Chester County Press 01-11-17 Edition

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Chester CountyPRESS

www.chestercounty.com

Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas

Volume 151, No. 2

INSIDE

Schoen resigns New look, new direction from London Grove board By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

The short, sporadic and controversial tenure of Raymond W. Schoen as a London Grove Township Supervisor has come to an A Kennett Square calligra- end. A one-sentence letter of pher turns back time...1B resignation sent by Schoen to the township on Dec. 29 essentially severs all of his ties to the township as an elected official, one that saw him elected to the board on Jan. 1, 2016 – after running unopposed – for a six-year term that would have extended until Dec. 31, 2021. “Please accept this letter as my notice of resignation, effective immediately, from the Township Board Coach Overton to speak at Spirit of Giving Luncheon...4A

INDEX Police Blotter...............6A Opinion........................7A Obituaries.............8A-9A Calendar of Events......2B

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Classifieds..................3B

© 2007 The Chester County Press

of Supervisors,” Schoen wrote. During his time on the board, Schoen’s appearances at public meetings were largely infrequent and nearly devoid of active contribution on his part. His absences often left a traditional five-member board – which also include Richard Scott-Harper, David Connors, Michael Pickel and Robert Weer – to vote on township issues with no possibility for a tie-breaker in the event of a split vote. Schoen’s inconsistency on the board was upstaged early last year, when on Feb. 10, he was formally taken under arrest by the Birmingham Township Continued on Page 3A

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The newly-formed Southern Chester County Regional Police Department officially began operations on Jan. 1, with a fleet of newly-marked vehicles, crisp new uniforms and a new graphic identity to mark their beginning. On Jan. 12, the pub-

lic is invited to the new department’s oath of office ceremony in the gymnasium at the Kennett Middle School, 195 Sunnydell Road, Landenberg, beginning at 7 p.m. The event will also include the reading of proclamations thanking the many people who assisted in the merging of the

New Garden Township and West Grove police departments. Pictured from left to right are PFC. Gerard Lindenlauf, PFC. Mario Raimato, head of administration Heather Campbell, Sgt. Joseph Greenwalt, and PFC. Justin Fonock.

Oxford Borough Council U-CF School Board likely to reconsider EMS approves expulsion of three students funding cuts By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

East Marlborough supervisors set course for coming year...6A

60 Cents

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

In the latter part of 2016, Oxford Borough Council decided to give less funding than was requested to the Union Fire Company No. 1 of Oxford and the ambulance division, and to eliminate all the annual funding— approximately $8,000—for Southern Chester County EMS, which provides advanced life support services for a coverage area that includes 18 municipalities throughout southern Chester County. The decision on the funding was part of the borough’s efforts to control spending and approve a budget for 2017 that would not increase taxes on borough residents. Now, after meetings with officials from the Fire Company No. 1 of Oxford, the ambulance division, and Southern Chester County EMS, Oxford Borough

Kennett library still floundering? By Uncle Irvin It is now 2017, and the Kennett library is virtually the same as in 1973, when my family moved to the Kennett area. Forty-three years have passed and the population of the Kennett area has more than tripled, with no increase in the size of the library or it’s parking capacity. All that has been accomplished is purchasing a large, expensive building lot in Kennett Township and creating grandiose architectural drawings for a building that would have cost millions more than could ever have been funded, and so was Continued on Page 2A

Council will likely revisit those funding decisions at the January 16 council meeting. It is expected that borough council will take action to restore funding to the Southern Chester County EMS. Council president Ron Hershey read from a prepared statement at the meeting on January 9, explaining that the borough council is trying to be diligent about finding costsavings whenever possible, because the tax burden is heavy on borough residents. “We already pay the highest millage rate in the county,” Hershey explained. “We thought this was one place among many that we could cut. We’re in a difficult situation sometimes. We’re trying to do our best.” Union Fire Company No. 1 of Oxford asked for $55,000 from the borough, while council

decided to allocate $50,000 for the upcoming year. The ambulance division requested $22,000, while council allocated $10,000 for 2017—less than the approximately $12,000 that had been allocated in 2016. Officials from both the fire company and ambulance division provided additional information and explanations about why the additional funding is necessary to continue to provide the much-needed services to the community. Oxford’s ambulance division, like Southern Chester County EMS, must continually accept much less from insurance companies and Medicare and Medicaid than the amount that they bill for their services. Additionally, both the ambulance division and the fire company are finding it more difficult to rely on volunteers for the work Continued on Page 3A

for knife incident

By John Chambless Staff Writer The first work session for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board after the holiday break was a busy one, with a combination of a big-ticket budget approval and the very rare announcement of the expulsion of three students. During the personnel portion of the Jan. 9 meeting, which usually deals with routine hiring issues, the board voted to approve the expulsion of three former Unionville High School students, identified only by their student numbers. Immediately after the meeting, at 10 p.m., district superintendent John Sanville sent an email to parents and the community, giving some background on the expulsions.

“This evening, the Board of School Directors approved the expulsion of three Unionville High School students who violated our weapons policy,” Sanville wrote. “In early December 2016, a knife was brought onto school property. After investigation by the UHS administration, it was determined that three students were involved in this incident. The investigation indicates that this knife was not intended for use in an act of mass violence – but rather related to an interpersonal student matter. While no students were injured, and the incident was handled swiftly, professionally, and peacefully, it was a disturbing and unnerving experience. “Unionville High School is a safe, protected, collaborative learning Continued on Page 5A

Henry announces that he will not seek another term as mayor of Oxford By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Geoff Henry, who has served as the mayor of Oxford Borough since 2006, announced this week that he will not be seeking a fourth term in the November election. At the end of 2017, he will have completed 12 years in office, tying him for the longest tenure as mayor of Oxford. Henry, who frequently refers to Oxford as the “Best Small Town in America,” said that he was thankful to serve the town, and that he enjoyed working with so many people who had a desire to improve the quality of life for borough residents through the years. “I look back at the last 12 years and it’s been a good run,” Henry said. “It was a difficult decision, but after 12 years there’s a time to

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Mayor Geoff Henry pictured at the opening of the building for the Oxford Police Department. Overseeing the operations of the police department is the main duty of a mayor in Pennsylvania boroughs like Oxford.

move on.” There are no term limits for mayors in Oxford Borough, but Henry supports the concept. He said

that it’s the right time for someone else to serve as the mayor. Henry, who has enjoyed a career as an administra-

tor of aging and long-term care facilities, is a longtime public servant in the Oxford area. He grew up in Continued on Page 2A


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