Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 43
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
$1.50
New Oxford Borough Council member sworn in The standing-room-only crowd at the council meeting also saw the borough honor the emergency responders who demonstrated bravery during the recent fire in downtown Oxford By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer Luke Neidigh was sworn in as the newest member of the Oxford Borough Council before a stand-room audience at the Council's meeting on Oct. 16. Neidigh was selected to fill the vacancy that was created with the resignation of Amanda Woolston – a term that will end in January 2025. Neidigh’s family and
INSIDE
Chadds Ford Life
friends filled the council room as he was sworn in by Mayor Phil Harris. Neidigh’s wife Ciearra was holding the Bible during the ceremony. Neidigh then took his spot at the table among the other council members. Neidigh is a lifelong resident of Oxford, and is looking forward to serving the community. When Neidigh’s contingency left, the room filled with Oxford police officers,
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victims exit the buildings. Harris addressed the officers saying, “I want to express my deepest appreciation for the unwavering courage and dedication you have displayed in the line of duty. Your commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community has not gone unnoticed. Your acts of bravery in the face of danger serve as a shinCourtesy photo ing example to us all. Your Luke Neidigh was sworn in as a new borough counwillingness to put yourself cil member by Oxford Mayor Phil Harris. Luke’s wife, Continued on Page 3A
Ciearra, holds the Bible for the swearing in.
$250 million project expected to open in fall 2024
Longwood Reimagined: A new legacy, unfolding By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Completing a magnificent vision – as in the case of the Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience project now fully underway at the venerable institution – often takes time, but as a 200-plus workforce continues to work toward a fall 2024 grand opening, the vision among the concrete and the dirt mounds is already being realized as a perfect harmony of art, functionality, nature, hisLt. Gov. Davis deliv- tory and legacy. ers keynote address to To the immediate west of Southern Chester County Longwood founder Pierre Chamber...1B S. du Pont’s masterpiece known as the Conservatory, the $250 million project is creating a new horticultural experience in the form of construction and restoration of six structures:
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Union Fire Company volunteers, EMT members, and volunteers who were all honored by Harris for their help in fighting the horrific fire that ripped through buildings in the downtown on Sept. 13. Harris commended two police officers, officer Scott Richards, who was sworn in in 2006, and officer Karlianna Eller, who was sworn in in 2021, after they responded to the fire and were instrumental in helping
• The 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory, set off by its asymmetrical peaks and islands of interior Mediterranean-inspired gardens that will be set amid pools, canals and fountains in an exquisite tapestry-like design; • The relocation of the historic, 3,800-square-foot Cascade Garden – designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx; • A new outdoor Bonsai Courtyard, an outdoor gallery space that will showcase what will become
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
one of North America’s – from steel and glass in Tony Ingram, Bancroft Construction Company's manmost prominent bonsai the new conservatory to ager for the Longwood Reimagined project, right, with collections; Continued on Page 2A Greg Sawka, Bancroft's president and CEO. • The redevelopment of the Waterlily Court, an aquatic garden that will be redefined as an outdoor room; •A new public restaurant and private event space that will offer priceless views of events at the Main Fountain Garden; and • The expansion of The Grove, a facility that will offer new state-of-the-art studios, virtual learning studios, a library, staff offices and serve as a communal hub of learning and growth.
FROM OUR LENS
Happy birthday, London Grove Township!
At a behind-the-scenes look at the project’s progress on Oct. 20, tours were conducted of all locations by representatives from all aspects of the project’s development: Longwood Gardens, Bancroft Construction Company in Wilmington, Del., Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects of Cambridge, Mass. and Weiss/Manfredi, a New York City-based architectural design firm. For Bancroft Construction, who renovated the garden’s fountain area a few years ago, Longwood Reimagined is the largest project ever undertaken by the company. “One of the biggest challenges is that we have 190,000 square feet of building in multiple different construction types
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
A group of happy children and a few parents took part in London Grove Township’s 300th anniversary celebration, held on Oct. 21 at Goddard Park. The event, organized by Tina Skinner and Laura Miller from the township’s Parks & Recreation Committee, featured 33 vendors and comments by State Rep. John Lawrence and Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz. Major sponsors included Twin Pines Healthcare Center and Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania.
KCSD approves district office expansion By Chris Barber Contributing Writer The Kennett School Board at its Oct. 9 meeting approved a project that will expand the district office by what appeared on the blueprint as eight new offices and an open activity area. The cost was estimated to be $1.5 million. The district office is a small building on the hillside just east of the high school. It houses the superintendent’s office and other administrative offices. With motion approval, board member Ethan
Cramer commented that several administrators are currently housed at other buildings in the district. It is better, he said, for them all to be together in the expanded district office. District CFO Mark Tracy presented his preparation of two PlanCon applications: One each for the new building projects of Greenwood and New Garden elementary schools. PlanCon is a state education funding program that gives supplementary funds to districts with large building projects. Currently, the program is not in place and the state
is not providing funds, but Tracy said earlier that the applications would be prepared regardless. The elementary school building projects together are estimated to cost approximately $106 million. The board also approved three contracts for educational services. Meza Guadalupe will receive $75 an hour for translation services. Kristin Gallagher will receive $50 an hour for dental hygienist services. Also, Step-By-Step Learning contracted with Kennett for teacher- and principal-training in deal-
ing with remedial services in phonetics, phonics and spelling for students. The first year was contracted at $498,000 and will be paid for by federal funding. The board also approved a contract for geotechnical studies of the Greenwood Elementary School project. Both schools are designed to have onsite, sanitary disposal. The administration also received a request for a student organization to be named the Muslim Students Association. The main purpose of the club is to provide a supportive, inclusive com-
munity for Muslims and any students who are interested in learning about Islam. The Student Organization Constitution has been successfully completed and signed off by the student officers, club advisor, and high school administration, according to the application. Cramer, head of the board Legislative Committee, announced that the politics of party control and some failed deal-making have created an impasse over state money going to private school tuition, and that issue has still not been resolved.