Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 150, No. 49
Township enters release agreement with former manager
INSIDE
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Greenville & Hockessin Life Magazine
A holiday fundraiser at The Garage...1B
New basketball head coach takes over at Kennett High School ...4B
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
After arriving by helicopter, Santa Claus listened to gift requests from dozens of youngsters at New Garden Township Park on Dec. 4, one of many visits he has made throughout Southern Chester County this season. For a closer look into Santa’s holiday tour, see our annual Christmas & New Years’ Guide, inside this issue of the Chester County Press.
Teel resigns from Oxford Area Sewer Authority Board By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Crafts for holiday giving in Oxford...1B
INDEX Opinion........................7A Calendar of Events.....2B Obituaries....................3B Police Blotter..............5B
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Classifieds..................6B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
60 Cents
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
After serving on the Oxford Area Sewer Authority Board for five months, Randy Teel has resigned from the post. Oxford Borough Council formally accepted the letter of resignation at a meeting in November and will need to appoint a new representative to the Oxford Area Sewer Authority Board, which is comprised of eight members—two each from the four member-municipalities. Teel, a longtime public servant who was a council member for 16 years, said that he resigned from the sewer authority board after growing frustrated with the failure of Oxford Borough to address the dire financial situation that the sewer authority finds itself in. The sewer authority board approved a staggering 30-percent rate increase in July after missing the interest payment on a
$27 million loan from the USDA. The loan was taken out to expand the wastewater treatment plant that serves Oxford Borough and Lower Oxford, East Nottingham, and West Nottingham townships. The revenues generated from the rate increase weren’t nearly enough to cover the interest payment that was due in June and the debt-service payment that is looming later this month. At the time the sewer authority secured the loan six years ago, the four member-municipalities had to sign on to guarantee the loan in the event that the sewer authority couldn’t make its debt-service payments. Each municipality approved a portion of the financial responsibility: Oxford Borough accepted 44 percent, East Nottingham accepted 28 percent, Lower Oxford accepted 16 percent and West Nottingham accepted 12 percent. Teel, who was on borough Continued on Page 2A
London Grove Township has entered into a settlement agreement and general release between its board of supervisors and former township manager Steven Brown. The announcement was made at the board’s Nov. 30 meeting. On advisement from the township’s solicitor, the board did not provide any additional information at the meeting, regarding reasons that led to the agreement. The agreement will be addressed by the supervisors at their Dec. 7 board meeting at the township building, beginning at 7 p.m.
In a phone interview with the Chester County Press, London Grove Township solicitor William Lincke, an attorney with the Media law firm of Beatty Lincke, emphasized that Brown was not involved in any inpropriety that may have caused his dismissal from the township. “I have worked with the townhip for the past 13 years, and in that time, I know the positive feeling that others have had about Steve,” Lincke said. “It’s simply a matter of the board feeling that there needs to be a change in that position. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here. At some point in time, a governing
body simply wants to work with someone new.” Brown’s position is being filled by Terry Woodman on an interim basis. From January 1986 to January 2001, she served as assistant manager and zoning officer for Tredyffrin Township, and then served as manager for the East Whiteland Township from January 2001 to April 2015. Woodman has been serving in her new position for the past two weeks. The supervisors voted to advertise the available position, at their last meeting. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@chestercounty.com.
Taxes to remain steady for 2017 in East Marlborough Township By John Chambless Staff Writer There will be no tax increase again next year in East Marlborough Township, as the Board of Supervisors adopted resolutions keeping rates the same for 2017 at their Dec. 5 meeting. In 2017, real estate taxes will remain at 1.05 mills (for an estimated income of $733,800), the library tax is 1.83 mills ($127,905), the open space tax is 0.2 of a mill ($127,904), and the fire tax is 0.75 of a mill ($524,200). The budget figures are posted on the township’s website (www.eastmarlborough.org). A Continued on Page 5A
Wolff and Gaerity to lead Avon Grove School Board in 2017
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Bonnie Wolff will continue to serve as president of the Avon Grove School Board for another year following a vote at the board’s reorganization meeting on Dec. 5. Wolff was unanimously selected by her colleagues to continue to preside over their meetings. Board member Brian Gaerity nominated Wolff for the leadership post. There were no other nominations. Wolff has been a member of the school board for 14 years, and
Photo by Steven Hoffman
Bonnie Wolff (right) and Brian Gaerity (left) were selected to serve as the president and vice president of the Avon Grove School Board for 2017.
this will be her fourth member from serving as year as president during president for more than that time. The board has a two consecutive years. Continued on Page 3A policy that limits a board
Helping families in Chester County and beyond
Home Ideations: Aging in place solutions that keep your house your home By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Scott Fulton and Cindy Fallon-Fulton describe themselves as non-followers, but for several years, they were both part of the early-morning cattle ride commute that begins in the far reaches of New Castle and Chester counties and finishes in or near the corporate culture of Wilmington. Scott’s 35-year engineering and business career included serving as the head of a consulting firm and working for a number of years with
Kudos to Run2Sunshine By Uncle Irvin
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Scott Fulton and Cindy Fallon-Fulton of Home Ideations, Inc.
DuPont. An organic chemist, Cindy spent 26 years in various technical and marketing roles at Dupont.
They were riding the crest of success, but with each passing year, their careers were taking them further Continued on Page 2A
Run2Sunshine, the fundraising wing of The Mushroom Cap, just donated $15,000 to three Kennett area charities. On Oct. 15, nearly 700 runners participated in the first annual half-marathon founded by Karen DiMascola and Sarah Nurry. Both DiMascola and Nurry are runners who decided to promote a halfmarathon to raise money for local charities, just like the tremendously successful Kennett Run. Kennett Run race director J.J. Simon, together with his wife, competed in the run and sees the Mushroom Cap 13.1 as a future partner. Corporate sponsors included Victory Brewing, KaboBurritos, the State Street Grill, M-n-M Catering and the Paradocx Winery. This kind of local outreach is contagious, and has a salubrious effect on our community. (Uncle Irvin’s column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)