Chester County Press 01-31-2018 Edition

Avon Grove School Board set to begin deliberating facilities options

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Avon Grove School

District officials have spent the last several months holding nearly two dozen “listening post” sessions as a way to gather community input as the district prepares to make a decision about how to address its long-term facilities needs. Now that the listening posts have been completed and valuable information and feedback from stakeholders has been gathered, it’s time for the school board to start deliberating facilities options.

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese said following the Jan. 25 school board meeting that he hopes residents and stakeholders will remain fully engaged in the process as it enters a new

Congressional map ‘clearly, plainly, and palpably’ violates state constitution, court says

Pa. Supreme Court calls for redrawing of state’s district boundaries

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Declaring it unconstitutional, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reached a 4-3 decision last week that called for the boundaries of the state’s 18 congressional districts to be redrawn, in what many lawmakers and experts predict will rattle up the future of state politics.

In its order, the court declared that the state’s congressional map “clearly, plainly, and palpably” vio-

lates the state constitution, and that future districting shall consist of congressional districts composed of compact and contiguous territory; as nearly equal in population as practicable; and which do not divide any county, city, incorporated town, borough, township, or ward, except where necessary to ensure equality of population.

The court order, issued Jan. 22, gives the Republican-controlled Legislature until Feb. 9

Blaze hits Oxford Sunoco

Growing green at Patton Middle School

By John Chambless Staff Writer

Right now, in the depth of winter, vegetables are green and growing at Patton Middle School, thanks to some brand-new Tower Garden units that were set up last week. On Friday morning, eighthgrade students at the school learned about the science of aeroponics and built

Acts of heroism in Avon Grove

Three Avon Grove High School students acted quickly to help save one man’s life in November. Then, in January, two of the school’s nurses helped to save another man’s life

provided life-saving assistance to a person who suffered

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

There are some true heroes walking the crowded hallways of Avon Grove High School. Two school nurses and three students helped to save lives during two separate incidents in the last few months.

At the Jan. 25 school board meeting, superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese recognized the heroics of nurses Colleen Munger and Karen Flad. They acted quickly when a driver who was at the high school to transport one of the school’s students experienced a cardiac event while in the main office of the building. Munger and Flad responded to the situation quickly and they were able to keep the person alive until the paramedics arrived.

Marchese explained that he is a big Philadelphia Eagles fan, and at the start of each home game the team recognizes what they refer to as “hometown heroes.” The superintendent said that he was pleased to be able to recognize a few heroes in the Avon Grove community who put their experience and training to very good use. The superintendent also recognized the recent heroics of three students, Shaun Krushnerock, Josh Prosser, and Long Tran. They were all at the YMCA in Jennersville one day in late November when an elderly gentleman suffered a cardiac event while exercising. The quick-acting students joined an off-duty Pennsylvania State Trooper who performed CPR and together they were able to provide the necessary assistance to the man.

Marchese said that he was speaking on behalf of the school board and the administration when he offered a heartfelt thank you to all five of the heroes.

“We feel very proud of what these students and nurses were able to do for a community member,” Marchese said.

To

Avon Grove facilities...

Continued from Page 1A

throughout February, March, and April. The school board is still expected to make a decision about the direction the district will go in by the end of April, Marchese said.

Last September, after more than 16 months of work, a Facilities Input Group delivered a nonbinding recommendation on how to address the district’s facilities needs.

The proposal included the construction of a new $64 million middle school for grades six through eight on a district-owned parcel on Sunnyside Road and nearly $76 million in exstensive renovations to the existing high school and middle school buildings that would include the addition of new

was begun by Hisler and Ballard. Students and families are now responsible for maintaining 30 raised beds outside the school. The produce grown there goes to the school lunch program, as well as the Kennett Food Cupboard, Safe Harbor in West Chester, and local domestic violence shelters.

