Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 156, No. 18
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
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Townships sign on to Route 41 improvement study A grant to fund a multi-municipal corridor improvement study for Route 41 is likely to begin this spring. While four townships have firmly committed, Avondale Borough is also on board, but says ‘No’ on concept for a roundabout By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer In July 2021, New Garden Township played host to several key local stakeholders to discuss solutions to what has become for many residents in southern Chester County a ten-mile misery index, one that stretches from the tip of Kennett Township to Londonderry Township and bottles their lives up with endless traffic. It is the Route 41 corridor. Organized by State
INSIDE
Eager anglers return for the 25th Trout Rodeo...1B
Representatives John Lawrence and Christina Sappey and State Senator Carolyn Comitta, the summit invited officials from several municipalities, PennDOT, the Chester County Planning Commission and the local conservation group Safety, Agriculture, Villages & Environment (S.A.V.E.) to explore options. On the advice of Chester County Planning Commission Executive Director Brian O’Leary, it was proposed that the townships sign on to file an application for the county’s Vision Partnership Program (VPP). Established by the Chester County Board of Commissioners in 1996, the VPP provides grant money to county municipalities and multi-municipal groups that wish to improve their planning programs in accordance with Landscapes3, the county’s long-term comprehensive plan. The VPP gives municipalities the initial funding to plan projects that address opportunities and issues of community concern. The application, authored last September by S.A.V.E.
and London Grove Township sustainable solution for the Manager Ken Battin, was corridor. “We [entered into the recently given the green light by the Planning application] from a perspecCommission and will bring together Londonderry, London Grove, New Garden and Kennett townships in a partnership that will use a $45,000 grant from the county – and also include additional funds from each township – to develop a long-range plan to explore methods of reducing traffic along the corridor. As stated in the application, the study – which will be conducted by the Chester County engineering firm McMahon Associates and begin this spring -- will “form the basis for ensuing discussions with the goal of synthesizing a regional consensus vision for the roadway.” The 18-month project will include a kick-off meeting, vision meetings with the general public, the development of conceptual traffic engineering improvements, the completion of a draft and a final study, that will provide a blueprint to assist the municipalities, county and PennDOT to achieve a
tive that we felt had not of directors. “Even though been approached before,” there had been numerous said Lou Kaplan, secre- studies on Route 41 before, Continued on page 2A tary on S.A.V.E.’s board
In This Issue
Capital campaign has raised more than $750,000 toward $900,000 goal
A new home for The Garage By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
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Avon Grove School District hosts Empower appreciation breakfast...1B
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On May 2 in the Borough of Avondale, Hope, Imagination and Promise threw open their doors and let the community in. Before nearly 200 students, friends, volunteers, board members and elected officials, The Garage Community & Youth Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open their new location at 121 Photos by Richard L. Gaw Before an audience of nearly 200, The Garage Community & Youth Center held a Pennsylvania Avenue – the ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 2 at their new home at the former Avondale Fire former office of a ServPro and known to many as the House in Avondale. Avondale Fire House. Following the organization’s purchase of the building on Sept. 17, 2021, the Garage staff, its board
Lessons from the pandemic
Oxford Area School District Superintendent David A. Woods reflects on a challenging time in education By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer At this writing there is yet another wave of a variation of COVID-19 hitting the country. Globally, life is beginning to look like a long car ride with young children who continually ask, “Are we there yet?” We all want to say, “Yes, it’s over. We can go back to normal.” But the reality is, we don’t know what normal will be going forward. After two years of COVID-19 and guidelines from federal, state and local governments and a host of scientists, the only thing we can agree on is disagreeing. The disagreement may be because no one can say for sure how to handle a “novel” virus. It is a new virus, and it didn’t come with instructions on how to handle it. As
a living thing, the virus is constantly evolving. It goes without saying that another thing that changed immeasurably during the pandemic has been education. David A. Woods, the superintendent of the Oxford Area School District, was one of the many educators caught up in the thick of the pandemic, and whose actions and guidelines were often dictated by the experts. But instead of becoming jaded, he has emerged hopeful and proud of his community, school district, school board, and teachers. And he has never been prouder of his students. When asked if his job was difficult, he quickly dismissed his own feelings and said, “All jobs are difficulty. Everyone has a different flashpoint. During COVID everyone had their own
of directors and several volunteers worked with contractors to refurbish the interior of the building that will provide nearly four times more space for student activities then its former location on Rosehill Avenue in West Grove. Currently in the first of two renovation phases, the two-story, 11,000 squarefoot facility will include a multi-purpose room with a stage, two ADA-compliant bathrooms, an interior gymnasium, creative spaces, a full-service commercial kitchen, a meal preparation and distribution area, administrative offices and space for local non-profit and legal aid organizations Continued on page 5B
EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
problems, whether it was COVID mitigation, COVID work stoppage, or COVID guidance and quarantine,” he said. “COVID and the many issues it has brought with it, and there are many, have affected everyone, especially our children.” The Oxford Area School District is responsible for creating the best environment for all of the stakeholders. During the pandemic, guidance came from everywhere, including from federal, state and local officials. “I am not a health care professional, nor is the school board,” Woods said. “I have laws and mandates coming at me from every direction, from a variety of officials, and our job is to work within the guidelines we are given.” Like superintendents
Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. (OMI) announced that it is once again teaming up with the Oxford Arts Alliance to plan a festival in Oxford that showcases music and the arts. The two-day event is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6. On Friday, there will be a Rock the Block event with a lineup of music from local and regional acts along with food trucks, lawn games, and more. Then, on Saturday, an Art in the Park event will feature artists, art vendors, and demonstrators. Additionally, there will be live music, food trucks, and a creative corner for kids. Oxford’s Connective Festival debuted in August of 2018 as a way to showcase Oxford’s growing artistic community. The event was still building momentum when the pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020 and 2021. The new festival is being described as a “callback” to the Connective Festival.
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OMI announces festival for Aug. 5 and 6