Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 1
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
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Saint Anthony’s in the Park to undergo re-branding New Garden Hills to receive signage, re-naming of roads as part of two-phase development of 137-acre park By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Throughout the several decades that Saint Anthony of Padua in Wilmington owned and operated Saint Anthony’s in the Hills as a 137-acre playground for inner-city children in New Garden Township, the legacy of Father Roberto Balduccelli The re-branding effort at New Garden Hills will include became embedded in the the creation of a new signage monument that will be Avondale fieldstone of the placed at the park’s entrance on Limestone Road.
INSIDE
Commissioner Maxwell graduates from leadership program...1B
Sky clears for New Year's mushroom drop in Kennett Square Borough By Chris Barber Contributing Writer A three-quarters moon broke through wet clouds just one hour before the huge lighted mushroom dropped onto Kennett Square’s town center on New Year’s Eve. Many of the several hundred revelers at the event rejoiced with the respite from the rain that threat-
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Maddox declares candidacy...6B
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ened their comfort. For others, it made little difference to them, because they were prepared to celebrate the arrival of 2023 regardless of the weather. Kathi Lafferty, the event’s chairperson, said she and her committee took the daylong gloomy conditions in stride. “I’ve been through the rain before. It was a disappointment though because
park. Now, through the township’s efforts to re-brand the property in conjunction with a two-phase development plan, Father Balduccelli and all he accomplished there will be heading into the future, beginning with a new name: New Garden Hills.
“Beginning in June of this year, we began to take a hard look at what we wanted to do with our vision of Saint Anthony’s, and we knew that it would never be the township’s intention to just slap on a new coat of paint and put up a sign that said, “Under New Management,’”
said Mike Buck, the township’s Parks & Open Space superintendent. “Our efforts were designed to project a more cohesive image of the park, but without losing its characteristic identity. As we began to make our transition to what is now Continued on Page 5A
FROM OUR LENS Stepping into the new year
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Tony and Donna Troise of Avondale enjoyed their first walk of 2023 on the morning of Jan. 1 at New Garden Township Park. New Year’s Day temperatures hovered in the 50s, making for good walking weather to welcome the new year.
Continued on Page 2A
Avon Grove School District approves contract extension for support staff The Avon Grove School Board recently approved a one-year contract extension with the Avon Grove Educational Support Professionals Association. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30, 2023. The contract extension will be in effect from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. “The board is very excited to enter into this contract extension with the association,” said School Board President Bonnie Wolff. “The extension is beneficial
for the district, the board, the Avon Grove community and our support staff members.” To maintain a competitive compensation plan within the region, the contract extension includes hourly wage increases for support staff, while remaining fiscally responsible with forecasted annual cost increases below the projected Act 1 Index. All other contract terms will remain unchanged. At the Dec. 15 board meeting, Superintendent
M. Christopher Marchese, Ed.D. thanked the Board of School Directors for providing the support staff members with a competitive compensation plan. “The approval of this extension is indicative of the commitment of the board, the association and our staff members to the education of our students. We continue to be grateful for their dedication to AGSD,” Marchese said. “Thank you to all who contributed to this process.”
Courtesy photo
Avon Grove School District’s Board of School Directors (from left) Bonnie Wolff (president), Herman Engel, Richard Dumont, Ruchira Singh, Mike Woodin, Bill Wood, Jeffrey Billig, Tracy Lisi and superintendent M. Christopher Marchese, Ed.D. Not shown is board member Dorothy Linn, Ed.D., the board vice president).
Kennett Old Timers Baseball Association announces five new inductees for Hall of Fame The new inductees will be celebrated during the Jan. 21 banquet in Kennett Square By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Five local players who shined on the baseball diamond will be inducted into the Kennett Old Timers Baseball Association Hall of Fame when the 2023 banquet takes place on Saturday, Jan. 21. Ben Davis, a former major leaguer and Phillies TV broadcast analyst, will serve as the guest speaker for the event, while Dick Vermeil, the NFL Hall of Fame coach, is the special guest. The five inductees this
year are Charles Crosson, Jr., Doug Compher, Matt Johnson, Evan Breisblatt, and Anthony Buckwash. The banquet takes place at 6 p.m. in the Red Clay Room of the Kennett Square Fire Company. Tickets for the banquet and dinner are $45, and can be purchased at Burton’s Barber Shop on State Street in Kennett Square. Baseball fans will enjoy listening to Davis talk about the Philadelphia Phillies’ thrilling run to the 2022 World Series. Now that the calendar has flipped to 2023,
Phillies fans are already dreaming about the possibility that Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler, and new arrival Trea Turner will bring the World Series trophy to Philadelphia for a third time in franchise history. Davis previously served as the guest speaker at the banquet in 2018, and everyone enjoyed his stories from his playing career. Davis was a highly touted catcher coming out of Malvern Prep, and he was selected second overall in the 1995 draft by the San Diego Padres. He played for
the Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago White Sox between 1998 and 2004. After returning to the Minor Leagues for several seasons, he made a bid to make it back to the majors as a pitcher before retiring from professional baseball in 2011. Soon after his retirement, Davis began working for NBC Sports Philadelphia and has worked in several roles as a broadcaster and analyst for the Phillies ever since. Vermeil is a legendary and beloved figure in Philadelphia sports, having
coached the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons. He was a special guest at last year’s banquet as well. Baseball has a long and rich history in Chester County, and the Kennett Old Timers Baseball Association has been shining a spotlight on the best players and coaches in the area. Crosson was a talented athlete at Unionville High School. On the baseball diamond, he was a standout pitcher. On the basketball court, he was a point guard. He was a part of the 1955 Continued on Page 6A