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Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Volume 150, No. 16
60 Cents
Fetterolf appointed to fill vacancy on Oxford School Board Budget for Oxford Oxford Area School District Proposed Budget 2015-2016 Current Budget
2016-2017 Proposed Budget
Proposed Budget Increase
Proposed Percentage Increase
$63,393,880
$65,663,336
$2,269,456
3.58%
schools projected to be $65.6 million in 2016-17 By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The agenda of the Oxford School Board’s April 12 work session was topped by a discussion about the district’s proposed budget for the 2016-2017 school year. Lawmakers in Harrisburg recently finalized the state budget for the current fiscal year—nine months after the deadline—so officials at Pennsylvania’s 500 public schools finally have a clearer picture of the state subsidies that each district will receive for the 2015-16 school year. Approximately
one-third of Oxford Area School District’s revenues come from funding from the state, so a significant piece of the budgetary puzzle had been missing. Brian Cooney, the business administrator for the Oxford Area School District, shared some good financial news with the school board. Since the budget deal that state lawmakers approved included additional funding for public schools, Oxford will be receiving a slightly larger state subsidy than it had budgeted for in the 201516 budget. Cooney said that Continued on Page 3A
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The Oxford School Board voted to appoint Becky Fetterolf to fill the vacancy of an at-large seat on the board at a special meeting on April 12. The meeting began with the school board interviewing the three candidates who applied to fill the vacancy that was created when Joe Starcheski resigned from the board on March 15: Fetterolf, Donna Arrowood, and Mimma D’ Aquanno. School board president Richard Orpneck outlined the process that the board would follow to fill the vacancy, explaining that the same five questions would be asked of each candidate. Members of the school board would then
Courtesy photo
Becky Fetterolf has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Oxford School Board.
have the opportunity to ask process was finished, the the candidates any other school board members questions that they might would then nominate a Continued on Page 2A have. Once the interview
New Garden continues U-CF School Board sewer sale negotiations hears proposal By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer New Garden Township has announced that it will continue talks to sell its sewage system to the one company who has remained in the bidding process for the purchase of the system, since it first kicked off last November. As spelled out in the township supervisors’ meeting on April 14, Spence Andress, a member of the township’s Sewer Authority Board, provided a summary of the work already done on the possible sale of the sys-
tem to Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, Inc. – a roadmap of meetings, proposals and analysis that is anticipated to lead to the final sale at the supervisors’ meeting on June 20. Late last year, the township sent out request for proposals [RFP] in order to determine potential interest and qualifications from outside companies. They received initial proposals from the following interested parties: Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, Inc.; the Pennsylvania American Water Company, based in Vorhees, N.J.; and
Chester-based Delcora. Contained in each proposal were unique provisions and approaches to the potential structure of a sale, which included not only monetary offers but other components, including capital improvements, future rate increases and expanded infrastructure. Over the next several months, three addendums were tacked on to the original RFP, and on March 18, when responses to the addendums were received, the township learned that two of the three bidding companies – Pennsylvania Continued on Page 5A
for strategic plan
pants in the LEGO Robotics competition by Hillendale principal Steve Dissinger. The long path toward a Family members were also strategic plan process for present to see tributes to the Unionville-Chadds Ford retiring teachers Daniel Continued on Page 3A School District was the focus of a long discussion at the school board’s April 18 meeting, which was held at Hillendale Elementary School. The evening started with a packed house of family members and students who came to see certificates awarded to young particiBy John Chambless Staff Writer
Thousands flock to Chadds Ford antique show By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer By conservative estimates, the second annual Massive Barn Market, held on the grounds of the Chadds Ford Historical Society on April 16, drew an attendance of well over 5,000. To some of
By Uncle Irvin
those who were attempting to get to the event through the traffic that the event was creating, that estimate seemed woefully small. Even before event organizer Lisa Vonderstruck of Brandywine View Antiques Photo by Richard L. Gaw cut the ribbon at 9 a.m. to A steady stream of marketgoers lined the entrance Continued on Page 2A
SNAFU causes election chaos
throughout the day.
An inaccurately filed primary election petition by GOP-endorsed candidate Leonard Rivera has caused a three-way write-in. After the error in his filing was made public, Rivera quit the race entirely. The GOP has now endorsed Eric Continued on Page 2A © 2007 The Chester County Press