Chester County Press 12-12-2018 Edition

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Chester CountyPRESS

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

Volume 152, No. 50

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Open space project receives $1.5 million in state funding Strawbridge Land Acquisition Project - Phase 1&2

U-CF School District fights resident’s rightto-know request

By John Chambless Staff Writer

INSIDE Map Courtesy of the Conservation Fund

The recent acquisition of a $1.5 million grant will allow The Conservation Fund to continue a multi-phase plan to permanently protect over 1,700 acres along the Pennsylvania-Maryland border that spans Elk, Franklin and New London townships.

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

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Southern Chester County just got even greener with open space – nearly 1,000 more acres greener.

State Sen. Andrew Dinniman recently announced the

acquisition of a $1.5 million Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant, that will be directed to support a multi-phase plan being led

by The Conservation Fund that will permanently protect more than 1,700 acres along the Pennsylvania-

Maryland border that spans Elk, Franklin and New London townships.

The Community Conservation Partnerships Program provides financial and technical assistance to local governments, river and trail organizations, Continued on Page 2A

In September, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District unveiled its Outdoor Facility Study in a presentation to the school board.

The report, prepared by K&W Associates, contained possible improvements to the athletic facilities and grounds at Unionville High School, Patton Middle School and Unionville Elementary School. Some of the improvements were fairly routine and inexpensive, but options ranged up to a new fieldhouse at the high school, and extensive additions and rearrangements of fields already in place. The public reaction was swift, and sometimes negative, with the theoretical price tag of the improvements getting the most speculation.

Board members empha-

sized that the plan was more of a wish-book than a plan of action, and that they – and school boards in years to come – could use the outline as a possible guide as money became available.

By November, the suggested list of changes to the outdoor facilities had been trimmed considerably.

During public comment on Nov. 12, township resident Mark Stookey told the board, “The outdoor facilities plan is much improved. … As far as outside groups using the school fields, I’ve tried to get revenue information from the district for this, and I’ve been stonewalled. The public school act requires school districts to maintain financial information for six years, and you claim you don’t have it.

To me, that’s unacceptable. ... I think the vast majority of the public does not Continued on Page 3A

Holiday auction raises $45,000 for local youth programs

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer As the holiday season falls upon the southern Chester County community every year, calendars begin to be dotted with annual yuletide traditions.

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© 2007 The Chester County Press

tion. Items going to the highest bidder included 7-10-night vacation packages to Antigua, Panama and Saint Lucia; condominium/apartment rentals in Rehoboth and London; and a wide variety of gifts related to fitness, family, sports and events. Guests also enjoyed a bounty of food donated by local restaurants, and beverages Continued on Page 2A

Community donations make the holidays warmer and brighter for children at Tick Tock Early Learning Center

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at the Tick Tock Early Learning Center in Avondale.

First came the donation of more than 200 mittens and 100 winter hats, all of them hand-knitted by a Landenberg resident. Then came the donation of warm, hand-knitted sweaters and scarves. During the month Art for giving in Kennett of December, at least three Square...2B busineses will be dropping off gifts for the children.

INDEX

the season: the annual Holiday Auction to benefit the Garage Community & Youth Centers of Kennett Square and West Grove.

On Dec. 8, the 9th annual Holiday auction drew more than 300 guests to the Garage’s Kennett Square location, to bid on any one or all of the 80 items entered into the silent auc-

Continued on Page 5A

Kennett Square Borough has finalized a $4.9 million general fund budget for 2019.

At the meeting on Dec.

East governs like West

By Uncle Irvin East Marlborough Township, where my wife and I have resided for over 50 years now, has a population of around 7,500. Its neighbor, West Marlborough Township, has a population of less than 1,000.

Moreover, East has substantial commercial tax ratables and is home to New Bolton Center, Longwood Gardens, and the Kennett Country Club. Yet these two Continued on Page 5A

Courtesy photo

The holiday season got off to an early start for the children at the Tick Tock Early Learning Center when Melinda Hardie dropped off 108 pairs of hand-knit mittens and an equal number of hats—one set for each child at the center.

Kennett Square Borough raises taxes to pay for increased public safety costs

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Leon and Luchelle Erasmus mull over a potential silent bid at the 9th annual Holiday Auction for the Garage Community & Youth Center, held Dec. 8 in Kennett Square.

3, Kennett Square Borough Council adopted the spending plan. It includes a tax increase to pay for increased public safety costs. In a corresponding move, borough council established the millage

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tax rate at 6.75 mills for 2019. That is an increase of .4 mills over the currrent year’s rate of 6.35 mills.

For the average home in the borough, a millage rate increase of .4 mills equates Continued on Page 3A

Notice to our readers and subscribers For the first time in 15 years, the Chester County Press will be increasing its per-issue newsstand price and yearly subscription rates. Beginning with our January 2, 2019 edition, the cost of the Press will increase from 60 cents to $1, and its mailed subscription rates will increase to $40 a year, and $30 a year for seniors.

Subscribers will continue to receive complimentary editions of our regional magazines.

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

Chester County Press

Local News Holiday auction...

Continued from Page 1A

supplied by the Harvest Ridge Winery, whose tasting room is located in Toughkenamon.

The Holiday Auction is the Garage’s largest fundraiser, and this year, it raised an estimated $45,000 that will be targeted to funding academic and social empowerment for hundreds of young people in both the Kennett and West Grove communities – through tutoring, mentoring, computer lab access, recreation and special programs.

“Tonight means a lot to our broad mission, which is to be able to provide greater programs for the young people we serve,” said Jacquelyn Crego, the Garage’s development director. “We serve Photos by Richard L. Gaw about 480 students a year William Rose, director of operations for the Garage, between our two facili- with Larry Redmond of the Willowdale Chapel, who ties, and we’ve seen a served as the auction’s emcee. huge increase in the number of students who attend our programs. So these funds are needed now, more than ever.

“Not only do these students receive academic assistance, but college and career planning and exploration knowledge, and the opportunity to cultivate great relationships with adults in the community.”

To learn more about the Garage Community & Youth Center, visit www. garageyouthcenter.org.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Mojica Anel was dressed for the season.

Garage Community & Youth Center Executive Director Kristin Proto addressed guests during the silent auction.

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Tighe re-elected as Oxford School Board president Patterson will again serve as vice president

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Joseph Tighe and Mark Patterson were selected to again serve in leadership roles on the Oxford School Board during the annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 4.

During the nomination process, Tighe was the only nominee for the role of president. He was unanimously approved by the board.

Patterson was the only nominee to serve as vice president, and the board affirmed the appointment.

In 2019, the school

Open space project...

Continued from Page 1A

land trusts, and other nonprofits for the planning, acquisition and development of park, recreation, conservation and greenway projects.

The $1.5 million grant is the latest sizable chunk of money that’s been earmarked for the second phase of the preservation project, which also includes DCNR C2P2 grants totaling $1 million in 2016 and $1 million in 2017. In addition, the Chester County Department of Open Space committed $5 million in funding, and the Mt. Cuba Center committed $6.25 million. Added up, that’s $14.75 million that’s been amassed to purchase the property, $1.5 million shy of the $16.25 million purchase price.

Beginning in 2009, The Conservation Fund (TCF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources set out to protect the 1,718-acre property owned by George Strawbridge, Jr., purchasing 735 acres that year that were transferred to the state as part of White Clay Creek Preserve. In 2017, the TCF purchased the remaining 982 acres of the property, which will also be managed as

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board will be comprised of Tighe, Patterson, Howard Robinson, Stephen Gaspar, Gary Olson, Robert Tenga, Kristen Dean, Jenifer Warren, and Dr. Eric Owens.

At the reorganization meeting, the school board set the meeting nights for the next year. The school board will continue to hold its regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. The school board’s workshop meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month, also at 7 p.m. All meetings are scheduled to be held in the district’s Administration

Building.

In other business at the reorganization meeting, it was decided that Owens will continue to serve as the school board’s representative on the Chester County School Boards Legislative Council.

Additionally, Owens, Olson, and Warren were assigned to the district’s Policy Review Committee, with Warren serving as the chairperson of the committee.

part of White Clay Creek Preserve.

“Land preservation is not easy work, but we are fortunate to have such skilled and generous partners, such as The Conservation Fund and the Mt. Cuba Center, in this endeavor,” Dinniman said. “We are now within striking distance of bringing this momentous conservation project to fruition. I am thankful for the incredible progress that has already been made, and confident that we can cross this final hurdle in the year ahead.”

Collectively, the Strawbridge property is the single largest privatelyowned property in the area, containing several miles of Big Elk Creek, a tributary of the Elk River and the Chesapeake Bay, and more than 690 different plant species, 15 of which are endangered, rare, threatened or vulnerable. This newly-protected area connects with the 5,565-acre Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area immediately to the south in Maryland, to create a contiguous block of outdoor recreation space in excess of 7,000 acres—one of the largest in the Mid-Atlantic.

Funding for the effort came from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Chester County and Mt. Cuba Center.

“This announcement underscores how important partnerships are leveraging dollars by making these transactions happen,” said Blaine T. Phillips, Jr., Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for The Conservation Fund. “There are three different funding sources in this transaction – Chester County, the State of Pennsylvania and the Mt. Cuba Center – which proves the power in layering our resources together.”

Phillips said that the protection of the Strawbridge property is an example of TCF’s commitment model – to connect tracts of land together in a contiguous design.

“This [preservation project] goes to what we’re all about,” he said. “We buy land and pass it along to a long-term manager, who will ensure that property’s protection for the long run. We’re closing in on a decade of working on this project and putting it together with other open space. Often, I think our work can feel incremental, but if you look at this from the standpoint of a map, it’s a real milestone. This is a space that you can see from one horizon to the other, and that’s a rarity in the Mid-Atlantic region.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty. com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

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Chester County Press

Local News Right-to-know...

Continued from Page 1A

believe it is appropriate for the school district to subsidize outside groups.”

Stookey’s complaint came from the district’s admission that some groups are offered reduced rates for rental of the fields at the schools, because they fundraise or otherwise give back to the schools.