Students get hands-on lessons in where food comes from, they learn to eat better, and in some cases are inspired to go into agricultural sciences.

Two of the Tower Garden units will be put in the school cafeterias to grow lettuce and other vegetables for salads and toppings. The other unit will be in the FCS classroom. A “Pizza Garden” is the first goal for the harvest, Ballard said. Each tower can grow 28 heads of lettuce,

core spaces like a cafeteria, gymnasium, and library that would link the buildings and create a new Avon Grove High School campus that could support 21st century learning for all the district’s students. Additionally, under the recommended plan, the grades would be reconfigured at the district’s other schools so that Penn London Elementary would serve kindergarten and first grade students, while the Avon Grove Intermediate School would serve grades two through five.

The school district recently published a newsletter regarding the results of the listening posts. According to the newseletter, approximately 500 people participated in the listening posts. The attendees were asked to identify areas in which current facilities are

meeting district needs and areas in which the current facilities are falling short of meeting those needs.

Teachers were asked questions designed to assess how well the buildings met the educational needs of students. Questions to administrators, support staff, students, parents, and community members were aimed at gathering broad feedback about the facilities, and to identify current facilities challenges and to identify priorities of the needs.

Marchese said that the listening posts were beneficial as a way to share information with stakeholders and to get feedback about what the facilities needs are across the district.

“I think they went really well,” Marchese said. “From the feedback that I received, the teachers, in

or basil, oregano or pretty much any other plant.

The system has a 20-gallon base where water is stored. A small pump circulates the water to the top of the

unit, where it filters down through layers of plants that are bedded in rock wool. Nurtients are added to the water, and the system only requires occasional replenishment of the evaporated water. Lights are suspended from the top of the unit to simulate sunlight, so plants can be grown and harvested year-round.

The idea for growing food in a sustainable way indoors grew out of NASA’s brainstorming for feeding astronauts who might be based on the moon or in space for long periods of time. The aeroponic technology of the Tower Garden has been around for about eight years, McCarthy said. But only in the last five years or so have the units been made

particular, were thankful to provide input into the process. There were a lot of good discussions.”

What district officials learned from the listening posts is that many of the participants shared concerns about overcrowding and the lack of classroom space. The community’s top concerns included the number of classrooms, classroom size, and the number of students per classroom. Particpants also said that more spaces that are conducive to 21st century learning and spaces that are suitable for today’s science, technology, engineering and math programs are needed.

Renovating the high school was identified as a top priority at many listening posts. A need for improved shared spaces, including cafeterias and

auditoriums, was also frequently identified as a priority. Other concerns included HVAC systems, handicapped accessiblity, and a lack of space for academic and extracurricular activities.

Overall, the facilities needs that were most often mentioned by stakeholders and residents during the listening posts reinforced the facilities needs that were identified in the feasibility study that was completed three years ago, as well as during the 16-month period when the Facilities Input Group was doing its work.

The district distributed surveys in which listening post participants were asked to rate their feedback of the Facilities Input Group’s non-binding recommendation.

available to homeowners and not just large farms.

Hisler and Ballard said that a year of fundraising has included large donations from the Patton PTO and the Educational Foundation. The large tower units cost about $1,200 each, Ballard said, but the company makes smaller units that would be suitable for an apartment or other small space.

McCarthy said he has set up units in nursing homes, where residents can enjoy growing flowers without bending over to work in the dirt. He has set the units up in inner-city schools where fresh food is at a premium, and he told the Patton students that fueling their bodies with the right kind of food is critical. “That’s my PSA for the day,” he said, smiling. “I ask that you respect and take care of what you’re growing, and I want all of you to be engaged in the process,” he said. “I was at schools in the Bronx and in North Philadelphia recently, and they were pret-

Overall, about 81 percent of the respondents said that they “strongly support” or “somewhat support” the Facilities Input Group’s recommendation.

