Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 159, No. 10
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
$1.50
Residents provide feedback for New Garden’s proposed zoning district plans By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer More than 100 New Garden Township residents crammed into the township’s meeting hall on Feb. 26 to voice their opinions – and for some, their displeasure – at the third public engagement meeting that elicited input about the municipality’s longterm zoning and planning concepts. The Draft Zoning Map &
INSIDE
Districts Open House, moderated by township Manager Christopher Himes, invited staff from Michael Baker International – a leader in engineering, planning and consulting services – to provide an update on the work the company is doing to clearly define the concepts and proposed changes to the township’s ten zoning districts: innovation; mixed use corridor; village gateway; village center; residential flex, medium density and
low density; airport; enterprise; and parks and open space. “The reason for these public hearings is to get feedback and hopefully educate the public as to why we’re [exploring our zoning districts] and get them to understand what zoning means,” said supervisor Steve Allaband. “The reality is that New Garden was very late in adopting a zoning ordinance, so there were already multiple uses
scattered around the township. We’re trying to look at compatible uses and grow economic development to level the tax base.” Samantha McLean, a senior community planner with Michael Baker International who is serving as the project manager on the New Garden zoning project, told the audience that the key goals in the coming months of the zonPhoto by Richard L. Gaw ing map project will be to After a short presentation, many audience members Continued on Page 2A
Medic 94 settles in a new building and debuts its new mobile blood service By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
than the basic life support ambulances provide. Medic 94 has been in Medic 94, the medical operation for 42 years—41 emergency room on wheels of them working out of that responds to serious the former Jennersville life-threatening medical Hospital campus in Penn conditions in 17 southern Township. Chester County municipaliThey moved to their new building at Jenners Pond Road along Baltimore Pike Lef Jab Boxing Club celon Nov. 18, 2024. ebrates 30 years...1B Executive Director Bob Hotchkiss said he is especially proud to announce the addition of Medic 94’s new blood program. It is the only mobile unit in the region that has it, he said. Under the management of Director of Operations Matt Collins, the blood program Photo by Chris Barber gives patients who have Director of Operations Matt Collins displays the load of serious bleeding situations life-saving equipment carried in the five Medic 94 SUVs. a much greater hope of surHitting a high note...1B
ties, has added the delivery and application of blood transfusions to its services. Medic 94 is dispatched with advanced life support facilities, skills and protocols for injuries and sudden illnesses that require more on-site and complex care
vival than those who do not receive a transfusion. Collins said he has been seriously interested in the program since he became aware through his emer-
gency response training that transfusions given to patients suffering from blood loss often save their lives. Continued on Page 3A
FROM OUR LENS One-oh-four for Lillian!
Business owner asks Oxford Borough Council to keep politics away from his store By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer
To Subscribe Call 610.869.5553
reviewed images of the township’s ten proposed districts.
Hugo Sandoval, the owner of El Nayarit Mexican Store in Oxford, recently addressed Oxford Borough Council about the issue of politics—and how politics shouldn’t mix with business. “Being a business owner, you don’t want to put political opinion into that business,” he said. “That could affect my pocket. I try to remain neutral.
Social media can ruin you. I am concerned that just having a sign in front of my business could keep people out of my business.” Sandoval had come to council last year expressing his concern over having a political table set up in front of his business during a community event before last year’s election. Because of his concerns, borough council has approved amending the Borough Code of ordinances that address special events and public
gatherings. The episode happened during a First Friday event planned by Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. (OMI). The person handing out political information was not a vendor who signed up for a space during the First Friday, and this was where the confusion began. Council member Peggy Russell said, “The problem was a political problem where it portrayed a business as being supportive of that table.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Before more than 25 staff, residents and guests at the Friends Home of Kennett Square gathered on Feb. 26 to celebrate the 104th birthday of Linden Hall resident Lillian Councill. Born in Wallingford, Pa., Lillian spent 60 years living in Chester, Pa., before moving to Brandywine Senior Living at Longwood and then to Linden Hall on Sept. 3, 2024. She is the mother of Beverley Connor of Lincoln University, Pa.
Continued on Page 4A
New bill, if passed, would provide crop insurance against severe weather and phorid flies
Houlahan leads bipartisan effort to protect mushroom farmers By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Courtesy photo
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
Against the rising tide of controversies facing mushroom growers lately – reports of higher than normal levels of Hydrogen Sulfide from composting facilities and the increased presence of phorid fly migration from farms – the industry recently received some very encouraging
news from state lawmakers. On Feb. 26, U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan joined with Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser in introducing potential legislation called the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Houlahan and Meuser are being joined by Pennsylvania State Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman, who intro-
duced a companion bill in the U.S. State Senate. If passed, the legislation would amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require the research and development of a policy to ensure the production of mushrooms and require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a study on offering federally backed Continued on Page 2A