Board member Gregg Lindner, in his comments at the end of the Nov. 12 meeting, said, “About outside groups using the fields -- if you try to schedule every available hour that URA Baseball might end up using the fields, the grand total would be about $4,000. What ends up happening is that days are rained out, coaches decide not to hold practices or whatever, so if you look at that, it’s about $2,500 for URA Baseball in a given year. The dollars that come back to us through in-kind contributions from these community organizations for things such a scoreboard -- those organizations understand the need to provide dollars to the school district, and they do that willingly.”

That, however, did not satisfy Stookey, and at the school board’s Dec. 3 meeting, the board announced that they would be fighting Stookey’s right-to-know request in court.

Board president Jeff

Kennett Square taxes...

Continued from Page 1A

to an increase of about $50 in the tax bill.

Borough manager Joseph Scalise outlined the 2019 spending plan, explaining that it was largely unchanged since the previous public presentation that took place on Nov. 26.

Even before the proposed budget was unveiled in early November, borough officials had said that a tax increase might be necessary for 2019 after several years without one. There are rising costs in a number of areas, including the costs for fire and ambulance services.

One of the directives that borough council had given to the staff was that it did not want a cut in services in order to balance the budget, and several council members emphasized the need to prioritize public safety. Council member Ethan Cramer said that the borough had underfunded fire and ambulance services for a number of years, and the 2019 budget includes additional funding for those services as Kennett Square Borough and its neighboring municipalities work on developing a plan for the entire region.

There are no increases in the water, sewer, or solid waste fees for 2019. In fact, there is a potential credit totaling $120,000 borough-wide on the water bills. That would amount to a credit of about $60 on the water bill for customers, although the final amount has not yet been determined.

The borough managed to reduce its costs for worker’s compensation, property liability, health insurance, and auditing by actively seeking out the best rates for those services through requests for proposals.

Hellrung commented, “The district is very well aware of our right-to-know responsibilties, and we field a great number of requests for us to release documentation that has to do with school board business. Normally, this is straightforward and we release the documentation.

“From time to time, we feel requests are made that are not covered under the provisions of the law, and information should not be released for various good reasons. This has happened.

The citizen [Stookey] has appealed to the Office of Open Records, and we received a decision from that office that’s partly favorable to the appellate and partly favorable to the district. We believe the ruling in favor of Mr. Stookey was incorrectly decided under the law. We’re quite experienced with this. Our attorney has represented us three times before in appeals of decisions from the Office of Open Records.

We feel confident that we can prevail.”

Board member Thomas Day said, “I think that, as we go through the budget for 2019, we make the public aware of the amount of money we spend for these types of requests, and the volume of requests that come from a small number of individuals. It’s quite substantial, and I think it should be brought to the public. It takes away from dollars that could otherwise

be spent on children.”

Hellrung agreed, saying, “I’d like the public to be reasusred that we’re using good judgment in this case.”

Board vice-president Victor Dupuis added, “There’s an economic aspect to this. It’s been estimated by our administration that if we were to fully honor the things which we are appealing, it would result in 183 man hours of work on the part of our administration.

That’s a substantial cost to the taxpayers, and it’s legally questionable whether this material is covered under right-to-know. We will expend some funds to execute this appeal in the vicinity of $7,000 to $8,000. For me, there’s a substantial economic value to the taxpayer in making a statement about what rightto-know means, and what it doesn’t mean, under open records law.

“This is an important step for us to take as a district -- not only for us, but on behalf of all the districts in Pennsylvania,” Dupuis said. “All of us will be living under the results of this ruling.”

Board member Steve Simonson said, “I think our board has been very transparent in the issues we’ve been dealing with. When governing occurs outside of the view of the public, there is a risk of bad governance.

In our situaion, transparency facilitated by open records is a mechanism for

verification. But right-toknow requests come with the obligation to use them responsibly.

“One of the consequences of excessive right-to-know requests is diversion of our resources from our educational mission,” Simonson added. “The zone of appropriateness, or appropriate use of right-to-know requests, is gray. We’ve reached the point where we need to help define the boundaries of appropriateness by following the appeal process in this case.

We hope to gain clarity from this appeal.”

The board voted unanimously to appeal the decision of the Office of Open Records.

The day after the meeting, Stookey issued an email response to the Chester County Press and residents of the district.

“The district plans to sue me, not only to continue to keep details of its facilities plan and planning process secret, but also to make new law to dramatically narrow the application of the RightTo-Know Law across the Commonwealth,” he wrote.

“You will recall that earlier this year, in a highly flawed process, the district’s consultant, Kurowski and Wilson (K&W), developed a $10 million plan focused on dramatically expanding outdoor athletic facilities, mainly at the high school/ middle school campus.

This summer, the plan was

well on its way to being adopted by the board when several of us vociferously questioned the need for such ‘gold-plated’ facilities and the process that led to such an extravagant recommendation.

“I made a number of Right-to-Know requests related to the proposal and to the district’s facilities in general,” Stookey continued. “As appears to be the district’s practice when confronted with Right-toKnow requests that might reveal something less than flattering, the district first delayed its response and then denied most of my requests. I appealed the denials to the state’s Office of Open Records, which rejected most of the district’s arguments for failing to provide the records.

The district has now been ordered to provide records, or at least conduct a thorough, good-faith search for them.

“Apparently the district is concerned about what the records might reveal, as the board has now authorized the district to sue me to overturn this order,” he continued. “In its legal filings before the Office of Open Records, the district takes the stance that only records shared with the school board are public records.

This would mean that only the already-sanitized records that reach the board could be obtained through a Right-to-Know request. ...

While this theory is without basis in the law, and should not prevail in court, it shows the lengths to which the district is prepared to go to bar public access to records, and demonstrates that the district’s much-ballyhooed professions of transparency are hollow. If courts were to adopt this principle, the Right-to-Know law would be gutted.”

Stookey also outlined some of the background of his ongoing complaints.

“While the district’s compliance with the Rightto-Know law has been slow and spotty, I have received some of the financial records I requested (after a four-month wait),” he wrote. “These records indicate that the district has not been charging numerous outside groups for use of the outdoor facilities, in violation of district policy.

Outside groups account for about half of the usage of many of the district’s fields, so this is an important issue.

The district now claims it will remedy this failure in the future. Many questions remain unanswered, such as who is being held accountable for these violations of policy, and how much revenue has been lost, but without the Right-to-Know law, this mismanagement would remain hidden from public view.”

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

Kennett Square Borough’s Public Safety Committee to look at Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission’s recommendations

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer In addition to adopting a final budget for 2019, Kennett Square Borough Council handled a number of other items during its meeting on Dec. 3.

In his Finance Committee report, council member Wayne Braffman updated his colleagues about some of the things that the committee has been working on, including the effort that is underway to look at ways for the borough to increase the revenues that it sees from festivals that take place in Kennett Square.

The borough would also like to explore increasing revenues from when vendors set up shop at events in the community.

In another matter that the Finance Committee has been evaluating, the committee reached a conclusion that, unless a situation arises where there is a safety concern, Kennett Square Borough should delay moving forward on any plans for a new borough administration building until 2023.

The borough will have retired a signficant amount of debt by then, putting it in a stronger financial position to move forward The 2019 budget includes contributions to the Kennett Area Senior Center, the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC), and a “fair share” amount to the Kennett Library.

The budget includes funding for the Union Street traffic calming project and the engineering costs for a new CRP application, but a number of other projects and initiatives—including the replacement of a

at that point. Additionally, Braffman said, borough officials will have a better understanding of the annual costs that will be needed for the Kennett Fire Company and the ambulance division.

Braffman also said that the Finance Committee members reached a conclusion that it would be difficult for the committee to evaluate the financial implications of some of the controversial recommendations that were made by the regional commission that is evaluating the fire and ambulance services in Kennett Square Borough and the surrounding townships.

“It’s extremely complex and there is a lot of uncertainty at a number of levels,” Braffman explained of the commission’s recommendations. “We’re not really in a position to make a recommendation at this time.”

Braffman made a motion, which was subsequently approved by borough council, to have the borough’s Public Safety Committee take a look at the recommendations that were made by the Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission.

Braffman pointed out that there is a need to address all the questions that were police car, the replacement of several pieces of public works equipment, and traffic calming for West Sickle Street—have been deferred to a later time.

The borough is retiring about $1.1 million in debt in 2019, and by this time next year the borough’s total debt should stand at about $8.6 million.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

raised by local residents regarding those recommendations, and he said that there should be several public discussions on those issues.

The Public Safety Committee typically meets at 7:30 a.m. on the Wednesday after the first regular council meeting of the month. Mayor Matthew Fetick, who serves on that committee, said that special meetings will be held at times that are more convenient to the public.

In other business at the Dec. 3 meeting, there was a lengthy discussion about the dedication of streets and alleys in the Magnolia Place development.

Borough council followed the legal advice that it received and adopted a resolution that will authorize the borough solicitor to advertise an ordinance where the borough will accept the dedication of several streets in Magnolia Place. The streets that will eventually be accepted for dedication, as of now, are portions of South Mill Road, West Mulberry Place, and D Street. In a related matter, council delayed a vote on an ordinance that specifically rejected the dedication of several other alleys and small streets in

the Magnolia Place development—the North Alley, the South Alley, and Magnolia Court. These specific streets are not wide enough to qualify for liquid fuels funding from the state so it would be costly to the borough to simply accept the dedication of those streets and alleys. The delay on the vote occurred because the Homeowners’ Association of Magnolia Place wants the opportunity to discuss the issue with borough officials before the borough adopts an ordinance rejecting the dedication. If the borough does formally reject the dedication of the streets, it will start the clock on when these streets would be turned over to the Homeowners’ Association for permanent maintenance and upkeep.

Borough council approved the demolition of a small home on 124 South Willow Street. The borough’s HARB had previously recommended the certificate of appropriateness for the demolition. The home is in disrepair, and it would be costly to update it. The home at 124 South Willow Street is in close proximity to the site where the new library is planned to be built. The demolition of 124

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Kennett Square Borough Council approved amendments to chapter 23 of the borough’s zoning ordinance. The amendments are designed to improve the language regarding corner lots, and the setbacks that are required for structures like sheds and garages that are placed on corner lots.

