Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 52
INSIDE
Stroll Kennett Square as the mushroom drops to usher in 2018
Looking ahead to next year at the Brandywine River Museum of Art...1B
Holiday wishes for Southern Chester County...5A
Courtesy photo
Live music under the lighted mushroom will lead up to the countdown to 2018 in Kennett Square.
By John Chambless Staff Writer It’s a Chester County tradition, and a highlight of the year in Kennett Square, and it’s happening again on Dec. 31.
U-CF schools emphasize STEM education...5B
INDEX Opinion........................5A Obituaries...................3B
To Subscribe call 610.869.5553 © 2007 The Chester County Press
The annual Midnight in the Square features the famous Mushroom Drop, a lighted mushroom that is raised 100 feet above the intersection of State and Union streets. When Continued on Page 2A
New Garden easement deal expected to be reached on Dec. 28 By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer What began as a simple 3-2 vote nearly three years ago is about to finally reach its controversial conclusion. As part of its settlement with Green Valley Farms in order to purchase the 178acre property for a total of $2.3 million and place a conservation easement on it, New Garden Township is scheduled to make an initial payment totaling $1.306 million on Dec. 28. As disclosed at the board’s Dec. 18 meeting, the township will pay former supervisor Warren Reynolds a sum of $448,000, and a sum of $858,449 to a trust for the Reynolds estate. The acquisition of the property is scheduled to be paid for out of the township’s Open Space Fund, and the initial payment will comprise 37 percent of the total cost for the easement, which will be followed by the remaining 63 percent of the total cost, which will be paid in equal installments over the next three years. Moments later the
scheduled agreement was announced, Board Chairman Pat Little offered a motion that stated that if the deal is not finalized by the end of the year, the township would rescind the offer, doubling up on a motion he put forth at the board’s Nov. 20 meeting. The board voted 5-0 in favor of the motion. “For the record, in my opinion, this agreement is a bad business deal for the township, and has been since it started,” Little said before the vote was reached. The deal was brokered in negotiations between the township, attorneys for the Reynolds family, and Natural Lands, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping preserve open space in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. “Natural Lands is pleased to work alongside New Garden Township to accomplish the community’s open space goals, and we remain committed to doing everything we can to ensure the successful preservation of Green Valley Farm,” said Erin McCormick, an attor-
ney for Natural Lands. When the township voted in favor of entering into negotiations to purchase the property on Feb. 23, 2015 by a slim margin, very few involved with the agreement believed that it would take nearly three years to complete, and during that time, some on the board became agitated over the delay, none more than Little, who on a few occasions expressed the need for the township to back out of the deal, but each time, he and the other supervisors were given reasons for the delay. At one meeting, Tom Johnson, one of the attorneys representing the Reynolds family, called the negotiation for the easement “a complicated process,” due mainly to the fact that the property is owned by Reynolds, a guardianship for his brother, and by two trusts, with different beneficiaries. Wrapping up the deal was further complicated by the fact that Warren Reynolds is currently serving a state prison sentence Continued on Page 2A
Through his volunteerism, Gray makes the holidays brighter Harold Gray has been volunteering with the Salvation Army since 1965 By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Calendar of Events......3B Classifieds..................4B
60 Cents
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Shoppers entering the Oxford Walmart on Dec. 21 saw a very familiar sight—Harold Gray was stationed outside the store ringing that ubiquitous bell to collect money for the Salvation Army. At this time of the year, Gray can often be seen volunteering his time on behalf of the Salvation Army—just the latest example of his life of service. Gray served
his country in the military and then he served his community—first as an Oxford Borough police officer for 27 years and then as mayor of the borough for 12 years. He has volunteered for the Salvation Army since 1965. Gray explained that after he served in Korea, he returned to his hometown of Oxford and joined the police department. He saw that there were people in the community who needed help
meeting their most basic needs. A coordinator for the Salvation Army talked to him one day about the mission of the group, and Gray wanted to help out. “I’ve been blessed in my life, and I figured that I would help others,” Gray explained. The Salvation Army is an international charitable organization that helps the poor, destitute, and hungry in more than 100 countries Photo by Steven Hoffman around the world, provid- Harold Gray, a veteran and the former mayor of Oxford ing everything from food Borough, has been volunteering with the Salvation Continued on Page 4A
Army since 1965.
Kennett Square Borough Franklin supervisors Council adopts a $4.6 approve 2018 budget million budget for 2018 By John Chambless Staff Writer
The spending plan will not require a tax increase By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Kennett Square Borough Council adopted a $4.6 million final budget for 2018 that was largely unchanged from the preliminary budget that had been unveiled in November. The spending plan will not require a tax increase, and the millage rate will remain at 6.35 mills for another year. In addition to no tax increase, there will be no increase in the water or sewer fees, and there will be a decrease in solid waste fees. Overall, the borough’s financial position is strong and getting stronger. Kennett Square Borough retired $840,129 in debt during 2017, and the pro-
jection is that the borough will retire an additional $1,119,471 in debt during 2018. The general fund budget for 2018 is set at $4,646,801. The borough’s sewer fund is projected at $3,379,178 for 2018, and water fund totals $1,364,150. The parking fund amounts to $2,296,868. The solid waste fund is set at $366,400, and the liquid fuels fund will be $234,225. The borough is allocating $424,176 for the general capital improvement fund. The emergency management fund totals $319,132. The total of all the funds combined, including the transfers that will be necessary, is $13,030,929. Inter-fund transfers amount to $1,226,757, so the total
of all funds, less transfers, is $11,804,172. The spending plan includes an increased contribution to the Kennett Library to meet the borough’s fair share of the library’s operations. There will be a 3-percent increase in uniformed and non-uniformed wages. When the budget was unveiled, borough manager Joseph Scalise outlined some of the borough’s activities in 2017, and how they impacted the borough’s budget. The borough was able to fund its portion of the economic development director position, and hired a new finance director and a new police chief during 2017. Kennett Square Borough introduced a plan Continued on Page 2A
Taxes will remain the same in Franklin Township next year after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at their Dec. 20 meeting to approve the rate. The township’s fire hydrant tax will remain unchanged in 2018. The board also unanimously approved the final township budget for 2018. Several zoning issues were addressed, notably the former market at 1762 New London Road. After months of neglect of the abandoned property, the township filed a civil complaint against the owner in District Court. On the day of the court date, the owners cleaned up the property. It is now in compliance. The Planet Aid collection boxes will be removed. Board chairman John Auerbach commented that
people continue to use the recycling area near the township building to dump non-recyclable items such as dishwashers and baby furniture. This costs the township money for proper disposal. Auerbach said he sometimes takes trash that is left at the recycling bins to the dump himself. Dave Berger, organizer of the Harvest Run race, reported that the inaugural Harvest Run in October had a good turnout, with 220 participants. The Friday night 5K was run on the Geoghegan Trail, which was in great shape, he told the board. The Saturday half-marathon was run on Franklin and London Britain roads, and there were plenty of volunteers to direct traffic. There were no injuries. Berger thanked the Wilkinson family, owners of Fox Chase Farm, with their Continued on Page 3A