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Chester CountyPRESS
Volume 153, No. 7
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
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A ‘groundbreaking’ moment Penn intersection for Oxford Borough improvements The construction of a new parking garage, perhaps the begin borough’s largest-ever economic development project, is now underway following a groundbreaking on Feb. 8
Photo courtesy Moonloop Photography
Local, county, and state officials took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new parking garage in downtown Oxford on Feb. 8.
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Taking a plunge for a good cause...4A
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Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
So many people played a role in supporting the multimodal transportation center project, there weren’t enough shovels to go around as Oxford Borough held a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 8 to officially mark the start of construction on a new 300-space parking garage. Local, county, and state officials hailed the project as a catalyst for economic
development and commercial growth in the coming years as Oxford Borough continues its revitalization efforts. “Downtown Oxford is on the verge of a hard-earned economic revival,” Oxford Borough Council president Susan Lombardi told the dozens of people who gathered in the parking lot between Second Street and Third Street for the groundbreaking ceremony. “More parking and improved transportation amenities are
needed to continue economic growth in the borough. As we continue to work for the betterment of Oxford, this groundbreaking ceremony affords us a unique opportunity to bring attention to the revitalization of the borough, and to spotlight all that the downtown has to offer to everyone who lives and works in the region.” Oxford Borough Mayor Lorraine Durnan Bell, who served as the master of ceremonies for the event, said: Continued on Page 2A
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Work has officially begun on a $2.5 million project to improve and realign the intersection of state Route 796 and West Baltimore Pike near the site of the former Red Rose Inn in Penn Township. On Monday morning, Penn Township officials welcomed numerous state and local dignitaries, along with representatives from PennDOT, McMahon Associates, RoadCon and the Pennsylvania State Police for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the start of the much-needed
project. Curtis Mason, the chairman of the Penn Township Board of Supervisors, was elated that the project has finally reached the point where improvements to the heavily travelled intersection are underway. “This is great,” Mason said. “For the growth that we have, this project is a must.” As traffic has increased in the area, the intersection has become not only an annoyance for motorists— it ranks among the least efficient intersections in Pennsylvania—there were also safety issues because Continued on Page 3A
Photo by Steven Hoffman
Improvements are coming to the intersection of Route 796 and Old Baltimore Pike in Penn Township.
Deb Ryan kicks off campaign to become county’s next District Attorney By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Before more than 150 elected officials, law enforcement personnel, local dignitaries and friends gathered at Barnaby’s in West Chester Valentine’s Day contest on Feb. 7, former Chester winners announced...7A County Deputy District Attorney Deb Ryan officially launched her campaign to become the county’s next District Attorney. Ryan will run on the Democratic ballot in this May’s primary. If she wins,
The Brandywine celebrates the life of Phyllis Wyeth...1B
INDEX Opinion.......................7A Obituaries...................2B Calendar of Events.....3B Classifieds.................6B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
she will likely challenge Republican and current District Attorney Tom Hogan, who has been in office since 2011, in November. When her colleagues in law enforcement first encouraged her to campaign for District Attorney, Ryan said she rejected the idea, but after experiencing a family tragedy, she told the audience that she began to reevaluate her life, and began to determine how she could best leave her mark on Chester County. “I thought, ‘What can I do
better?’” Ryan said. The inspiration to declare her candidacy, she said, was her grandparents, who were both survivors of the Holocaust. At a young age, she said, “I was taught the critical importance of advocacy and speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. “They came to this country with nothing,” she said. “They had no family, had no money, and they didn’t speak the language, but they came here and were embraced by
total strangers, and these people became their family, and by extension, they became mine. So from the time I was old enough to understand, I knew that it was my responsibility to advocate for the vulnerable, the oppressed and the marginalized. They guided me by their principles.” If one half of Ryan’s candidacy is being steered by the influence of her grandparents, then the other half is being guided by her 15 years of experience as a criminal prosecutor. Currently the county
coordinator for the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative at the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc., Ryan began her career as an Assistant District Attorney at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and then began as a prosecutor at the Chester County District Attorney’s office in 2006, where she was then promoted to Deputy District Attorney, and she headed the Child Abuse Unit and Children’s Advocacy Center Continued on Page 3A
London Grove Myers steps down as board denies Three president of Kennett Square Borough Council Groves Ecovillage A replacement is expected to be chosen at borough council’s next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19 By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer When Kennett Square Borough Council meets again on Tuesday, Feb. 19, the most pressing item on the agenda will likely be selecting a new council president. And nobody seems happy about it. LaToya Myers was sailing through her second year in the role as council president when she unexpectedly announced that she was relinquishing the leadership position, but
not her seat on council, during a tense and sometimes extremely awkward council meeting on Feb. 4. Myers, who joined council in 2016 and was elected to a four-year term that started in 2018, decided to step down as the council president immediately following a vote on a resolution establishing new rules of council governing public comment at meetings. Myers and council member Ethan Cramer, the borough council vice president, both voted against the resolution, which was approved by a
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vote of 5-2. When council member Wayne Braffman outlined the resolution that was under consideration, he explained that since the current members joined borough council, they have expanded public comment so that people in the audience can voice their opinions toward the beginning and at the end of each meeting. Borough council also added public comment before votes are taken on many action items during the course of Continued on Page 2A
application
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer By a unanimous vote, the London Grove Township Board of Supervisors denied the conditional use application for the planned development of the Three Groves Ecovillage in West Grove, bringing to a halt a concept that would have created an environmentally conscious, 7.5-acre pedestrian village adjacent to Goddard Park. The decision was reached at a hearing at the board’s Feb. 6 meeting. The board was in agreement with the comments
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shared by board chairman Richard Scott-Harper, who said that the applicant does not conform with the definition of “ecovillage,” as is defined in the township’s zoning code. In addition, he said that the proposed boundary is not within onehalf-mile walking distance to at least seven “diverse and unique uses” in the township’s commercial district. Further, Scott-Harper said that the applicant did not identify seven uses – both within the half-mile distance or outside of it – that are designated as “unique and diverse.”
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Continued on Page 6A
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