One issue with the ordinance was that corner lots are defined as having two front yards.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

Cheerful, warm and bright

The weather might have been a bit chilly, but an evening filled with heartwarming activities and family-friendly fun made for a wonderful Country Christmas celebration in Oxford

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer From the gleeful children lining up to meet Santa Claus and the joyous performances of Christmas carols to the beautifully decorated storefronts and the live Nativity in front of the Oxford Presbyterian Church that reminded everyone of the reason for the season, Oxford was aglow with the holiday spirit during the Country Christmas celebration on Dec. 7.

As Mayor Lorraine Bell said just moments before lighting the town Christmas tree, Oxford resembled one of those too-good-to-be-true towns in a Hallmark movie.

One of the early highlights of the evening was the arrival of Santa Claus. Children shared their Christmas wishes and had their pictures taken with Santa at KVIS & Coe Insurance. Children also enjoyed making crafts at Santa’s Workshop.

There were family-friendly events throughout town as

businesses and restaurants planned special activities and offerings for the festive occasion.

Family and friends gathered to share food and drink at the Octoraro Hotel & Tavern, La Sicilia, the SawMill Grill, Avocados from Mexico, and at Flickerwood Wine. Beer enthusiasts enjoyed their favorite beverages at the Bog Turtle Brewery and Hollow Earth Brewery, both featuring delicious, local beers. At Pickled Pickles, people could shop or sample food and drink by M&M Catering and Wayvine Winery. Warm beverages and tasty treats like kettle corn were served up at Wholly Grounds.

There were hayrides and carriage rides to enjoy, thanks to sponsorships from businesses like The Soap Bucket and The Outback Trading Company.

The Oxford Arts Alliance once again featured the Artisan Gift Shop, where shoppers could find many one-of-a-kind gifts.

There was music

Photo by Steven Hoffman

The Lincoln University Choir performed some holiday favorites for the crowd.

throughout the evening.

The Christian Life Center Band, the Lincoln University Concert Choir, the Bethany Christian School, and Sacred Heart School all performed Christmas favorites for the crowd. The Lincoln University Concert Choir led the crowd in a performance of “Silent Night.”

Bell, with the help of two local children, led the countdown to the lighting of the town Christmas Tree, which drew loud applause from everyone who had gathered around.

Bell said that Oxford was like one of those too-goodto-be-true towns featured on Hallmark Christmas movies, and she was proud to be the mayor of such a town.

Bell lauded Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. (OMI), the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce, and the businesses in town for their leading roles in making the Country Christmas such a festive experience for Oxford residents and guests.

“OMI and the Chamber have done so much for Oxford.,” Bell said. “The Country Christmas is the best night of the year here.

There are so many activities for children and families.”

In addition to the annual Christmas festivities, the evening was also highlighted by the opening of three new businesses in town: NEKO Beauty Studio, the D’Amico Law office, and the the Kashmir Hookah Lounge.

Bill Carey said that he wanted to make sure

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Dylan and Peyton Peters were among the many children who visited with Santa Claus during the Oxford Country Christmas celebration.

that the Kashmir Hookah Lounge could debut on Market Street in time for the Country Christmas First Friday because it’s such a great event. The Kashmir Hookah Lounge’s sign was officially unveiled during the evening. Owned by Frantic Productions, LLC, the Kashmir Hookah Lounge brings something new to the downtown.

Carey said that they are already looking forward to being involved in community events, particularly the next Connective Festival that showcases music and art.

Carey said that the Hookah Lounge features the artwork of Kailah Rubican, a senior at Oxford Area High School.

He sees the lounge as a good place to showcase local art.

Though he’s a new business owner in town, Carey is already very familiar with Oxford.

“I know so many people in town,” Carey said. “I love Oxford.”

D’Amico Law, which has been serving southern Chester County residents at its Kennett Square office, now has a second location in downtown Oxford. The legal team includes Anita D’Amico, Jessica Socienski and Nicole Rossi. D’Amico Law handles everything from family law matters like mediation and personal injury claims to estate planning and administration, to minor criminal matters.

Officials from OMI and Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce were among those who gathered at NEKO Beauty Studio for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. NEKO Beauty Studio is a health and beauty boutique that is focused on green beauty. The owner is Kathleen McBride, a

West Grove resident who is a stylist and a cosmetic tattooer. She has more than 20 years of experience in the field. Maggie Mae Cratty is the lead facialist. The beauty studio offers a wide variety of products and services to ensure that their clients will always look their best. The studio has an array of plantbased skincare and makeup products. Services include microblading, cosmetic tattoos, facials, customized peels, dermaplaning, brow waxing and tinting, body waxing, makeup artistry and Botox/fillers.

While the Country Christmas celebration has passed for another year, there are still plenty of shopping and dining opportunities in downtown Oxford this holiday season.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

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Chester County Press

Local News Tick Tock Early Learning...

Continued from Page 1A

Santa Claus will even be stopping by.

These heart-felt donations from individuals and businesses make the holidays brighter for the more than 100 children who are enrolled in the pre-school, before-school, and afterschool programs at Tick Tock.

Karen Ammon, who came on board as Tick Tock’s executive director a year ago, said that the donations make a huge difference in the lives of the children, and make them feel special during the holidays.

This year, the season of giving started earlier than normal at Tick Tock. In mid-November, Melinda Hardie dropped off 108

pairs of hand-knit mittens and an equal number of hats—one set for each child at the center. There were even a few extra hats and mittens left over.

Susan Czerwin, the operations director for Tick Tock Early Learning Center, said that the extra hats and mittens were then distributed to some of the siblings of the children who are enrolled at the center.

Hardie, a retired engineer at DuPont, was inspired to use her skills as an avid knitter to make a truly unique gift for the youngsters. Hardie is friends with Debbie Horak, a Tick Tock Early Learning Center board member. Horak had mentioned that a group of knitters had made a sweater for each child in the center.

Hardie was impressed by the amount of work that it

Uncle Irvin...

Continued from Page 1A

opposites are managed in the same manner: • No full-time employees, only part-time • Limited daily office hours • No services • No real police protection • Farmed-out building and zoning officers, and everything else One of these townships is being mismanaged and it’s not rural, bucolic West Marlborough. For over 50 years, East Marlborough has always been managed on the cheap. That may have been acceptable 40 or 50 years ago, but it is not acceptable now. East’s five supervisors are asleep at the wheel, and I wonder when they will wake up.

(This is an occasional column written by Uncle Irvin. As always, the column is the opinion of Uncle Irvin, and is not a news story.)

would have taken to handknit 100 or more sweaters, and wanted to do something nice for the children, too. Hardie enlisted some of her friends to help out with the task of knitting more than 100 hats and sets of mittens.

All the hard work was worth it when the finished products were dropped off to the children and they lined up to select the hats and mittens that they liked best. Ammon said that it really made the children feel special, and it was a heart-warming scene to see the children so excited to pick out their hats and mittens.

According to Czerwin, the hats and mittens were very meaningful, just as the sweaters are.

“This wasn’t just a gift of warmth,” Czerwin explained. “These kids felt special that they got to pick their very own hats and mittens. The parents saw that people cared enough to hand-make something for their children.”

For her part, Hardie said that it was very gratifying experience.

“Crafters are pretty generous community,” she said. “We make with love in our hearts and are gratified by the appreciation of the gift recipients. I cannot believe the joy it brought to many of them.”

Anne Humes has helped bring a lot of joy to the youngsters at Tick Tock Early Learning Center through the years.

Humes, a resident of Kendal~Crosslands, leads the effort of a group of knitters in the community

Opening Summer 2019

to make the sweaters for the youngsters by hand each care. They also make hats and scarves for the children.

“These sweaters are adorable,” Ammon said. “Each sweater is different. It really is the coolest thing.”

Czerwin explained that Humes also regularly visits Tick Tock during the spring and summer to do special art projects with small groups of students.

A number of different businesses, including Sundance Vacations of King of Prussia, Pa., Agilent Technologies of Wilmington, Del., and residents and employees at Kendal~Crosslands make a point to collect gifts for the children at Tick Tock Early Learning Center each year.

Last year, the Upland Country Day School planned a special “toynament” to collect gifts for Tick Tock during a hockey tournament.

These donations and gifts don’t just make the holidays brighter for the children, they also illustrate the community support that the Tick Tock Early Learning Center enjoys after being an integral part of southern Chester County for so long. The Tick Tock Early Learning Center has been providing highquality, affordable care and education to youngsters in southern Chester County for more than 50 years.

For anyone who would like to help, the Tick Tock Early Learning Center has a list of supplies that they need on Amazon. Simply go to Amazon’s website and search “Tick Tock

Courtesy photo

A number of businesses and individuals are helping to make the holidays bright for children at the Tick Tock Early Learning Center.

Courtesy photo

The children have received sweaters and other handknit items to keep them warm throughout the holidays and winter, thanks to the work of knitters at KendalCrosslands.

Early Learning Center” on the charity finder. Visit ticktockelc.org or call 610268-8134 to learn about ways that you can donate or get involved with the

Tick Tock Early Learning Center.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

Penn Township adopts a final budget It’s the 22nd year in a row that the township won’t be increasing its taxes

By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Staff Writer The Penn Township supervisors approved the 2019 township budget in the amount of $3,582,000 during their Dec. 5 meeting. The budget is balanced at $1,632,555 in both income and expenses. The remainder of the budgeted amount is funds carried forward from the present fund balance.

There will be no increase in taxes needed to support the budget.

This will be 22 years in a row that Penn Township has gone without an increase in taxes.

Included in the budget is payment of $158,507 to the West Grove Fire Company and $99,434 to the West Grove Ambulance for coverage of the township. This is an increase of about $17,000 over the current year.

The supervisors expressed concerns over the increases in demand for ambulance service in the township, particularly as it is related to the

Jennersville Hospital and other medical providers in the community.

“Every call they put out, we get billed for. This is something we need to talk to the ambulance about,” supervisor Curtis Mason said.

Finding volunteers to work with the fire company continues to be challenging, One step the township has taken to help is the approval of a list of volunteer firefighters eligible to receive a local tax credit of up to $500 under PA Act 172 of 2016.

The board also discussed the recent PUC hearings in Jennersville concerning a rate increase

by Aqua that would increase sewer rates by 85 percent. Township supervisors were among the many people who spoke against the rate increase at two hearing sessions on Nov. 12.

“We went to bat for the rate-payers,” Mason said.

One of the township’s concerns is the high percentage of senior citizens who depend on Aqua for sewer service.