Upcoming Committee of the Whole Facilities Planning Meetings will take place on Feb. 8, Feb. 27, March 8, March 27, April 3, and April 12. More information about the district’s facilities planning and the times and places of the upcoming meetings can be found on the school district’s website at avongrove.com.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

The respondends could say that they “strongly support,” “somewhat support,” “somewhat oppose,” or “strongly oppose” the non-binding recommendation. A fifth option was “need more information.”

ty rough areas. We have a tendency to not think about food because we get plenty of it, but in some of the places I’ve been, people cannot wait to take the food home and serve it to their

Boundaries...

Continued from Page 1A

to create a replacement map, and Gov. Tom Wolf until Feb. 15 to submit the revised map to the court. Otherwise, the justices said they will adopt a plan in an effort to keep the May 15 primary election on track.

Pennsylvania’s congressional map has been the subject of severe criticism on both statewide and national criticism in recent years, referred to as a prime demonstration of gerrymandering in an effort to benefit Republican lawmakers, who currently control the state’s congressional delegation, 13-5. Nowhere has the criticism been more cutting than in the map drawn for the 7th District, a congressional region that includes portions of Chester County.

Often described as resembling “Goofy kicking Donald Duck,” the jagged outlines of the district map, many assert, have been erased and drawn again in order to favor Republicans, who have consistently won 13 of 18 House seats since

the map was last redrawn in 2011.

As expected, several members of the Pennsylvania Republican Congressional Delegation quickly issued a statement in opposition to the Supreme Court ruling, calling it “a misguided decision” and “an unfortunate example of the judicial branch inserting itself into the core functions of the legislative branch.”

“Today’s Congressional maps were drafted and approved by both Republicans and Democrats., the statement read. “It also comes on the eve of a midterm election. An orderly electoral process is an essential function of our Democracy.”

The statement was signed by U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson (Pa.-05), Mike Kelly (Pa-03), Scott Perry (Pa.-04), Ryan Costello (Pa.-06), Patrick Meehan (Pa.-07), Bill Shuster (Pa.09), Tom Marino (Pa.-10), Keith Rothfus (Pa.-12), Charlie Dent (Pa.-15) and Lloyd Smucker (Pa.-16).

While the task of redrawing the congressional map

bling the towers.

countries, the units could sustain entire families since they use little water, produce food year-round and do not require owning land.

McCarthy said the company just shipped 140 Tower Gardens to Dubai, and he agreed that they would be ideal in arid or impoverished areas around the world.

McCarthy arrived with

boxes full of seedling vegetables that were ready to place into the towers. The students should be able to begin harvesing lettuce and more in about five weeks. Seeds from mature plants can also be replanted in the towers to produce more food.

When McCarthy had a room full of eighth graders,

has been placed in the hands of the current Legislature, the ruling flies in the face of statewide efforts – both in Harrisburg and in grassroots organizations – to create an independent commission to do the redrawing, safe from any potential political bias.

Pa. Senate Bill 22, a bipartisan proposal introduced by Sens. Lisa Boscola-(D) and Mario Scavello-(R) and Pa. House Bill 722, a bipartisan proposal introduced by Reps. Eric Roe, a Republican, and Steve Samuelson, a Democrat, propose to create an 11-member independent citizens commission, chosen by the state’s Secretary of State, to be in charge of both legislative and congressional redistricting.

The commission would include no current or recent elected officials, candidates, political party officials, or their aides or spouses would be eligible. Legislative leaders from both houses and parties would be able to strike a designated number of candidates from each pool. Further, the commission

would establish transparent procedures, follow a strict timetable, and provide meaningful opportunity for public input prior to drawing plans and again before adopting final plans.

Approval of a final plan would then require at least seven votes, and at least one vote from each of the three groups. Once approved by the commission, the new district maps would not be subject to approval by the PA House and Senate or the governor, but any citizen could appeal the maps directly to the Pa. Supreme Court.

