Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 3
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
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Raul Juarez-Lara Jr. to serve on Oxford Borough Council Becomes first Latino selected for Borough Council By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer The composition of Oxford Borough Council has changed considerably over the last four years. For most of its history, Oxford Borough Council was made up of mostly men, but the numbers started leaning in a different direction in 2018 as the borough elected its first female mayor, and the number of
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female council members rose to three on the sevenperson council. In 2020, the women outnumbered the men on council. Now, in council’s first meeting of the new year, the count remains four women and three men, and for the first time in the borough’s history, one of those men is Latino. Council unanimously approved a motion to appoint Raul Juarez-Lara Jr. to borough council to fill
Over the course of his short, 39-year life, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. scattered his wisdom, his commitment and his grandest dreams in the form of some of the most eloquent Kennett Winterfest 2023 words ever uttered in the English language, as if they tickets now on sale...1B were the hopeful seeds to a better world. On Jan. 16, before a large and appreciative audience of more than 250 at Lincoln University’s Wellness Center, a few of those words were shared at the 22nd Annual Celebration of MLK Day, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Community of the Greater Kennett Area. In her opening comments, Carol Black, the president of the board of directors Kelly scores 23 in Kennett for the MLKCommUNITY, loss...1B said Dr. King’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s
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(ACOLA). Latinos make up over 30 percent of the population of the borough and council members continue to move forward in forming a group where the Latino voice can be heard. And they do not plan to stop there, but continue to seek inclusion of other ethnicities, races and cultures on the council. In other business, council approved the following: • A hearing and motion to adopt an ordinance amend-
ing chapter section 2003 pertaining to certificates of use and occupancy, and section 27-202, definitions related to establishment of a non-residential use of occupancy requirement. • A motion to approve a master service agreement and statement of work between the borough and CivicPlus to make improvements to the borough website, inclusive of the first year fee of $22,645.94 and an annual recurring fee,
beginning in year two, of $5,351.88. • A motion to approve a resolution for the official appointments of certain borough employees. • A motion to approve resolution for the appointments of various borough officers and other annual designations. • A motion to approve a resolution designating emergency service providers for the borough. Continued on Page 2A
Lincoln University audience celebrates life, words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
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the council seat left vacant when Mary-Laura BuchnerHulse resigned. He will be sworn in at the next council meeting on Jan. 23 and he will serve for the remainder of the term until January 2025. Council has repeatedly said they needed a more diverse council indicative of their diverse community so with a Latino member finally approved, they may finally establish an Advisory Council of Latino Affairs
and 1960s made him one of the most influential persons in history. She recalled some of King’s milestones, which included the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott that helped to end segregation in public buses; his founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; the Birmingham Campaign, which called out police brutality and injustice; the Great March on Washington in 1963; the adoption of non-violent resistance to achieve equal rights fro Black Americans that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize; and for his marches throughout the Deep South that led to the end of voting restrictions in southern states and eventually the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965. “We honor him today for his groundbreaking achievements in advancing racial equality and justice for all people, and for his
Photos by Richard L. Gaw
An audience of more than 250 attended the 22nd Annual Celebration of MLK Day, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Community of the Greater Kennett Area, held Jan. 16 at Lincoln University.
dedication to non-violence, and we will never forget him, will we?” Black said. “We will never forget his bravery, his compassion and his love for all mankind. “Dr. King’s vision for us today is to work to build
the Beloved Community – a group of people who could come together to solve any issue. Dr. King taught us how to build that community. He said, ‘Creating the Beloved Community is about bringing the gaps
between the haves, but bridging the gaps between the haves and the have-nots with real opportunities. It’s about creating more of that precious commodity that we call hope – real hope for Continued on Page 2A
Kennett Township FROM to develop OUR LENS ‘regionalization’ of services in 2023 Let’s meet in the Grove By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Among the key projects for Kennett Township this year will be to explore methods of regionalizing many of its services in partnership with other municipalities, which was shared at the township’s reorganizational meeting in early January. In his comments, new Board of Supervisors Chairman Geoffrey Gamble spelled out what he envisioned would be the township’s top priorities in 2023, which will include establishing a strategic regionalization of township services; namely, sewer, fire, police, public works and finance, in an effort to “contain our budget and the burden it imposes on our residents” in partnership with neighboring jurisdictions. Gamble said that two of the township’s other priorities this year will be to
continue to make progress on developing the Chandler Mill Trail, moving forward with the development of the Spar Hill Farm as an educational and historical destination, and continuing to secure and protect open spaces. Currently, the township has protected 22.5 percent of its total land, with a goal of increasing to 30 percent. Gamble will be re-joining current board member Richard Leff – who will serve as vice chairman – and Scudder Stevens, who served as vice chairman in 2022. . Gamble said another priority for the township this year will be to review all township committees and commissions over the next six months, in order to determine how best to fill the township’s obligations to its residents. Gamble added that municipal government has two primary roles – to provide
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Blondes and Brewnettes, a new taproom and brew house in West Grove, enjoyed a successful soft opening on Jan. 13. Designed by Twelves Grill and Café owners Knute and Bernadette Mellon as a family-centric indoor-outdoor beer garden, the establishment will feature a wide selection of beers made on premise and a menu of sandwiches, snacks and flatbreads. Pictured with the Mellons, far right, are Ashley Mastronardo, far left, and Christine Horner. For more information, visit www.blondesandbrewnettes.beer.
services for its residents what the private sector cannot or will not provide, and to enact and enforce rules for the good of the community as a whole, as
well as be responsible for the management of public infrastructure. “Municipalities are also the primary providers of public safety services,
including emergency management and response, and police, fire, and ambulance service,” Gamble said. “In addition, the Continued on Page 3A