Township statistics show that 81 percent of the sewer system users in the township are seniors.

When the treatment plant was owned by the township, developers hooking into the sewer system paid tapping fees that kept rates low for existing system users, but under Aqua ownership, the entire rate base must cover the cost of new lines.

“There are a lot of things that make this very unfair,” township manager Karen Versuk said.

In other business, the township is ready for winter road maintenance with the recent purchase of 250 tons of road salt, bringing the total on hand to about 750 tons.

Completion of renovations to the Red Rose Inn has slowed as the township tries to cope with water getting into the bottom level of the building. “Everything there needs to be slowed down until we can address this water situation,” super visor Victor Mantegna said.

Executive director of Student-created ceramics for Oxford Arts Alliance retires sale at Kennett High School

The executive director of the Oxford Arts Alliance, Judy Petersen, has announced she will be retiring from the Alliance to focus on her work as an artist. She had announced her intended resignation to the Arts Alliance board in the fall.

Board president Catharine Dann Roeber said, “The entire board and staff are so thankful for all Judy has done to ensure a growing and thriving Oxford Arts Alliance. We wish her the best as she pursues new and exciting endeavors, and are thrilled she will continue as a vibrant partner of the arts in Oxford.”

Petersen will fulfill her duties through the end of 2018.

Petersen was a board member for the Alliance since

2012, and assumed the role of executive director for the last 18 months. “It was my goal to create best practices and a new staff model,” she said.

“The Alliance is celebrating 10 years, and will continue to serve the community and grow with the Oxford art scene.”

The Alliance will be led

by Tony Derrico, director of education, while a replacement executive director is found. Derrico is the assistant director for the Alliance.

“Along with the Alliance continuing to be a part of the growing art scene in Oxford, my goal is to bring our Touch of Earth studio to downtown, along with a gallery,” Petersen said.

She will continue to be the liaison co-lead for the

Connective Arts & Music Festival, specifically Gallery Row and art demonstrators.

“2018 was a success, and our 2019 Festival Event Committee is a group of staff and volunteers with energy, creativity and leadership,” Petersen said. The event will be held Aug. 3, 2019.

“For my family, Oxford has become our hometown,” Petersen said. “This is a town that has uniqueness and people with passion. It is moving forward to become a destination for art, music, dining, entertainment and much more, not only in Southern Chester County, but the tri-state area. I am very honored and excited to be a part of this movement.”

For more information about the Oxford Arts Alliance, visit www.oxfordart.org.

Voted Delaware’s #1 Home Improvement Co. 7 Years In A Row!

Ceramic pieces made by students are featured at the annual sale on Dec. 14.

Nearly 50 pieces – including wheel-thrown mugs, bowls, and vases as well as hand-built holiday decorations -- will be for sale at this year’s Ceramics Sale at Kennett High School. All works were crafted by students in teacher Jodi Davidson’s ceramics classes, levels I through IV. Nine years ago, Davidson

and her students developed this creative way to add to their annual budget, with all proceeds from the sale helping to support the purchase of materials like clay and glaze for future projects.

Davidson said, “The items available for sale are of the same hand-crafted quality you’d find at a store or online. We sell them for a

fraction of the cost to make it affordable for people to purchase pieces as gifts.

The students have created some amazing work, and the money goes directly back into our program.”

Last year’s sale raised approximately $500.

The sale will be held in the school’s lobby on Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prices range from $5 to $35.

County to donate lifesaving drug at two local events on Dec. 13

On Dec. 13, Chester County’s Health Department and Department of Drug & Alcohol Services are hosting a free Naloxone Day, with doses of the medication being given away to anyone who cannot or does not wish to obtain it from a pharmacy.

The event is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s “Stop Overdoses in PA: Get Help Now” campaign, and the goal is to increase access to the lifesaving medication, especially for those who may have a substance use disorder, or those who may encounter someone in crisis.

On Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., two naloxone distribution sites will be set up – one at the Chester County Government Services Center (601 Westtown Rd., West Chester) and the other at the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus (137 Modena Rd., South Coatesville).

Recipients will not have to provide any personal information to receive the naloxone.

Distribution is on a firstcome, first-serve basis while supplies last. One naloxone kit is available per person.

Naloxone, also known by the brand names Narcan or Evzio, is a medication which reverses opioid (prescription painkillers, fentanyl, and heroin) overdoses and gives the person a chance at recovery. When given during an opioid overdose, naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing within minutes.

“Last year, Chester County lost 144 lives to accidental drug overdose, a majority of which involved opioids,” said Vince Brown, director of the Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services.

“We are working together, and must continue to work together, to provide comprehensive solutions to the opioid epidemic, and access to naloxone is a key part of that. The medication saves lives.”

Jeanne Casner, director of the Chester County Health

Department, said, “We want to get this lifesaving medication into the hands of many people in the community, which will ultimately save lives – but we recognize that some residents may not be able to make it out to one of the free Narcan distribution locations.

“The fact is, the public can obtain naloxone over the counter at most pharmacies due to a standing order, which is a prescription written for the general public by the Pennsylvania Physician General.

Naloxone is covered by most insurance companies at little to no co-pay.”

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan added, “Every week, Chester County police officers save lives by administering naloxone to people who are overdosing. This naloxone giveaway day invites ordinary citizens to join us in fighting the opioid epidemic by arming themselves to protect friends and loved ones who might overdose.

Every life matters.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

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Chester County Press

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Opinion

Editorial

Letter to the Editor

State Senator Greenway

Among my biggest disappointments in politics

From the moment State Sen. Andy Dinniman first stepped onto the public stage as a leader and lawmaker, his commitment to defending Pennsylvania’s open spaces, waterways and natural lands has been one of the driving forces of his political career, and some would go even further and make the claim that this passion drives his life.

The breadth of Dinniman’s dedication toward our environment takes him to the Senate floor in Harrisburg, but it also puts his deeds and actions in front of big companies who want natural gas drilling and pipelines, or the license to pump water from local wells over the state line to Delaware.

It also takes him to the edge of small creeks, to cheer on young people who initiate clean-ups; it seats him in the living rooms of those families who have been affected by the swarm of the encroaching phorid fly; and it sends him all over the county to listen to representatives from wildlife associations and environmental organizations.

Perhaps the largest impact of Sen. Dinniman’s environmental record may be found in his efforts with state and regional agencies to create what will become one of the largest contiguous areas of preservation in the Mid-Atlantic region, a multi-phase plan to link Chester and Elk Township in Maryland in a permanent greenway corridor.

Dinniman worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and The Conservation Fund to help secure a $1.5 million grant to acquire and permanently protect 1,718 acres that will be added to the White Clay Creek

Preserve. The announcement was made in November, but it was just one component of Dinniman’s work to influence 10 additional conservation and recreations projects in Chester County, that will receive nearly $3 million in total state grant funding: • $31,000 for Atglen Borough to prepare master site development plans for the 17-acre Valley Avenue parcel, the 5-acre Church Road Park, the 1.2-acre Borough Hall parcel and 206 Main Street.

• $1.5 million for the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art to go toward the acquisition of approximately 569 acres in Lower Oxford and West Nottingham for open space protection and passive recreation.

• $40,000 for the City of Coatesville to prepare a Master Site Development Plan and Swimming Pool Feasibility Study for the 9.3acre Ash Park.

• $250,000 for the City of Coatesville for further development of Palmer Park, including the construction of pedestrian walkways and a pavilion, the installation of play equipment, lighting, ADA access, landscaping, signage and other related site improvements.

• $75,000 for East Bradford Township to go toward the acquisition of approximately seven acres along Birmingham Road for open space protection and passive recreation.

• $118,800 for the Natural Lands Trust for the construction of approximately 64 acres of riparian buffers along waterways in the Delaware River Watershed, including landowner outreach and engagement, buffer plantings, post-planting establishment and other improvements.

• $17,000 for the Natural Lands Trust to prepare a stewardship plan for the 571-

acre Stroud Preserve in East and West Bradford.

• $100,000 for Schuylkill Township for further development of Valley Park, including the construction of pedestrian walkways, an outdoor classroom, parking area and stormwater management, as well as ADA access, landscaping, signage and other related site improvements.

• $229,800 for the Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County to go toward the acquisition of approximately 19 acres in London Britain Township for open space preservation habitat protection and passive recreation along the White Clay Creek, and • $500,000 for West Whiteland Township for further development of the Exton Park’s Swedesford Recreation area, including the construction of natural play areas, a dog park, pavilions, a comfort station, a parking area, and the installation of utilities, lighting, ADA access, landscaping, signage and other related site improvements.

“Chester County’s rolling hills, pristine streams and recreational opportunities are some of the very reasons that make it such a great place to call home,” Dinniman said in a statement to announce the funding for these projects.

“These grant funds will help us continue to build on our success in protecting our land, water, and environmental resources, while also increasing recreational opportunities for residents and families throughout the area.”

We heartily agree with Sen. Dinniman, and we recognize him for his unwavering commitment, one that will serve as his greatest legacy of service.

By Lee H. Hamilton

— They conduct sweeping purges of voter rolls, The other day, a friend often stripping voters of their asked what surprised me ability to vote without their most about politics. This knowledge; may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about — They restrict eligibility the question. for absentee ballots; My response was off-thecuff but heartfelt. The biggest — They refuse to invest surprise is also among my in the infrastructure that biggest disappointments with sustains voting, resulting in American political life: the machines that break down ongoing effort by politicians and long lines that discourto suppress votes. age potential voters.

Yes, it’s gone on for years.