Although he favors any ruling to eliminate partisan gerrymandering, Roe said that a “temporary fix” is not the answer to a centuries-old problem. In a statement to the Chester County Press, Roe said that state residents deserve “an independent citizen-led redistricting commission like the one I have proposed in House Bill 722, which would make the redistricting process fair for every reapportionment going forward,” he wrote. “More than

half of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has co-sponsored my bill because the majority of my colleagues recognizes the need for a permanent solution. The decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has not changed my determination or resolve to remove politicians from drawing their own district boundary lines.”

Fair Districts Pa., a nonpartisan, citizen-led, statewide coalition working to create a process for redistricting that is transparent, impartial, and fair, pledged that in light of he ruling, it would continue to support SB 22 and HB 722.

“They provide multiple safeguards for a fairer process, ensure a capable and demographically representative commission, and reduce the major political parties’ ability to manipulate district lines,” the group stated on its website.

“While other redistricting initiatives have been introduced that address some of these concerns, they fall short of resolving the core conflicts of interest in

today’s process.”

“We still need to really push our elected officials to enact these bills into law,” said David Unger of the Chester County chapter of Fair Districts Pa. “The only way that elected officials are going to do that is that if they feel a certain amount of pain. If they feel their jobs are at stake, then they’re going to make an effort to put those bills into law.”

Unger said that although he anticipates that the redrawn maps won’t be recreated without political bias, the court order is a step in the right direction.

“It’s forcing their hand, to go back to the table for now,” he said. “If the Republicans know that the Supreme Court is no longer going to uphold whatever map that’s going to come out of their committee, then they have more of an incentive to one, be fair, and two, take thee bills more seriously.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

he broke them into three groups and challenged them to assemble the units. The girls’ team won, he declared after 15 minutes, because

they read the directions and worked together well. The other teams of boys were not far behind, however. Giving students ownership

Galer Estate Winery wins double gold

Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery of Kennett Square was recently awarded a rare Double Gold Medal at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest competition of American wines in the world.

After receiving nearly 7,000 entries from 35 states, 67 judges determined the best wines across the nation and Galer Estate’s 2015 Cabernet Franc was chosen as a Double-Gold Medal winner, meaning all judges ranked it as a Gold Medal winner.

Galer Estate’s winning wine was grown in Pocopson Township and produced and aged in French oak for 24 months at Galer Estate’s winery in Kennett Square. Tasting notes by Galer Estate winemaker Virginia Mitchell describe the wine as having aromas of tobacco and smoke with flavors of raspberry, red plum, and white pepper, all well-known characteristics of the cabernet franc grape. This 2015 Cabernet Franc is available at the winery at 700 Folly Hill Road, Kennett Square.

All wine is produced on site, in small lots, with the majority of grapes being grown in one of the two Galer vineyards in Chester County.

Brad and Lele Galer, founders and owners of Galer Estate, said in a statement that “The Double Gold for the 2015 Cabernet Franc was completely unexpected. We love this wine but you never know how it rates compared to the best in the entire United States. We are completely thrilled for our entire team in the vineyard and at the winery. It also once again demonstrates that world-class wine can

be grown and made here in Chester County.”

Galer Estate winemaker

Virginia Mitchell said, “The 2015 growing season was ideal, with hot, dry days during harvest and into October. … This wine definitely expresses what a wonderful wine cabernet franc from the Brandywine Valley can be!”

The Galer Estate Red Lion Chardonnay also earned a Bronze Medal in the competition. These latest medals bring the overall medal count to well over 140 awards and medals since the winery’s opening in 2011. For more informa-

tion, visit www.galerestate.

of the units, and of the foods they grow, is at the heart of what Ballard and Hisler teach. “This teaches kids responsibility,” Hisler said. “The more they grow food, the more they like to eat it.

They figure, ‘I grew this, I’m going to try it.’”

