.5553
Freedom Fest in Nottingham Park special section inside
Kennett Area Community Service unveils new Resource Center...4A
Looking back at America’s history...1B
Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 150, No. 26
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
60 Cents
‘This case is not at all about a fence’
The fence stays: Chester County Balloon Festival draws 25,000 Judge rules in favor of Avondale couple By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer With permission from his neighbor Ryan Carpenter, Frank Charlton leads a reporter to the back deck of Carpenter’s home on Fernwood Drive in Bucktoe Manor, to introduce a white, six-foot-high protective fence that encircles threequarters of the property where Carpenter’s neighbors Keith Davis and David Ruth live with Ruth’s two nephews. For most of the year, the majority of the fence is obstructed from view by high vegetation and tall grasses that separate the two properties by way of a small stream. On the day Charlton pointed to the fence, there was little
evidence to support the argument that Carpenter and a few of his neighbors have raised that refer to the fence as obtrusive. And yet on Carpenter’s back deck, the reporter began to imagine the presence of the fence in the fall and winter months, when the vegetation has vanished and there is nothing to hide the fence from plain sight, when it becomes less of a fence and more of a winding, white, and undeniable presence. The fence -- installed as a means of helping to protect Ruth’s nephews from their dangerous parents -- was against the code of the Declaration of Covenants, Restrictions and Easements for Bucktoe Continued on Page 6A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
A family snaps a selfie as they await the start of the balloon glow event at the Chester County Balloon Festival, held June 24-26 at the New Garden Flying Field.
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Blessed with seasonably great weather and a full itinerary of events, the tenth annual Chester County Balloon Festival drew an estimated 25,000 visitors to the New Garden Flying Field last
weekend. The expanded three-day schedule included the flight – and illumination – of more than 20 hot-air balloons, whose appearance at the festival was highlighted by spectacular balloon glow shows throughout the weekend. In addition, the festi-
val included plane and helicopter rides, scuba diving lessons, zipline rides, food and craft vendors, and remote control plane demonstrations. The Hops & Grapes Wine and Beer Garden featured wines from Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery and Continued on Page 2A
OASD extends contracts for superintendent, assistant superintendent for five years By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer When David Woods was hired to serve as the superintendent of schools of Oxford in mid-2013, one of the first important hires was bringing in Dr. Margaret Billings-Jones to fill the district’s number-two post. The two top administrators have worked collaboratively since then to help the district to review and align
School tax bills cometh By Uncle Irvin School district business managers have already printed and sorted your property tax bills for the 2016-17 year. They will drool when they pop them in the mail on June 30, so you will get them in the mail on July 1 or Continued on Page 6A
its curriculum, enhance STEM education, invest in technology, and increase educational opportunities for students. The school board has been satisfied with the administrative team’s vision, and the implementation of that vision, to the point where the board sought an early agreement on a five-year contract extension with both Woods and BillingsJones. The Oxford School
Board approved the contract extensions, effective from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2021, at the June 21 meeting. School board member Joseph Tighe said that the board was pleased to be able to extend the contracts of Woods and BillingsJones so that can continue the work that they’ve been doing in the three years since joining the school district.
“We think they are doing a great job,” Tighe said, adding that the contract extensions for the administrative team is a way to show support for the work that is being done district-wide. “This is a testament to the support the board has for the programs they have put in place, and the vision they represent,” said school board president Richard Orpneck. “As we start implementing the third
State Trooper plans a day for special-needs residents Sunny Day Camp is an offshoot of the successful Camp Cadet program By John Chambless Staff Writer The lessons learned and the experiences shared at Camp Cadet each summer will be brought to special-needs children and adults at Sunny Day Camp, scheduled Aug. 6 at Penn Township Park. Pennsylvania State Trooper Samantha Minnucci, who has been part of the Camp Cadet Photo by John Chambless program for four years, Pennsylvania State Police trooper Samantha Minnucci came up with the idea for with Camp Cadet participants last summer. On Aug. 6, Continued on Page 3A
Minnucci will offer a one-day version of the camp.
year of the new curriculum, we felt we needed to keep consistency through the four-year program, and give it the stability it needs to be successful. Through hard work and cooperation from our talented teachers, staff and aides, the board believes we are on the right track to make our school district second to none.” Woods said that he was pleased by the school Continued on Page 3A
To our readers Due to a technical difficulty, some of the copies of the June 22 edition of the Chester County Press did not include the new issue of Kennett Square Today magazine. As a courtesy to all our readers, we have included the magazine in this week’s Chester County Press. We apologize for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused. © 2007 The Chester County Press