And in some respects, limThe people who oppose iting the vote has been a making it easier to vote feature of American politics often cite as their reason since the beginning, when that they’re trying to prevent only white men with property voter fraud. In other words, could cast ballots. But when they’re defending the integI began in politics, I assumed rity of our democracy and of those days were past us, and the ballot. everyone was on board with But here’s the thing: there the idea that the more people is occasional voter fraud, and who vote, the better. Boy, yes, it needs to be guarded was I naïve. against. But rampant voter The truth is, people work fraud simply doesn’t exist in hard to prevent other peo- this country. Efforts to prove ple from voting. To be sure, that it exists have failed. some voters do it to them- Let’s be blunt: there’s no tidal selves — they’re too busy, or wave of illegal voting in the they think their vote doesn’t U.S. matter, or they encounter What does inarguably exist, long lines and turn away. though, is an epidemic of But there is also an active, efforts to suppress the vote. ongoing effort to keep people Voting is a basic right of citi— often minority or poor zenship. It’s the foundation voters — from casting their of a democracy — people’s ballots. How do politicians ability to participate and accomplish this? Here’s a engage with the issues facing short, and incomplete, list: their communities and their country. That ideal lies at the — They require voter IDs core of American values, and — and then limit which IDs I’m always mindful of the are valid (a gun permit is fact that a lot of Americans fine, for instance, but not a gave their lives for that ideal. student ID); Moreover, excluding groups of voters encourages resent— They close polling plac- ment, risking protests and es — usually (you guessed potentially violence. it) in poor and minority I’ve always believed that communities; you win power by convincing people that your ideas — They limit the hours and proposals are right — or polls are open; at least that you should be given the chance to prove

that they’re right. Winning power by keeping people away from the polls is a perversion of what democracy is about. Our political institutions need to reflect the will of the people, and if you disenfranchise people, it means that our representative government doesn’t reflect accurately the will of the people.

Because voting laws are in the hands of the states, there are plenty of counter-examples — states that have worked to make voting easier, to expand hours, to allow same-day registration, and the like. There’s more to be done, especially making sure that the politicians who control elections aren’t themselves running for office, as happened notably in November’s elections in Georgia and Kansas. That is a conflict of interest of the most obvious sort.

This struggle, between expanding the vote and trying to limit it, is ongoing.

It’s not going to be resolved any time soon. I’m always distressed when I encounter efforts to suppress the vote.

But I take heart from the fact that over the course of American history, the dominant trend has been to expand citizens’ access to the polls, and I hope that over the long term, we continue in that direction.

Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar of the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

U-CF school board hears from principals about progress

By John Chambless Staff Writer At the beginning of a threehour meeting on Dec. 3, the Unionville-Chadds Ford school board reorganized its leadership for the coming year.

Current president Jeff Hellrung was nominated for a second term. Each member voted for him except Gregg Lindner, who answered simply “Present,” rather than endorse Hellrung. The two have disagreed in the past, although their working relationship seems functional.

To fill the role currently filled by Vic Dupuis, Steven Simonson was unanimously elected as the board’s incoming vice-president.

During his comments at the beginning of the meeting, district superintendent John Sanville addressed an issue raised during public comment

at a November board meeting.

Resident Holly Manzone, a former board member, mentioned that a mold problem at Patton Middle School had been covered up with a coat of paint.

Sanville read from a statement, “As to accusations of mold and a lack of action, there is not remediation plan because there is no mold issue at Patton Middle School. To say otherwise is unfair and irresponsible. Ignoring an issue that wouold be potentially harmful is something we would just never do.

“At the request of the district, Environmental Control Systems, our environmental risk engineers visited Patton Middle School to assess surfaces and test the air quality,” Sanville continued. “The process was completed on Nov. 21 during regular school hours. They concluded what

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we already knew – there is no evidence of mold.”

Later, Hellrung commented, “Our school community relies on mutual qualities of trust and personal integrity.

When any individual publically makes a false allegation against our community, damage is done. … We do not need alarmists and rumor-mongers.

Such behavior is toxic and damaging.”

Hellrung advised community members, “Bring your concerns to your elected school board members or to the appropriate school administrator.

We will listen and get answers for you. At our June meeting, we heard reports of increasing bad behavior among some of our Unionville High School students. This came from respected staff members. We followed up with them, and took action to address their concerns. We also took them into account in updating our code of student conduct. The results have been highly positive. I spent an entire day at UHS last week, shadowing our board’s student representative, and I saw nothing but a positive, respectful environment.

That is how we roll in the U-CF school district.”

While most of the meeting was taken up by the district’s Achievement Report, featuring principals from each of the schools, the board also took time to approve the proposed preliminary budget for 20192020. The early version of the budget calls for appropriations of $91,243,488. The figures present a “worst case scenario” for the coming year, reflecting an increase in expenditures

of 4.75 percent. The budget will be substantially refined over the next two months, with adoption of the preliminary budget scheduled on Feb. 11, and adoption of the final budget slated in June. At this point, the proposed millage rates for Chester and Delaware counties are 29.61 mills and 26.11 mills, respectively. That represents increases of 3.86 percent and 3.82 percent, respectively.

The board voted unanimously to approve the proposed budget figures.

The Achievement Report was prefaced by Sanville, who noted, “This is something that we do on a regular basis, to review our performance as teachers, administrators, support staff, and school board members. It’s important to benchmark and look at what’s going well, and our opportunities to grow. Those are there as well.”

In a general view, the school district continues to be a top performer. Judging by PSSA state test scores, UnionvilleChadds Ford routinely nearly doubles the state average scores. In Keystone state test scores, the district has a 90 percent proficient/advanced score in Algebra 1, 93 percent in literature and 89 percent in biology.

At Unionville High School, 96 percent of graduates are planning to attend college.

Ninety-three percent of students scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam, compared to 68 percent statewide. The high school’s SAT results are in the low 600s across the board, compared to the low 500s nationwide. This year,

the school has focused on student and staff wellness; and Policy 218, governing student discipline, was revamped to allow more flexibility for consequences of misbehavior. The rankings for “school climate” – encompassing how favorably students, personnel and parents responded to things like “sense of physical security,” “respect for diversity” and “sense of emotional security” – were also studied. Physical surroundings ranked at the top, with a score of just over 4 out of 5. “Sense of social-emotional security” ranked lowest, with a rating of 3 or slightly above among the three groups questioned.

As a result, the school has worked this year to review safety protocols with students and staff, conducted inservices on emergency protocols, initiated the “Safe2Say Something” program, and more.

Other schools in the district presented similar data, with promising test scores, and a few areas of emphasis, particularly English Language Arts, in which scores are stagnant in three of the six schools.

In remarks before the presentation, school board member Robert Sage pointed out his thoughts on the overall results.

“We have a very high-performing school district, which is great,” he said. “I do want to highlight areas of opportunity for improvement that I saw from the data. First is PSSA results. There are two elements of PSSA – one is proficiency, and then there’s growth. Even if you’re at a high level, are you making that next step in

a school year? You should be growing every year.

“One area we’re not faring as well is English Language Arts, and you can see in three of our six buildings, we’re in the red. Even though performance is quite good, we’re not getting the growth that’s expected. But that’s just one year.

“Last, school climate,” Sage said. “When we see results, there’s no interpretive data provided. We score well on climate, but what I’m pointing out is that we’re going in the wrong direction. If you look at the numbers, we’re down almost across the board in terms of the climate in our buildings. In the climate data, we don’t say what’s good – people just see that it’s down, with no explanation. Looking across the six reports, we present data in six different ways.

Having consistency would help.”

Board member Carolyn Daniels suggested finding ways for instruction teams from different schools to cooperate and share ideas, possibly online if schedules don’t permit face-to-face meetings.

Assistant district superintendent John Nolen was in favor of the idea, mentioning a book study that was held across all six schools, and that teachers have requested more collaborative time.

The entire Achievement Report is posted online at www.ucfsd.org, under the school board tab.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

8A

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

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2101 Pennsylvania Ave | Wilmington, DE 19806

Shop 24-7 at

302-504-8313

15 MINUTES FROM LONGWOOD GARDENS

Section

B

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

‘Shop With the Sheriff’ gives kids a leg up on gift buying

By Chris Barber Correspondent The 95 students who attend the Chester County Family Academy got a timely start on holiday shopping on Dec. 8 with the help of Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh and her deputies.

Now in its fifth year, “Shop With the Sheriff ” takes the children on a buying adventure, with $100 each to spend at the Kennett Square Walmart.

Many of the kids at this West Chester-based charter school are from low-income families and would not otherwise be able to buy gifts.

Two buses, followed by a caravan of sheriff ’s department vehicles, arrived at the store at about 9 a.m.

Welsh led the children inside the store and through a receiving line of deputies, sharing high-fives as they went. Then they were each assigned a deputy to push them around the store in a shopping cart and help find gifts for their relatives.

Welsh sent them on their way and told the deputies,

“If they go over the $100, it is OK.” As Welsh watched the children fan out over the store, she beamed with pleasure. “This is the best day of the year for me,” she said. The deputies, plus other volunteers in yellow T-shirts, enjoyed it as well.

Veteran shopping project deputy Brian Bolt was helping his student shopper, Titus, find a pair of pajamas for his father. “It’s great for the kids,” he said.

Many of the children bought games, toys and clothes. The video game “Fortnite” was a popular choice.

After their shopping trip, the children returned to the Elks Club in West Chester, where they had lunch and a visit from Santa Claus.

A large team of volunteers there also helped wrap the gifts. At a later date, the children were scheduled to shop again for presents for themselves.

The “Shop With the Sheriff ” project is funded by donations from individuals and organizations, as well as a $5,000 contribution from Walmart.

Deputy Brian Bolt and student Titus search for Christmas gifts at Walmart on Saturday.

Photos by Chris Barber

Sheriff Carolyn ‘Bunny’ Welsh helps her student, Jaqueline, pick out a game for a relative on Saturday.

Even Matilda, a K-9 officer, came along to help with the shopping.

Walmart staff members line up, awaiting the arrival of the young shoppers.

Children from the Chester County Family Academy proceed through a line of deputies after getting off the buses from West Chester.

Brian Bush, who appeared as Santa Claus, has held the role since the project started.

Shoppers and their deputies check out.

Longwood reimagining trees this holiday season ‘A Longwood Christmas’ runs through Jan. 6

By Meredith Haas Contributing Writer Sprung from the mind of Longwood Gardens head display designer Jim Sutton and created by a small army of volunteers, staff and fellow designers, a Kennett Square holiday tradition has added a new look this year.

Just look at the trees. They’re being reimagined -- from a forest of festive firs suspended from above, to towering tannenbaums.

On display through Jan. 6, “A Longwood Christmas” pays homage to the Christmas tree this holiday season with an imaginative display featuring traditional favorites and inspiring new twists. The light show happens the moment one leaves the visitor’s center: a kaleidoscope of color on almost every tree.

“There was no color palette this year, so all of the workers got to use a lot of different colors and their imaginations,” Sutton said. “The cohesive thread is that it is all these trees, reimagined. This year, I would

describe what we did as taking a leap, rather than the small changes we have made in years past.”

