Chester County Press 08-01-2018 Edition

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Chester CountyPRESS

www.chestercounty.com

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

Volume 152, No. 31

INSIDE

This weekend, it all Seminar on gun safety leads to comes together in Oxford The Connective Art & Music Festival broader discussion will fill downtown on Aug. 4 of gun violence By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

A tribute to Peter Gabriel at the Kennett Flash...1B

Treetops Kitty Cafe marks first year...5A

60 Cents

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

What began as a simple discussion about gun safety last Thursday night at the Quaker Meeting House in West Grove eventually took on the familiar tone of polarizing opinions that echo the American narrative on gun violence. It also heard the words of a local police officer, who shared his unyielding commitment to protecting lives. Slowly, it also found a common ground. Sponsored by Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence’s “Memorial to the Lost” tribute to the 53 Chester County residents who have been killed

by guns in the last 10 years, the two-hour seminar invited Officer Mario Raimato of the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department to provide tips on how gun owners can better protect their property from being stolen. Raimato emphasized the importance of storing the serial numbers of a gun in a private place, away from the gun itself, to help identify the gun’s owner in the event of theft, and to help police identify firearms. “If you have any handguns or anything of value, write down the serial numbers. Do not put the serial number list Continued on Page 3A

Courtesy photo

Eve 6 will be headlining the first Connective Art & Music Festival in downtown Oxford on Aug. 4.

This Saturday, a year of planning pays off with the debut of the Connective Art & Music Festival in Oxford. The Aug. 4 event has been in the works for so long because of the thousands of details that had to be worked out. Downtown Oxford will be transformed into a festival ground that may hold 10,000 people throughout the day.

The Oxford Arts Alliance and Oxford Mainstreet, Inc., have been planning the event for more than a year. Brian Wenzka, the executive director of Oxford Mainstreet, Inc., said that the goal was to bring a diverse group of people together to enjoy art and music, and to shine a spotlight on the arts and businesses of Oxford. And organizers have been care-

ful to include fun for all age groups. “From kids to millennials, all the way up to seniors, we have something for everyone,” Wenzka said. “That’s what we’re most excited about.” From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., visitors can stroll the downtown area and see music on three stages – at the bottom of Market Continued on Page 2A

OAHA showcases music in Oxford’s past Sunset Park’s glorious history and acclaimed local musicians will be featured in an exhibit this Friday and Saturday By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The entrance sign to Sunset Park, a 1937 Gibson guitar, a picture of Hank and Audrey Williams and Local United Way nets numerous other treasures $9,000 for fundraiser...6A from the past are among the items that the Oxford Area Historical Association (OAHA) will be showcasing for the public this Friday and Saturday as part of the “Music In Oxford’s Opinion........................7A Past” display. Sunset

INDEX

Park’s glorious history, as well as the accomplishments of acclaimed local musicians like Ola Belle Campbell Reed and the Oxford Rhythm Boys will be highlighted. The display will be on exhibit at the OAHA Archives Building from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3 as part of Oxford’s First Friday event, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 to coincide with the Connective

Obituaries...................2B Calendar of Events.......3B

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Classifieds..................4B

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Man wants to save the last Penn Oak tree in Oxford Borough By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer An Oxford man is looking to rally support to save what is believed to be the last Penn Oak tree in Oxford Borough. Steven D. Seivwright explained in an interview last week that he treasures the tree, and he would like to see his neighbors decide to do what is necessary to save it, rather than paying to cut it down. “We have, in our development, the last Penn Oak tree in the Borough of Oxford,” Seivwright explained. The tree is situated on two different parcels in the development, and all the homeowners in the

David Keller has been named the new executive director of the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center. He is just the third person to serve in that role during the organization’s 47-year history.

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Oxford Area Historical Association members Gail Roberts, Ken Woodward, and Vernon Ringler display the entrance sign to Sunset Park. A display of music memorabilia is being exhibited at the Oxford Area Historical Association’s Archives Building on Locust Street this Friday and Saturday.

Aug. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Regional Police’s National Night Out to include West Grove and Toughkenamon By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Photo by John Chambless

development have deed restrictions and must help maintain the tree that the development is named after. Seivwright said that he has lived in the Penn Oak development for the last 18 years. The development itself, which includes 27 homes, is a few years older than that. A Homeowners

Association comprised of all the homeowners who pay their dues will ultimately decide the tree’s fate. Seivwright said that while some of the homeowners in the community share his viewpoint that the tree should be valued and saved, while others

Keller officially started the new position on July 23. Rudy Allen, the chair of the Neighborhood Service Center’s board of directors, said that the board is eager to work with Keller as he leads a dedicated staff and group of volunteers to continue the center’s mission of serving the community.

In the hours before the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department hosted its first National Night Out community event in West Grove on Aug. 1, 2017, Deputy Chief Michael King worried if any of the locals would show up for the party. By the time the event got rolling a few hours later, more than 800 eventually did. For close to three hours, the center of West Grove

was a crowded house of celebration, as members of the regional police unit and firefighters greeted their communities, and in every direction, children and their families climbed aboard fire trucks and police vehicles, nibbled from food trucks and took spins on police bicycles. As the department began to plan its 2018 National Night Out celebration, scheduled for Aug. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m., it decided that a return to West Grove would not be enough. In Continued on Page 4A

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Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center hires new executive director By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

© 2007 The Chester County Press

Festival. The display will be set up outside the OAHA building as long as weather permits. According to Gail Roberts, the OAHA vice president, the Connective Festival offered a good opportunity for the historical association to put together a display dedicated to music in the Oxford area. “We’re focusing on country music for this display,” Roberts explained. “It was

The unknown cost of open space By Uncle Irvin

Keller brings 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to the new position. His previous professional experiences include various levels of management for organizations in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Most recently, he served as the development

Recent published studies have revealed that Chester County has way more open space covenants in place, covering far more acreage, than any of our neighboring counties. Studies have also shown that our property taxes are far higher, and have increased more rapidly, than those of our peers. What we need is a study to determine if there is any correlation between open space and property tax millage. Since I know of no such study, I will have to count on logic and personal observations. Open space

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