Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 6
60 Cents
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Details emerge way for unique mixed-use about drug ring design in township busted in January
INSIDE Zoning amendments make
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer With swift strokes from three pens, Kennett Township opened the door last week for what very well may be a groundKennett girls’ basketball breaking way of living for scores a win on Senior hundreds of residents in the Night...10A near future. The township’s board of supervisors – Chairman Scudder Stevens and members Whitney Hoffman and Dr. Richard Leff – gave approval at their Feb. 1 meeting to the adoption
of Ordinances 262 and 263, which will permit the Traditional Neighborhood Development design concept to eventually be allowed to be built in the township. The board agreed to work on minor amendments to the ordinances that were recommended by the Chester County Planning Commission and the township zoning officer, over the next month. Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) refers to the construction of a com-
plete neighborhood or town using traditional design planning principles. TND may occur in landfill settings and involve adaptive use of existing buildings, but often involves all-new construction on previously undeveloped land. To qualify as a TND, a project should include a wide range of housing types, a network of well-connected streets or blocks, public spaces, and have amenities such as stores, schools, and Continued on Page 3A
By John Chambless Staff Writer For neighbors of a Lower Oxford man, Jan. 26 was a day of anxiety as multiple police departments and a helicopter closed in on the home of Richard Allan “Ricky” Maitre II, in the 300 block of Conner Road in Lower Oxford Township. Maitre, police say, was operating a large drug ring for more than a year before he was apprehended in the surprise raid last month. He had been under surveillance
by agents from the Chester County Detectives and the State Police Troop J Vice and Narcotics Unit for several weeks, and his phone conversations were being monitored. Maitre, 27, and dozens of his associates are being held in Chester County Prison. A criminal complaint written by detective Jeremy Rubincan and state trooper Stephen Peterson was filed in Avondale District Court on Jan. 12. Maitre is facing charges of drug possession Continued on Page 3A
KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 to kick off Nov. 4
Half-marathon event readies for its second run By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Bove Jewelers expands to West Chester...8A
When 700 competitors in the first KSQ Victory Mushroom Cap 13.1 race in Kennett Square first arrived at the Kennett High School track in the early morning of Oct. 15, 2016, they stretched and limbered up nearly in darkness. By the time the race started soon after, they ran through Willowdale, along North Mill Road, Poplar Tree Road and Wollaston Road with the newly-risen sun against their backs. For race organizers A show about ‘Passages’ at Chadds Ford Gallery Sarah Nurry and Karen DiMascola, the sudden and ...1B bright illumination served as a parallel to nearly a
INDEX
Opinion........................7A Police Blotter..............6A Obituaries....................2B
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year of planning that was guided, in part, by the light of others – volunteers, elected and appointed officials, and the cooperation of Kennett Square residents. Now, for the follow-up race, scheduled for Nov. 4 at Kennett High School, Nurry and DiMascola are already tweaking the current model in an effort to match – or surpass – last year’s inaugural event. “The one thing I really learned about last year’s race was that we live in an amazing community,” Nurry said. “Karen and I knew what we enjoyed as Photo by Richard L. Gaw runners, and that’s what A total of 700 runners competed in the first KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 race last we wanted to bring to this October. Event organizers are looking to register between 1,200 and 1,500 runners Continued on Page 3A
in this year’s race, which will be held on Nov. 4.
East Marlborough Supervisors clear way for car wash on Onix Drive By John Chambless Staff Writer A car wash that will be built behind the Bank of America on Onix Drive took a big step toward the start of construction on Monday night as the East Marlborough Board of Supervisors gave final approval to a land develop-
ment plan for the facility. The plan incorporated suggestions from several previous meetings with the township supervisors and zoning board. The car wash will have a water reclamation system that will capture 70 percent of the water used by customers, as well as heated pavement from the car wash exit to
Onix Drive that will keep ice from forming in cold weather. There will be vacuum stations at the facility, and all chemicals used will be fully biodegradable, so they won’t affect the sewer treatment process, according to developer Ed Henry, who was in the audience at the meeting. The board voted to
approve the plan, with supervisor John Sarro abstaining because he knows the owner of the land where the facility will be built. Escrow for the car wash was set at $217,966. No date has been set for the start of construction. The board also heard about a housing development plan that would put
Herr Angus Farm beef now being marketed to top butchers and restaurants By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer On the Herr Angus Farms in Nottingham, the cattle are raised on carefully balanced diets that are monitored and adjusted by specialized nutritionists. The cattle receive the best veterinary treatment possible, and they are lovingly cared for day to day by Dennis Byrne, the farm manager who has made breeding, showing, and caring for Angus cattle his life’s work. The cattle are treated with respect, always. That quality of care is evident in the tender and tasteful beef that is produced. For many years, the Angus beef from the Nottingham farm was sold to wholesale markets worldwide, but now a new initiative finds the beef being marketed
27 twin units on property at Walnut Street and Gale Lane, near the Tri-M and Everfast facilities in the township. Mike Gavin, a representative for developer Doug White, said the 54 homes would have two stories and attached garages, and would sell for $430,000 to $539,000. Continued on Page 3A
Avon Grove Peace Club may be off-limits By Uncle Irvin An email sent to parents of Avon Grove High School students on Jan. 30, 2017 refers to an event that is probably off-limits to a public school. The email is printed below:
Angus Farms, a division of Herr Foods. Pew said that the goal is to limit the availability of the Angus beef to only a handful of
Peace Club Are you upset or worried about any of the actions taken by President Trump since taking office? If you’re worried about the environment, health care, immigration, gender equality, police brutality, first amendment rights, LGBTQ rights, or any of
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Photo by Steven Hoffman
Dennis Byrne has served as the farm manager at Herr Angus Farms since 1986.
to top butchers and restaurants in the region. West Grove resident Bill Pew formed Pewter Valley Provisions LLC with partner Curtis Mathias to
market the Angus beef to high-end butcher shops and restaurants that are looking for a top-quality product for their customers, under an agreement with Herr