The “reimagined” concept reaches new heights with the 17 trees that float above the ballroom floor, as if held up by nothing.

“We needed to know the weight of every tree hanging,” Sutton said. “They were brought in pre-lit, and unlike normal trees, these had to be plugged in at the top, as they were hanging from wires. With all of that, we had to hang 5,000 ornaments on every tree, get people to hang from the ceilings to install wires, and make sure nothing broke the glass roof of the Conservatory.”

Along with the extravagant pursuit of hanging the trees from wires came another big leap for Longwood in the Music Room, where designer and senior gardener April Bevans found inspiration from local artist Danielle Vincent.

With handcrafted walnut bookshelves on every wall done by Longwood carpenters, books that were handcrafted by

Courtesy of Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens designer and senior gardener April Bevans.

the artist are everywhere.

Vincent took old books, repurposed them and folded pages to make different designs.

Tracing the bookshelves at the very top is garland, handcrafted from the pages ripped from old books and made to look like a multitude of leaves.

“A staff member found Danielle at an arts festival last year, and when we contacted her to do artwork for us, she was so excited, ” Bevans said.

“Our goal was to stay with a classy theme, but also be fantastic. This process took much longer than we thought it would, and many outdoor workers came in on the hot or rainy days to help out with all of the decorations.”

Towering over everything in the Music Room is the 19-foot Fraser fir, clothed in metal or metal-like ornaments, and a garland of books and white lights. Bevans said that it took nine people to hang the thousands of ornaments.

“I wanted to stick with a muted color palette, with golds, silvers and pinks,” Bevans said.

“You can see the color scheme carried through the ornaments and in the furniture. We wanted to keep the elegance, but we also did something different and had a child’s corner with a tree that has a child-like feel.

Along with this more fantastic feel, we put floating books in the fireplace to go along with the floating trees outside.”

With each tree at “A Longwood Christmas” comes a story.

“In the Silver Garden, you will be able to find a

Courtesy of Longwood Gardens

Seventeen floating Christmas trees suspended from the Conservatory ceiling highlight Longwood’s annual ‘A Longwood Christmas,’ on display through Jan. 6.

tumbleweed tree made from tumbleweeds imported from the Southwest,” Sutton said. “In the Mediterranean Garden, there is a tree made of 600 pieces of green glass hanging from the ceiling to form the shape of a Christmas tree. In the Palm House, there is a beautiful tree of fresh-cut tropical flowers and 100 floral arrangements.”

Sutton said that there is a lot of planning and written work that leads up to each display, beginning nearly a year in advance. Bevans and Sutton will soon begin brainstorming ideas with other staff for next year’s “A Longwood Christmas.”

“We go around now and just see what we like this year, and what we may like better for next year,” Sutton said. “I go around with my Christmas tree lighting committee, and we see what the next leap will be for next year.”

To learn more about “A Longwood Christmas” and to obtain tickets, visit www. longwoodgardens.org.

Photo by John Chambless

At night, the floating trees take on a magical look.

2B

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

Art for giving, or for yourself, in Kennett Square

By John Chambless Staff Writer The Square Pear Fine Art Gallery in Kennett Square rolls out plenty of small works for gift giving this month, packing in paintings, ceramics and jewelry that would be a perfect gift for someone, or a special treat for yourself.

In the front room of the gallery is a wall of wildlife and farm animal paintings by Sandra Severson and Rachel Altschuler. Severson’s softertoned palette contrasts nicely with Altschuler’s brighter, showier colors. Kim Hoescht’s paintings radiate a golden light, and they beckon you from up close as well as from across the room. “Shellburne Cottage Entry” – a doorway, blue rug and slanting afternoon light – is particularly fine.

Monique Sarkessian’s “Good Vintage Heels” and “Vanelli Gifts 3” would be great for the shoe-lover in your life, and Gwenn Knapp’s still lifes have a lovely, soft texture, particularly her three pears nestled on a blue plate.

Kevin Cummins shows his etching/aquatint views of the sunny seashore, and Ann Guidera-Matey shows a mastery of vibrant pastel colors in “Red Heads,” a view of autumn foliage, and her glowing views of marshlands at dusk.

It’s great to see a collection of Dan Chow’s quiet, contemplative views of buildings and places you might overlook. You may recognize several of these places from around Kennett Square, and

even one view that’s across the street from the gallery.

Lauren Litwa’s “Blown Banner” is a splendid, surreal view of a sloping hillside that radiates unusual light and an air of mystery that’s quite captivating. The tiny “Yellow Sky Line” by M.W. Jones is a similarly hushed view of telephone wires that draws you in. And don’t miss gallery owner Corien Siepelinga’s four still lifes. They glisten with just the right treatment of pepper and tomato skins, and the soft contours of ripe pears.

Frank DePietro’s many admirers will love his four leaf studies that show his mastery of transluscent textures.

Nearby, Al Moretti’s eyepopping acrylics are energetic and interesting, particularly his just-right portrait of the late singer Amy Winehouse (“Missing Amy”).

Brad Earl’s city views have an almost three-dimensional quality, and anyone nostalgic for the distinctive architecture of yesteryear will fall in love with them. There are plenty of new, tiny oil fantasies by Kathryn Noska that feature animals and birds perched on niche openings, beyond which lie vast landscapes – all in spaces only a few inches wide.

They’re cute, but also packed with symbolic meaning if you want to delve deeper.

There’s a nice selection of Rhoda Kahler’s stoneware and raku clay panels that revel in surfaces seemingly burnished by time. Kahler’s “Road Trip” is fun, and “Fog” suggests acres of landscape in a minimum of space.

Robert Jenkins shows watercolors of the interiors of abandoned industrial buildings that have a murky depth to them, and he pulls off pure magic with his watercolors on glass that capture seemingly three-dimensional insects within the frame.

And then there are the cuddly tea sets and vases by Peter Saenger that will beg to come home with you – and a whole lot more. If you can’t find the ideal gift for someone in this show, you simply need to walk around the gallery again, because you might have missed it the first time.

The Square Pear Fine Art Gallery is at 200 State St., Kennett Square. Call 484-8835429 for information.

‘The Creamery’ by Dan Chow.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

‘Romance’ Severson.

by

Sandra

‘Closed for the Season’

by Brad Earl.

A tea set by Peter Saenger.

‘Good Vintage Heels’ by Monique Sarkessian.

‘Missing Moretti.

Amy’

by

Al

‘Shellburne Cottage Entry’ by Kim Hoescht.

‘Yellow Sky Line’ by Marie Wolfington Jones.

‘Walter’ by Rachel Altschuler.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

Through Jan. 6 Yuletide at Winterthur Yuletide at Winterthur runs until Jan. 6, with a yuletide tour of the du Pont mansion decked out for the holidays.

Each delightful room tells a story reflecting the ways in which Americans have celebrated the winter holiday season from the 1800s to the present. Other highlights include: a magical Christmas tree inspired by Winterthur’s Enchanted Woods children’s garden; more trees celebrating the season throughout the mansion; an 18-room dollhouse mansion filled with nearly 1,000 miniatures and fully decorated for Christmas; and a display of antique Santas and figures of the mischievous Belsnickel. Winterthur’s two stores offer a selection of gifts. Programs throughout the season include the weekly Yuletide Jazz and Wine series, which features favorite holiday music ensembles on Wednesday evenings; live one-man performances of “A Christmas Carol” featuring Gerald Charles Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens; and the popular Yuletide Brunch with Santa. Timed tickets for the tour are available at www. winterthur.org, or by calling 800-448-3883. Tickets are $22 for non-members, $20 for seniors and students, $6 for children, and free for infants.

Through Jan. 6 ‘A Longwood Christmas’ Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square) hosts “A Longwood Christmas” through Jan. 6.

There will be decorated trees and greens throughout the Conservatory, and millions of lights on the trees and topiary outdoors. There will be outdoor fire pits, strolling

carolers and live music all season long. Admission is by advance purchase of a timed ticket. Tickets are $23 for adults, $20 for seniors and college students with ID, $12 for ages 5 to 18, free for ages 4 and younger. Visit www. longwoodgardens.org for tickets and more information.

Through Jan. 6 ‘A Brandywine Christmas’ The Brandywine River Museum of Art (Route 1, Chadds Ford) holds its holiday display through Jan. 6. There will be a landscaped, operating O-gauge model train display, caroling in the museum, decorated trees, a “Breakfast With the Trains” for families on Dec. 15, and more. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas day). Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $6 for students with ID and ages 6 to 18, free for children under 5 and members. Visit www.brandywinemuseum. org for more information.

Through Jan. 1 Holidays at Hagley Hagley Museum in Wilmington will celebrate the holidays with exhibitions, a gingerbread house display, and a seasonal setting for taking photos in Santa’s Workshop. Rooms throughout the residence through Jan. 1 will display decorations reminiscent of Christmases past of the du Pont family.

New this year is “The Magic of Miniatures,” with a dollhouse owned by Mrs. E. Paul du Pont, who lived next to Hagley. Visit www.hagley. org for more information.

Dec. 14 Celtic Christmas St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church (116 E. Lancaster Pike, Oxford) hosts a concert

of Celtic holiday music by Charlie Zahm on Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the church. Bring nonperishable food item which will be given to food cupboards. Tickets are $15 (children 12 and younger free). For more information and reservations, call 610869-8076 or visit www. thefriendsfolkclub.com.

Dec. 14 Santa in West Grove West Grove welcomes Santa Claus to town on Dec. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be music by the Avon Grove Charter School Choir followed by a tree lighting at 117 Rosehill Ave., near the library. Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive by fire truck, and meet children at the West Grove Garage Community and Youth Center (122 Rosehill Ave.). There will be hot chocolate and a food truck for visitors. Avon Grove Library and Casa Guanajuato will provide children’s activities.

Dec. 14 Chesco Pops holiday concert The Chesco Pops Orchestra will perform their holiday concert on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at Unionville High School (750 Unionville Rd., Kennett Square). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and free for chidlren and students. Buy online at www.chescopops.org, or at the door. The show features familiar carols and a guest appearance by Santa. The Pops will be joined by guest vocalists soprano Lyndsay Varsaci, alto Georgia LaRue, tenor Daniel K. Williams and bass Jeff Carr.