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

Nelms declares candidacy for 158th District seat

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Before nearly 100 former students and players, friends and local Democratic leaders, Rick Nelms, a former teacher and basketball coach, officially announced his candidacy for Pa. State Representative for the 158th District, at the Kennett Brewing Company on Jan. 27.

He will be running against Republican Eric Roe, who is in his first term as the representative for the District, in an election that will be held in November.

The 158th District is made up of the municipalities and townships of Avondale, East Bradford, East Marlborough, London Britain, New Garden, Newlin, West Bradford and West Marlborough, as well

as portions of West Goshen. A graduate of West Chester University and Villanova University, Nelms taught Economics, American History and American Government at Jenkintown, Kennett and Coatesville high schools for 33 years, and was also a basketball coach for several years.

The chief talking points of Nelms’ campaign focus on environmental protection; state legislature, pension and tax system reform; the promotion of strong public schools and small businesses; and the promotion of opioid addiction prevention.

His campaign will also focus on creating steppedup measures intended to protect seniors, veterans and “Dreamers,” those young people currently protected under Deferred Action

for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an American immigration policy was established by the Obama administration in June 2012 aimed at allowing some individuals who entered the country as minors and remained illegally, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation. The policy was rescinded by the Trump administration in September 2017.

Describing himself as a political outsider with reallife experience, Nelms said that if he is elected, he will not “toe the party line.”

A committee member for Indivisible Kennett Square, he said he was influenced to run after hearing the divisive rhetoric and tone of contemporary politics.

“I don’t like the way our nation is going,” Nelms said.

“There is a lot of bigotry and rhetoric and hatred in certain elements of our society. I’m a committee member for Indivisible Kennett Square, and the head of the committee sent out a memo asking if anyone was going to run for the office, so I’m running for the office.

“I’m running for State Representative because we need someone in the Pennsylvania State Legislature who will advocate for our residents, not special interests,” Nelms wrote on his website. “I believe in fiscal sanity and social justice. I’m not a politician, and I don’t intend to become a career politician.”

Nelms wrote that if elected, he will not serve more than two two-year terms in the House.

“I’ve had some decent

contributions from moderate Republicans, and I’ve had a supervisor pull me aside and tell me that if I get elected to Harrisburg, he thinks I can get things done,” he said. “If I am elected, I’m not going

Avon Grove School District’s Act 1 Index limit is set at 3.1 percent

It’s early in the budgeting process, but a tax increase seems likely as the district deals with revenue shortfalls and increasing fixed costs

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Preliminary work on the 2018-2019 budget is underway in Avon Grove, and even though the deadline for the school board to finalize and adopt the spending plan is June 30, it already appears that a tax increase will be likely in order to balance the budget.

District officials noted that there are still a lot of unknowns regarding the budget at this point, including the funding that will come from the state—a significant piece in the budgetary puzzle.

School board vice president Bonnie Wolff, who serves on the district’s Finance and Budget Committee, explained at the Jan. 25 school board meeting that Avon Grove’s adjusted Act 1 Index limit for the 2018-2019 fiscal year is approximately 3.1 percent. The Act 1 Index limit establishes the largest increase that a school district could have without seeking approval from residents via a referendum.

as a number of issues will need resolved in the coming months.

At this point in the budgeting process, it appears as if the school district will need to dip into its fund balance and increase taxes in order to balance the budget. It remains to be seen how large the tax increase will be

Funding that school districts receive from the state have not kept pace with the fixed costs that districts face. There have been year-to-year increases in PSERS costs for more than a decade. Avon Grove is also facing the possibility of declining revenues from local sources as property owners in the area have sought and received reassessments that have lowered the assessed value of their properties—and consequently reduced their school tax bills.

Wolff said that the reduced reassessments could amount

to more than $200,000 in lost revenues for the coming year.

Noting that the district does not receive adequate funding from the state, Wolff said that the loss of local revenues on top of that creates a difficult situation for the district when it comes time to prepare the next budget.

