Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 152, No. 32
INSIDE
60 Cents
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Oxford hits a high note Thousands enjoy the first Connective Art & Music Festival, which included a performance by Eve 6
Half Past Seven delivers triumphant set after winning the Battle of the Bands By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Education Guide special section
Photo courtesy of Moonloop Photography
Eve 6 headlined the first Connective Art & Music Festival.
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The colors of summer in Kennett Square...1B
Officers rally to support one of their own...3B
The Connective Festival brought thousands of people together to celebrate art and music in downtown Oxford last Saturday. The day-long debut event included music on three different stages, a gallery row of artists, numerous children’s activities, and plenty of food and family-friendly fun.
The festival was wellreceived by art enthusiasts like Jamie Corbett. Corbett was one of the artists who took part in the Clash of the Canvases competition where different artists completed a painting and festival attendees had the opportunity to vote for their favorite. “I think it’s an amazing event,” Corbett said as he took a break from his work. “Oxford is a great community.”
One of the goals of the festival was to create an interactive experience for people who attended the event. One illustration of this was the giant, three-sided interactive public art mural that was set up in the middle of Third Street so that people could use chalk to add their own personal touches to the artwork. Two of the people who contributed to the mural Continued on Page 3A
By John Chambless Staff Writer
Kimmel said she and her husband are moving out of the township, so she will no longer be eligible to serve on the board. “It’s with a sad heart that Calendar of Events......3B I tender my resignation,” Police Blotter.............3B Kimmel said. “My husband and I will be moving Classifieds..................4B to Thornbury Township in the near future. I did not anticipate this,” she said. “We’re excited, but sad to be leaving. We love this township, we love the school district, but we decided it was time for us to move. … If I could pick up the house and move it Photo by John Chambless here, I would,” Kimmel East Marlborough supervisor Christine Kimmel (cen- added, smiling. Board chairman Richard ter) has announced that she will be stepping down from her position, effective Sept. 11. Hannum, Jr., thanked
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Continued on Page 3A
Photo by Steven Hoffman
Half Past Seven won the Battle of the Bands and earned the opportunity to open for Eve 6.
Kimmel announces departure from East Marlborough Supervisors
Board of Supervisors for three years, announced at the end of the board’s Aug. Christine Kimmel, who 6 meeting that she will be Opinion........................7A has served on the East resigning her position, as Obituaries...................2B Marlborough Township of Sept. 11.
INDEX
The four members of Half Past Seven had quite a day last Saturday, winning the Battle of the Bands competition in the afternoon and delivering a triumphant set on the main stage as the opening act for Connective Festival headliner Eve 6 at night. The crowd rewarded the hometown band—two of the members hail from Oxford—with a rousing ovation when they were
introduced by Monty “Moe Train” Wiradilaga, the master of ceremonies for the concert. Half Past Seven is comprised of lead vocalist Nick Lombardi, guitarist and backing vocalist Steve Lombardi, bassist Brandon Ford, and drummer Zach Smith. The Lombardi brothers, who grew up in Oxford, have been performing together for years. The rhythm section of Ford and Smith joined just a few months
Active transportation plan takes step forward By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The July 30 special meeting of the Council on Economic Development, a joint partnership between the Kennett Square Borough and Kennett Township to explore opportunities in their communities, saw the formal introduction of the Kennett Active Transportation Plan, a partnership between the township and the borough that aspires to create the region’s premier bicycle- and walk-friendly community. Developed in partnership with ALTA Planning + Design, a global company that provides solutions for making communities stronger, the plan has gone through two and a half years of development, a period that has included collecting data and processing public and private input. The plan is now synthesizing the information into a planned
strategy that, when implemented, will integrate both municipalities’ bicycle and trail networks, and promote alternative measures of transportation. The presentation was chaired by Stu Sirota, ALTA’s Northeast Regional Director, who said that the plan has focused its energies on nine key goals, which will include making crosswalk improvements; widening sidewalks; increasing the number of plantings; developing additional trails; creating gateway signage that indicates to motorists that they are entering bicycle and pedestrian zones; transforming under-served alleyways into social spots that draw pedestrians and bicyclists; developing bicycle boulevards that run parallel to main streets and roads; creating a network of trails that will connect Nixon and Pennock parks; and encouraging both municipalities to pass “Complete
Streets” ordinances that ensure that roadways undergoing upgrading are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Additional work on the study has included an online survey with 300 local residents – 82 percent of whom either live in the township or the borough -and an on-line map which has allowed residents to indicate where their active transportation preferences are, or would ideally be. “During our research, we found that there was a real groundswell of people and organizations in the borough and township who want opportunities for walking and bicycling,” Sirota said. “There has been a growing movement in active and alternative transportation – ride Continued on Page 2A
Kimmel for her service and wished her well. “Having the opportunity to work with you has been a real pleasure,” he said. “The fact that you are a real estate and land use attorney has given us an edge when we’re dealing with certain issues. We appreciate all of the time and effort you put into being a supervisor.” The board plans to discuss Kimmel’s replacement, and will appoint a new supervisor within 30 days of her Sept. 11 departure date. During the meeting, the board spent 45 minutes in a careful debate about trees that will be removed from
the former site of a Citgo gas station at 800-804 East Baltimore Pike. The abandoned, overgrown site, which is across from the Walmart store, has been a source of concern for the supervisors for several years. Attorney John Jaros, representing a client who is exploring the possibility of building a Landhope Farms store on the nine-acre parcel, said that there are eight trees being considered. Three of them do not meet the 36-inch diameter requirement to be classified as “specimen trees” for preservation under the township’s ordinances. Continued on Page 2A
Residents of Roseview development share concerns with Penn supervisors By Marcella PeyreFerry Staff Writer More than a dozen residents from the Roseview development were on hand at the Aug. 1 Penn Township Board of Supervisors meeting to complain about what they are calling “Roseview Creek.” After several recent heavy storms, water runoff has been creating its own channel between properties, missing storm drains and causing erosion. The township engineer cited grading issues between the upper and lower lots numbered 17 through 24, that do not match the original storm water design for the subdivision. Residents also complained that water coming off roofs that is
supposed to be directed into seepage beds in some cases is not piped, so it instead backs up in gutters and overflows them. The township engineer has been working with the developer to get grading issues corrected, but frustrated residents came to the meeting looking for a timeline and enforcement. Supervisor William O’Connell stated that there should be a dropoff date so that these issues will be completed by the end of August, at the latest. “We’re giving the contractor a timeline to work in. We don’t want this to drag on until Christmas,” O’Connell said. A big event coming up in the township is the Aug. 12 dedication of Continued on Page 3A