Dec. 15 Voice competition The Kennett Symphony of

Chester County will host the 2018 Voice Competition on Dec. 15. The winners will get to perform with the Kennett Symphony. The competition is free, and will be held Dec. 15 beginning at noon in the auditorium of Kendal at Longwood in Kennett Square.

The competition is limited to 20 singers, ages 18 to 26.

Competitors must perform three operatic, oratorio, or concert arias from the 18th to the 21st centuries, with at least one in English. Judges will award prizes ranging from $100 to $1,000, and the first-place winner will be invited to perform at a Kennett Symphony concert.

Applications are available at www.KennettSymphony.org.

Dec. 15 to 23 Santa arrives by fire truck Santa arrives on a Longwood Fire Company truck from Dec. 15 to 23, with all trips beginning at 8:30 a.m. The schedule includes: Saturday, Dec. 15 -Kennett Township Sunday, Dec. 16 -Pocopson Township Saturday, Dec. 22 -Pennsbury Township Sunday, Dec. 23 -- East Marlborough Township For more information, visit www.longwoodfireco.com.

Dec. 16 Santa breakfast Santa arrives for breakfast on Dec. 16 at the Red Clay Room of Kenett Fire Company No. 1 (423 Dalmatian St., Kennett Square). There will be two seatings, from 8 to 10 a.m., and 10 a.m. to noon. A photo with Santa is included. The menu includes pancakes, French toast, sausage and bacon. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for ages 3 to 12 (2 and younger free). Call 610-444-4810 for

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

3B

Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet children at the West Grove Garage on Dec. 14 (see listing).

reservations, or email info@ firestation24.com.

Dec. 31 Midnight in the Square Kennett Square’s version of the Times Square ball drop will be held Dec. 31 in the heart of downtown. Midnight in the Square opens with a laser light show at 6 p.m., and at midnight, a lighted mushroom will be raised to mark the new year at State and Union streets. At 6:30 p.m., there will be children’s entertainmenty Dan and Galla at the Garage on South Union Street, and Kennett Brewing will be serving food, beer and wine. The “On The Roll” food truck will be serving food and drinks outside. Live entertainment outdoors will include the KMC Dancers, Longwood Performing Arts, the Rose Project, and Fred McCarthy, followed by the Funsters rock band from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Kennett Square restaurants and some shops will be open. Parking is available at Exelon Way off of East Baltimore Pike, and Kennett High School, with free shuttle buses running from 6 p.m. to

1 a.m.

Jan. 27 Chocolate Festival The Kennett Chocolate Lovers Festival will be held Jan. 27 at Kennett High School from noon to 3 p.m. The festival raises funds for United Way of Southern Chester County.

Tickets are on sale at www.

KennettChocolate.org. VIP ticket holders gain early entrance at noon. General admission opens 1 p.m.

VIP tickets are $30 ($50 per couple) and include six tastings, a beverage, professional demonstrations, as well as free parking.

General admission tickets are $13 ($40 for a family fourpack) and include six tastings per person. Additional tasting tickets are available for 50 cents each. Parking is $5 per car.

To submit items to the Calendar of Events, e-mail jchambless@chestercounty. com. There is no charge.

Not every submission can be included. Items should be submitted at least two weeks before the event.

4B

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

JAMES C. KIRBY

ROSEMARY S. KINSEY

CATHERINE SCHILLING

James C. (Jim) Kirby, 57, of East Pennsbury Township, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 25 at his residence.

He was the husband of Sangela McAllister Kirby, with whom he shared 17 years of marriage. He was born in Philadelphia to the late Harry J., Jr., and Rita Pitts Kirby. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sisters, Marianne Kirby Rhodes and Joan R. Kirby. He is also survived by nephews, nieces, cousins, and great-nieces and great-nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Harry III. He worked for many years in his own construction business. He attended Unionville High School and Delaware County Community College.

Family and friends are invited to his memorial service on Dec. 29 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., with a memorial remembrance service at 11:30 a.m. Burial will be held privately. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

Rosemary S. Kinsey of Kennett Square, 79, went to be with her King, Lord and Savior on Dec. 3 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Rosemary was a very active member of The Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square. She was a choir member and taught Sunday school. She was beloved by all that she served, and many children called her Grandma, as she treated and loved them like they were her own. She was an active member of the Longwood Garden Club and was a volunteer as well. Prior to her retirement, she was an administrative assistant at the Chester County Courthouse.

Post-retirement, Rosemary worked for Willowdale Chapel as a teacher in their Celebrate Recovery and MOPs programs.

She also worked part-time for Mrs. Robinson’s Tea Shop in Kennett Square, where she enjoyed learning about specialty teas and sharing her beautiful spirit with everyone who walked in the door.

Rosemary was born in Logan, W. Va., in 1939 to Kenneth Scragg and Elizabeth Scragg (Estepp). She later moved to Washington, D.C., where she met the love of her life, Lewis P. H. Kinsey. They were married in 1959.

She is survived by her husband, Lewis P. H. Kinsey of Kennett Square; her daughter, Tish Copeland (Jason); her son, Stockton Kinsey (Tina); and four grandchildren. She is also survived by one sister, Edra Grieser of Parrott, Ga.; and two brothers, Kenneth Scragg of Oak Hill, Fla., and Randall Scragg of Mimms, Fla. She was predeceased by her brother, Keith Scragg; and her sister, Wilma DiGillio.

A service was held Dec. 8. Interment was at Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square. In lieu of flowers, send a donation to a foundation that Rosemary found great joy in supporting.

Water For Life https://my.lifetoday.org/give is an organization that digs clean water wells in third-world countries. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Catherine Schilling, 96, of Kennett Square, formerly of Wilmington, Del., and Naples, Fla., passed away on Nov. 30 at Kendal-Crosslands Communities in Kennett Square.

She was the wife of William Schilling, who passed away in 2000, and with whom she shared 53 years of marriage. Born in Plainfield, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Jane Mackenzie Rothery and the late Claude Rothery. She was a graduate of Skidmore College and Columbia University. Catherine enjoyed and performed music throughout her life. She was a member of numerous bands, orchestras and ensembles, including the Kennett Symphony and the Naples Concert Band, through which she made many lasting friendships. Catherine will be remembered for her infectious laugh, her sweet and cheerful disposition and her love of the Chester County countryside, dogs, old movies, coffee ice cream and the British royal family.

She is survived by her three children, Christine (Eric) Siegel of Ann Arbor, Mich., William Schilling of Philadelphia, and Catherine Schilling of Chicago, Ill.; two grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. She was predeceased by her daughter, Jane Catherine and her husband, William.1 One South Broad St., 14th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107; or Kendal-Crosslands Communities, Staff Support Fund, PO Box 100, Kennett Square, PA 19348. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

SHIRLEY J. THOMAS Shirley J. Thomas, 81, of Okeechobee, Fla., formerly of Kemblesville, passed away on Nov. 29.

She was the wife of the late Charles Thomas, who passed away in 2003. Born in Arkansas, she was the daughter of the late Eliza and Elmer Heath. For many years, Shirley and her husband worked in the mushroom growing industry in Pennsylvania. After moving to Florida, they established a sod planting and nursery business and they worked there until retirement.

Shirley is survived by her son, Brian Thomas, husband of Karen Sue of Okeechobee; brother and sister-inlaw, Donald and Rose Heath, of Santa Fe, Texas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Debbie; and a son, Randy Thomas.

A service was held Dec. 6. To leave an online condolence, visit www.dewalds.com.

LUZ CARMEN RIOS Luz Carmen Rios, 67, of Wilmington, Del., formerly of Kennett Square, passed away on Dec. 4 at Compassionate Care Hospice at St. Francis Hospital.

Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, she was the daughter of the late Justo Rios and the late Digna Rivera. Luz was a housekeeper at the Friends Home in Kennett Square for over 35 years, retiring in 2015. She enjoyed dancing, taking walks, crocheting, and being with her family and friends.

Luz is survived by two sons, Edwin Fonseca and his wife Robin of El Mirage, Ariz., and Carlos Rios and his wife Robin of Downingtown; two brothers, Jose Rivera of Wilmington, Del., and Carlos Rios of Ephrata, Pa.; four sisters, Mary Rios of Oxford, and Elizabeth Morales, Maricelli Morales and Diana Morales, all of Wilmington, Del.; and seven grandchildren Her service and burial were held privately. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

JOHN A. MANCINO, JR. John A. Mancino, Jr., 89, of Embreeville, passed away on Dec. 5 at the VA Medical Center in Wilmington, Del. Born in Kennett Square, he was the son of the late John A.Mancino, Sr., and the late Angeline Fazio Mancino. John was a supervisor at Lukens Steel Company in Coatesville, retiring after 45 years of service. He was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and the Italian American Club, both in Kennett Square. John was an award-winning wine maker, and he also enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing golf, going to the race track, and being with his family and friends. He served his country as a member of the U.S. Army.

He is survived by two brothers, Albert Mancino and his wife Jeanne of Wilmington, Del., and Sebastian “Sonny” Mancino of Kennett Square; two sisters, Florence Morales of Wilmington, and Mary Crossan of Avondale; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was also predeceased by two brothers, Dominic Mancino and James Mancino.

A visitation will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home (250 W. State St.. Kennett Square). His funeral mass will follow at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church (212 Meredith St., Kennett Square). Burial will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Kennett Square. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to St. Patrick Church, 205 Lafayette Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

LIVONA SMITH, SR. Livona Smith, Sr., 94, of Toughkenamon, passed away on Nov. 30 at his residence.

He was the husband of Marian Stafford Smith, who passed away in 2015, and with whom he shared 69 years of marriage. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late John Harrison Smith and the late Dora Woolfork Smith.

He was a crane operator at NVF in Yorklyn, Del., retiring in 1989 after 48 years of service. Livona enjoyed working on cars, bowling, and being with his family and friends.

He is survived by two sons, Livona Smith, Jr. of Toughkenamon, and William R. Smith and his wife Yvonne of Toughkenamon; one brother, James Smith of Toughkenamon; three grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. He was predeceased by three brothers and three sisters.

His burial at Philadelphia Memorial Park was held privately. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

Alleluia Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 The Chester County Press features a dedicated church/religious page that can help you advertise your house of worship and/or business. The page is updated weekly with new scripture. Only $10 Weekly for this space.