In other business at the Jan. 25 meeting, superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese honored the nine members of the school board. Marchese noted that January is School Director Recognition Month in Pennsylvania, and that each of the school board members dedicate many hours each month to work for the

district. Marchese recognized each of the nine school board members individually during the meeting.

Charles Beatty III has been a school board member since 2011 and represents Region I. Herman Engel has served on the board since 2010 and represents Region III. Rick Dumont represents Region II and just joined the board in December of 2017. Another newcome to the school board is John Auerbach, who is a representative of Region I and has also served since December. Bill Wood has been a school board member since 2016 and represents Region III. Jeffrey Billig has been a

school board member since 2015 and represents Region II. Lynn Weber just joined the board in December and represents Region I. Board vice president Bonnie Wolff, the longest-serving current member of the Avon Grove School Board, first joined it in 2003. She represents Region III. School board president Tracy Lisi joined the board in 2015 and represents Region II. An Avon Grove Committee of the Whole meeting is slated for Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Avon Grove High School’s library/media center. To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

Despite progress, restoring lake still faces upstream battle

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

To the thousands of residents who call the Somerset Lake development home, the community’s namesake – a 28-acre, man-made lake built in 1966 – has served as its most prominent picture postcard, a glimmering waterway that attracts wildlife, flora, fauna and families.

Over the past several years, residents have become citizen scientists in an effort to preserve this natural beauty and, working with professional ecologists and developing initiatives on their own, they have helped to bring attention to the fragility of the lake, its challenges and its long-term viability.

In a thorough presentation before the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors earlier this month, Bill Ward of the Somerset Lake Committee said that despite several projects that have made the lake healthier, there are overwhelming environmental warning signs that could potentially bring on its eventual demise.

“Unfortunately, there are many challenges facing the lake that affect its present health status and long-term viability,” Ward said. “The lake has a high percentage of impermeable surfaces that makes the lake vulnerable to stormwater runoff and potential erosion that it causes.”

Very little scientific evidence of the lake’s overall health was known until the F.X. Browne Report was issued in 2012, which revealed that the lake had been found to be hyper-eutrophic, due to excessive sediments and nutrients. Further, the report stated that the lake had dangerously high

levels of silt and sediment and toxic algae; an increasing amount of eroding stream banks and tributaries; and at depths greater than six feet, there was no dissolved oxygen, turning parts of the lake into “a biological dead zone” in certain areas, Ward said.

The report said that on average, the amount of silting and sedimentation in the lake reaches as much as 260 tons every year, which leads to a decrease in the water depth of the lake.

With the help of $200,000 raised from the Somerset Lake Homeowners Association fees and the blueprint for lake improvement now on the table, the Committee began a series of projects a few years ago that continue to make a positive impact. In 2015, the committee installed an aeration system in the lake, which improved oxygen levels throughout the water. In addition, beneficial bacteria was also installed in the lake, which has helped to digest organic matter and lake sediment.

Receiving assistance from Marion Waggoner and Dave Yake of the Save Our Water Committee, the group installed a systematic water quality monitoring program in the lake in 2017, sampling the water quality of five locations from April through November, that provided data that is leading them to determine other mediation efforts in the future.

Perhaps the most visible sign of lake mediation done on the committee’s part –and the most crucial to its long-term survival – has been through two dredging projects completed in 2016 and last year, at two forebay locations. The lake, Ward said, is “a

perfect candidate” for dredging, given that at several locations, water levels have gone down considerably from the time the lake was constructed 52 years ago. The dam portion of the lake, for instance, which contains the deepest water in the lake, was engineered for a maximum water depth of 24 feet.

“This year, the maximum water depth was 15 feet,” Ward said. “Over the 50-year lifespan of the dam, nine feet of sediment has accumulated at the bottom of the lake, a rate of about one foot of sediment additional accumulation every five to seven years. If that rate continues over the course of the next 75 years, the lake will disappear.”

