Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 149, No. 50
INSIDE
60 Cents
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Commission grants approval to Artesian well application By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer With the ringing echo of nearly two years of opposition still fresh in their ears, the five-member Delaware River Basin Commission Photo by Richard L. Gaw
David Kovach, a geologist with the Delaware River Basin Commission, addressed the commission at its Dec. 10 ruling that gave approval to the Artesian Resources Corporation to activate a well the company owns in Landenberg.
Billy Penn Burger gets ready for Flash concert...................... 1B
(DRBC) gave approval – with a major provision – to Artesian Resources Corp.’s application to withdraw water from the Broad Run Aquifer on Broad Run and Newark roads in Landenberg. The decision came at the DRBC’s Dec. 9 meeting in Washington Crossing, Bucks County. Reading from the final recommendation before the commission members, DRBC geologist David Kovach spelled out the key proviso of the agreement: That before it can
begin withdrawing as much as 288,000 gallons of water from the well a day at a rate of 200 gallons per minute -- the original numbers requested in its application to activate the well -- Artesian must submit to a rigorous, ninemonth monitoring program to assure local authorities and regulatory agencies that
these numbers will not decimate the water levels in the area, and in particular, local wells and the nearby White Clay Creek. The DRBC also ruled that Artesian will conduct its own monitoring and analysis of water levels once a week during those nine months, and share these results with Continued on Page 3A
Celebrating the holidays at Longwood!
Another East Nottingham supervisor resigns Sun Valley's comeback downs Blue Demons, 60-51 ......................... 8A
Crafts for holiday giving at Bookplace ............ 1B
INDEX Obituaries ................. 6A Opinion .................... 7A Calendar of Events .. 2B Classifieds................ 5B
The East Nottingham Township supervisors were expected to appoint one of the candidates to fill a vacancy on the board at its Dec. 8 meeting, but instead another supervisor has likely resigned. Scott Blum, the chairman of the five-member board of supervisors, sat silently as the meeting got underway. As the chairman, Blum would normally preside over the work session, but instead, supervisor John Coldiron handled the
opening chores of conducting the meeting. Within a few minutes, the reason that Blum wasn’t leading the meeting was revealed. He read from a prepared statement that concluded with the announcement that he was resigning from the board. Blum explained that a few days earlier, he had received a text message from John Seitz, a resident of the township and frequent critic of the board of supervisors, threatening to display signs accusing Blum of lying at a public meeting. During a township
meeting on Dec. 1, Seitz accused Blum of not being forthright with residents regarding the preparation of the township’s most recent newsletter that came out before the November election. Seitz questioned Blum’s role in deciding that a notice about the open space referendum would not be included in the newsletter after the board of supervisors failed to reach an agreement about how the notice should be worded. Seitz followed through with the threat, making Facebook posts and Continued on Page 2A
Out of tragedy comes the light of love After her teen daughter’s death, a mother is spreading the word about the dangers of carbon monoxide By John Chambless Staff Writer “Carly truly was the happiest person I ever met,” Donna Imbierowicz said, smiling at the memory of her daughter. “She was very well known for her smile.” Donna has spent the past year sharing the light and love that her daughter brought to the community, with a message that will extend well beyond Carly’s 16 years. She has made it her mission to sound a warning about carbon monoxide, and to channel the community’s outpouring of love into tangible results for the causes Carly embraced. On Nov. 22, 2014, Carly and Daulton Pointek, both students at Octorara High School, drove to Downingtown to see a movie. It was a cold night. Friends later recalled that
Photo by John Chambless
Donna Imbierowicz at home, surrounded by items related to Carly, her 16-year-old daughter, who passed away on Nov. 22, 2014.
the two “didn’t seem like themselves” at the theater. On the drive home, Daulton pulled his 2002 Volkswagen Jetta to the shoulder of Friends Meetinghouse Road. At about noon the next day, a passerby noticed the car and called police. Inside, Carly and Daulton had passed away from
carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas tank was empty and the ignition was still on. Fumes from the exhaust had been drawn into the car through the air vents. In the dark year that has followed, there have been points of light for the families of both Carly Continued on Page 4A
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Following the last Board of Supervisors meeting of 2015, the public was invited to join the supervisors and other Penn staff in the Community Room for a bittersweet ending to the year. Chairman Curtis Mason, individually recognized three key officials who are resigning their positions. Included was supervisor Tom Barlow, who served six years, serving on the
board; tax collector Bunny Keene, with seven years in her position; and Skip Elvin, roadmaster for the past 15 years. The final retiree trumped all others in his extraordinary dedication and service to Penn Township. State Rep. John Lawrence joined Mason at the podium to recognize Bill Finnen for his 55 years as a supervisor and secretary of the township. “This man has shepherded Penn Township from an Continued on Page 3A
Township secretary says attempts at coercion are ‘inappropriate and possibly illegal’ By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Pat Brady is the township secretary for East Nottingham Township. She also serves on the township’s vacancy board. In that position, Brady would be called on to cast the deciding vote if the board of supervisors was ever evenly divided on a vote to fill a vacancy. For as long as Brady has served in that position, she has never been called on to be a part of such a vote. Jane Ladley’s resignation from the board of supervisors in November raised the possibility that the four remaining supervisors— Scott Blum, John Coldiron, Joe Raffa, and Art Rieck— would be divided when it came time to appoint Ladley’s replacement. At the start of the abbreviated Dec. 8 township meeting, Brady read from a prepared statement accusing two people of attempting to put pressure on her to vote for a particular candidate to fill the vacancy. Brady said that supervisor Raffa and East Nottingham Township resident John
Seitz both contacted her in the days after the vacancy was announced and, during several different conversations, they attempted to exert undue influence over how she would vote if the vacancy board was needed. They wanted her to support the candidacy of Gary Coates. According to Brady, these attempts at coercion went too far. “I feel this is inappropriate and possibly illegal. I demand that this stop now,” Brady said as she read from her statement. After the meeting, Brady was asked if she was ever promised anything by Raffa or Seitz in exchange for doing what they wanted. She replied, “Yes, but not money.” She quickly added that she was told not to make any additional comments beyond her statement. When she was asked if Coates had contacted her to discuss the vacancy, Brady did say that he had. However, he only wanted to talk about himself and his qualifications as a candidate, and did not attempt Continued on Page 3A
A good, quiet steward
Supervisor Bill Finnen retires after 55 years By Nancy Johnson Correspondent
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Kevin and April Fisher of Avondale, along with their ten-month-old son, recently enjoyed A Longwood Christmas' at Longwood Gardens, which runs through Jan. 10. For more photos, see Page 9A. '
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
By Uncle Irvin
Photo by Nancy Johnson
Penn’s Board of Supervisors surprised Bill and Jane Finnen with a plaque in their honor that names the Community Room after the couple, who served Penn for more than half a century.
Cuyler Walker, an East Marlborough Supervisor for 18 years, including 10 years as president, stepped down on Dec. 7. Walker and his predecessor, Richard “Buzz” Hannum, who led the township during the Walmart fiasco, probably have as much to do as anyone with shaping the East Marlborough Township as we see it today. Outside of the State Representative flip-flop,
Walker was a voice of reason, compromise, and wisdom. East Marlborough is one of the wealthiest townships in Pennsylvania, but Walker, like “Buzz” Hannum, was tight with a buck. Walker recently relented and spearheaded a public park, with its first phase open. Several more phases are already planned, and it might be a good time to name the park after Cuyler. (Uncle Irvin’s column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)