We are offering a special discount of 25% off each and every help wanted/ classified advertisement to any business that advertises on the PRESS church page.

Compliments of

Landenberg Church United Methodist All Are Welcome

HERR FOODS, INC. NOTTHINGHAM, PA

932-9330 ENCOURAGES YOU TO ATTEND THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE

P.O. Box 270 Oxford, PA 19363 Meets First and Third Thursday at 6:30p.m.

Nottingham Inn, Nottingham, PA

Grove) will present a live Nativity on Dec. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. Visitors will see a stable, complete with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men, and live animals. A bulletin outlining the story of Jesus’ birth found in the gospel of Luke will be shared.

Visitors can warm up inside the church with fellowship among friends, home baked goodies, and cups of hot chocolate. For directions and more information, call 610-869-9334 or visit www.westgroveumc.org.

Dec. 24 Candlelight services Kemblesville United Methodist Church (1772 New London Rd., Kemblesville) will hold a Christmas Eve candlelight service on Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. A candlelight service will also be held Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. At Union United Methodist Church (321 Freemont Rd., Nottingham).

Obituary submissions

For more information or to place an ad, contact Brenda Butt at 610-869-5553 ext. 10

Lions Club of Oxford

Through Dec. 16 Ten Thousand Villages shop Oxford Presbyterian Church (6 Pine St., Oxford) will host a gift shop featuring crafts from around the world by Ten Thousand Villages, on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Dec. 16. Call 610-932-9640 for more information.

Dec. 16 Live Nativity West Grove United Methodist Church (300 N. Guernsey Rd., West

205 Penn Green Rd. In Historic Downtown Landenberg Landenberg, PA 19350

610-274-8384 Services Every Sunday • 9:00 am

The Chester County Press publishes obituaries, free of charge, for those with a connection to southern Chester County.

Obituaries appear on the Wednesday after they are received, space permitting.

They also are posted on w w w. c h e s t e r c o u n t y. com. Photos should be sent as .jpg attachments to the obituary text. To submit an obituary to the Chester County Press, email the information to: jchambless@ chestercounty.com.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

Chester County Press

Local News McGann announces run for office in county On Dec. 4, Pocopson resident Mike McGann announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for the Chester County Row Office of Register of Wills/ Clerk of the Orphans Court in 2019.

McGann, who has owned and operated The Times of Chester County for the last eight years, has served on various municipal and community boards, most focused on helping the county’s youth, but has not been actively involved in politics since 2009.

“There’s a lot of value of having had that ‘arm’s-length’ view,” he said. “You learn

pretty quickly that neither party has a monopoly on good ideas -- and most folks in government, despite popular opinion, are there to try to do good for the greater community. I think I can bring that experience to county government and search for solutions, rather than get caught up in partisan battles.”

McGann said he had been content to focus on his other business ventures, including real estate holdings, management and consulting work, as he transitioned The Times away from its original content model to strictly community submissions, but that he had

been nudged by several people to consider taking a more public role.

“In truth, there aren’t a lot of political positions I’d have interest in, but because the Register of Wills office touches so many lives, from assisting on end-of-life issues, to issuing marriage certificates, to protecting kids as Clerk of the Orphans’ Court, I see an opportunity to be a vocal advocate for populations often most in need of a champion,” he said.

Over the last decade, McGann has served on various municipal and community boards, including more than

two years as president of the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Foundation, and two years as chair of the Pocopson Township Parks, Recreation and Trails Committee. Additionally, he served on the board of the Unionville Recreation Association and currently is

vice president of the Unionville Rugby Boosters. He served as a youth sports coach for URA and the Kennett Y for nearly two decades.

McGann is in the process of developing his new campaign website, www.mikemcgann. org and is the process of forming his campaign committee.

Mike McGann

LEGALS ESTATE NOTICE

Letters Testamentary or of Administration having been granted in the estate of Eleanor Veronica Holbrook, late of Coatesville. All persons having claim or demands against the estate are requested to make known the same and all persons indebted to the said decedents are requested to make payment w/o delay to the Colleen Holbrook, 79 Melrose Ave, Westmont, NJ 08108, Executrix.

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PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The Zoning Hearing Board of Elk Township will meet on Wednesday, January 2, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. at the Elk Township Building, 952 Chesterville Road, Lewisville, Pennsylvania, to conduct hearings on one (1) application as follows: Application of Dan (Dana) Weber, seeking a variance regarding new construction of a pole barn in an area measured less than 50 feet landward from the top of bank or watercourse and/or to permit a structure and/or impervious surface to be located within 50 feet of the back of a watercourse for the property located at 205 Wills Farm Road, Lincoln University, PA 19352 (Elk Township Zoning Ordinance of 2002, as amended §1101.G.5 and 1103.E.1.B(2)).

The public may attend and participate in the hearing. If you would like to review the application and you are a person with a disability and require accommodations to attend or participate in the hearings, please contact the Township secretary at 610-255-0634.

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INCORPORATION NOTICE

Corr Safety Professionals Inc has been incorporated under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988. Corr Safety Professionals Inc, 1122 New York Avenue, West Chester, PA 19380 12p-12-1t

FICTITIOUS NAME REGISTRATION

An application for registration of the fictitious name The Handy Guy Services, 224 Mullen Drive, Avondale, PA 19311 has been filed in the Department of State at Harrisburg, PA, File Date 10/15/2018 pursuant to the Fictitious

Names Act, Act 1982-295. The name and address of the person who is a party to the registration is Croce Passalacqua, 224 Mullen Drive, Avondale, PA 19311.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

The reorganization meeting of the Penn Township Supervisors will be held on Monday, January 7, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at the Penn Township Municipal Building, Finnen Community Room, 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA. The regular Board of Supervisors meeting will be held immediately following the reorganizational meeting. The reorganization meeting of the Penn Township Planning Commission will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Penn Township Building, Finnen Community Room, 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA. The regular January Planning Commission meeting will be held immediately following the reorganizational meeting. Caitlin A. Ianni, Township Secretary 12p-12-1t

PUBLIC NOTICE

PENN TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 2019 MEETING SCHEDULE All Regular meetings of the Board of Supervisors will be held on the 1st Wednesday of each month except January and July. Work Session Meetings will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, January through April and then September and October. Agenda deadline is 12 p.m. the Thursday preceding the regular meeting. All meetings begin at 6 p.m. at the Township Building in the Finnen Community Room, 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA 19390 unless advertised otherwise.

The public is invited. The Board of Supervisors of Penn Township will meet in the 2019 calendar year on the following dates for Regular Meetings: January 7, February 6, March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5, August 7, September 4, October 2, November 6, and December 4. Work Session Meetings are as follows: January 16, February 20, March 20, April 17, September 18, October 16, 2019.

NOTICE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULE 2019 All regular meetings of the Planning Commission will be held on the 4th Wednesday of each month with the exception of January, November and December. All meetings begin at 7:00

p.m. and are held at the Township Building in the Finnen Community Room, 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA. The public is invited. The Planning Commission will meet in the 2019 calendar year on the following dates: January 8, February 27, March 27, April 24, May 22, June 26, July 24, August 28, September 25, October 23, November 20, and December 18.

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ADVERTISEMENT FOR GRANT OF LETTERS

ESTATE OF Marguerite E. Kniffen, LATE OF 253 Azalea Lane, West Grove, PA, Deceased. Letters on the estate of the above named Marguerite E. Kniffen , having been granted to the undersigned, all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the said decedent are requested to make known the same and all persons indebted to the said decedent to make payment without delay to: Executor: Ira D. Binder, 227 Cullen Rd, Oxford, PA 19363 12p-12-3t

CLASSIFIEDS Help Wanted DaVita, Inc., Malvern, PA seeks a REGIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR (Job Code GK1102) responsible for overseeing mgmt of multiple facilities in designated areas.

Req. MS in Business or Finance or Healthcare Management & 12 mths exp as Analyst or Facility Administrator in Healthcare or in rel occupation, exp. can be pre-masters degree. Strong analytical & quantitative skills reqd.

A strong candidate would have exp presenting to executive teams. Send resumes to Debbie Cookman, 2321 West Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28208. Apps w/o Job code will not be accept’d. EEO Spanish Language Teacher sought by International Montessori Schools at Paoli, Inc. Reqmts: Bachelor’s deg. or foreign equiv in foreign langs. (Spanish/English) or rltd field, + 2 yrs exp in teaching Spanish, curriculum prep’n & early child education. Malvern & Paoli, PA worksite. Submit resume by mail to International Montessori Schools at Paoli, Inc. at 1510 Russell Rd, Paoli, PA 19301. Ref: MH

See these local businesses and many more on our website chestercounty.com - Click Directory Trailer Repair Welding

Truck Acces.

Spray Liners

BASHER & SON 610-268-0007 • basherandson.com

Over 40 Years Experience UHAUL

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Andy's Lawn Care Lawn & Field Mowing Aerating & Overseeding Lawn Renovation Seasonal Cleanups Mulching Landscaping Tree & Stump Removal Lot & Land Clearing Grading & Drainage Snow Removal

(610) 274-2273 Office or (610) 721-3119 cell

PACK N SHIP

Inquire Now! Poison Ivy • Brush & Weed Control

“Quick and Easy” Shipping DHL, FedEx, UPS, Priority Mail Copying, Faxes, Laminating, Gift Boxes and Gift Items Available

Green Grazers 484-643-6939

Southern Chester County authorized Drop-Off Center for DHL, UPS, FedEx

Go Green, Go Goats

Mon-Fri 10-6pm, Sat 10-2pm

Jennersville • 610-345-9070

T L MOVING C SERVICES, LLC A personalized and friendly service specializing in packing and unpacking for house to retirement home moves.

We manage your move! www.tlcmovingservicesllc.com Caen Stroud

610-268-3243

Economical, Eco-Friendly All Natural Land Clearing Service for Small and Large Areas

Commercial & Residential

Free Estimates Insured

JOHN’S LAWN SERVICE – Established 1985 –

Lawn Maintenance Mulching Trees Planted Hardscaping Mowing Trimming

Landscaping Brush Cutting Field Mowing Chipping Skid Loader Tractor Work

610-467-1103

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018

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