By the end of the summer of 2016, Ward said that one forebay of the lake was so silted that vegetation was taking over where water once was, and while dredging lowered the sediment levels in the area, it is now anticipated that the forebay will need to be dredged again sometime in the next few years.

“There are times and places when [dredging] is your only alternative and you have to do it, but it is expensive and it provides only temporary relief from stream bank erosion control,” he said.

Ward said that the ongoing mission of the lake committee will be to focus on controlling stream bank erosion in Somerset Lake, and the work is already underway. The committee is planning to collaborate with ecologically minded organizations and businesses that specialize in watershed improvement, beginning the spring, and also making plans to seek additional funding sources for further research.

In other township news, township solicitor Vince Pompo told the board that Artesian Water Pennsylvania, Inc. has filed an application with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) for a certificate of public convenience, to govern the approval of its acquisition property interest from Artesian Resources Corporation – a well that is located near the corner of Newark and Broad Run roads in Landenberg.

The application, Pompo said, derives from an order issued by the PUC in early December, which rules that in order for Artesian Pennsylvania to implement the easements for the Broad Run well and placement of the water pipe from the water well to Broad Run Road, the PUC has ruled that Artesian must first obtain a certificate of public convenience.

A certificate of public convenience, Pompo said, is the legal mechanism by which a public utility gains the right to undertake certain activities, which in this case concerns the intention of Artesian to ultimately be granted the permission from the PUC to transfer water from the Broad Run well to the Delaware state line.

Pompo said that the public has until March 14, 2018 to file a protest or intervene in the application to the PUC. Any public filing of protest would be in conjunction to a lawsuit that New Garden Township filed against Artesian concerning the activity at the well site.

“The township has been saying all along that in order for Artesian to gain an exemption from regulations because it claims it is a public utility, it must first get some type of

approval from the PUC, [relevant to the company’s wish to activate the well],” Pompo said. “The PUC agreed with that decision and required Artesian to file additional documents in order to gain that approval and to notice the public, the township and other agencies of the application, so that they would participate in that application before the PUC.”

Scott Mastrangelo of Gardens Great and Small, a landscape design and contracting company located in Yorklyn, Del., told the supervisors that he is interested in purchasing the 300-year-old historic Middleton home and its 3.4 acres at the corner of Laurel Heights and Newark roads, in Landenberg. The house and property are both currently vacant.

Mastrangelo intends to restore and renovate the home and property, and make it his residence and design studio. He said he wants to cultivate a half-acre display garden on the property, which will be used to grow plants for installations; and accommodate a small road side stand for his business. He said that he also wishes to keep two to three horses on the property.

Seeking recommendations from the board, Mastrangelo said, “I have a lot of experience in interiors and restoration, and I would love to make the house a beautiful place.”

In order to obtain the property, the board told Mastrangelo that he would need to obtain one application for two variances – one to accommodate his request to have farm animals and a second to operate business on his property.

The board voted to authorize the termination of the township’s general authority, which Pompo said has had no activity in the last several years.

Gildo Guizetti, Greg Hanson, David Gula and Michael Wolfe were recognized for their contributions to the township’s sewer authority. Hanson died on Jan. 8, and was represented by his wife, Mary and son, Danny. J. Patrick Little was also recognized for his service as board chairman in 2017. The board appointed Barbara Bolton as a township representative to the Kennett Library; Amy Lieberman as a representative to the historic commission; and Vincent Liberi to the township’s municipal authority.

The Southern Chester County Regional Police Department will hold its annual recognition and awards ceremony at the township building on March 8. Police Chief Gerald Simpson told the board that the department will issue its first-year report to the public on Feb. 9.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

Our commitment to Advancing

sicians,

FATAL CRASH

A Kennett Square man died in a one-car accident on Jan. 27, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. Police said Juan Jose Manuel Clemente Aguilara, 31, of Kennett Square, was driving on Longview Lane in East Marlborough Township at 12:23 a.m., when his vehicle left the road and struck a tree.

BURGLARY

Pennsylvania State Police Avondale reported that a home at 27 Kodi Circle in London Grove Township was burglarized on Jan. 23. Police said the homeowner checked a camera inside her home and was able to see two men as they burglarized the home. The investigation is continuing.

COUPLE ROBBED BY FAKE CONTRACTORS

A Pennsbury Township couple was burglarized by two people from Newark, Del., who were posing as contractors, according to Pennsyvlania State Police Avondale.

Police said Mark Louis Catamusto, 42, and Britney Anne Friend, 30, both of Newark, posed as contractors to gain entrance to the home on Nov. 21, 2017, and stole multiple items.

ASSAULT ARREST

A 27-year-old Oxford man was charged with

Oxford man charged with child sexual assault

By John Chambless Staff Writer

On Jan. 24, Pennsylvania State Police Avondale announced the arrest of Robert Dean Caesar, of Oxford, on charges of child sexual assault.

According to police, Caesar, whose address is 906 Street Rd. in Lower Oxford Township, developed a friendship with two brothers beginning in June 2015. They were 14 and 12 at the time. The relationship became sexual in nature and ended on Dec. 26, 2017. A tip to police about possible abuse led to a search of Caesar’s home, which turned up evidence related to the abuse of the two victims,

simple assault and related offenses on Jan. 14 after he was in a physical fight with a 25-year-old Landenberg woman at 17 Bullock Road in Franklin Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. Police said the woman had injuries from the incident. A 3-year-old child and a 10-month-old child were also listed as victims in the police report.

BAD CHECK

On Jan. 10, a Concord Township woman was given a check for $1,597.14 for a countertop installation. When she tried to deposit the check, which was

as well as hard drives and computers containing child pornography, according to the report.

A caller to the Chester County Press on Jan. 22 said she was a neighbor who saw police raid Caesar’s home. She indicated that the boys were members of the Amish community, but this could not be verified. Caesar’s case was slated to be heard by Judge Scott Massey in Oxford District Court on Jan. 30, but that hearing has been continued to an undetermined future date, according to the court.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

issued through Sun East Federal Credit Union, she found out that there was no checking account with that number, according to a report from Pennsylvania State Police Avondale.

THEFT FROM HOME

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, furniture and other items were removed without permission from a home at 6 Meadow Wood Lane in Franklin Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. The victim said that the people involved had agreed to buy the home, but did not have permission to remove any items.

Franklin Township supervisors hear proposal for Boy Scout soap box derby

By John Chambless Staff Writer

The Boy Scouts may be bringing the excitement of a soap box derby to Crossan Park in Franklin Township in May, if the event is approved by the Board of Supervisors.

At the board’s Jan. 17 meeting, Craig Sims, field director for the Chester County Boy Scout Council, and Tamara Christensen, council activities director, spoke to the board regarding hosting the event, in which scouts build full-size, working vehicles and compete in a series of races. A local troop has held a small derby in the park previously, so the County Council is asking to hold the event there on May 5. Organizers expect about 300 participants. The council will provide portable restrooms, insurance coverage, supervision and all maintenance. The supervisors indicated that they are supportive of hosting the event, and will formally vote at a later date.

Ellen Kohler, from the White Clay Creek MS4 Collaboration, reported that Franklin and all surrounding townships met their stream sediment load reductions under the MS4 guidelines, except

for West Grove Borough and Penn Township. The permit submissions are being reviewed, and the DEP should respond sometime in March, Kohler said, adding that although initial requirements have been met, streams are still impaired and township residents should still be working on tree planting, rain gardens and inlet maintenance.

Shane Morgan, from the White Clay Wild and Scenic organization, said there are seven projects in Franklin Township taking part in the “Catch the Rain” rain barrel effort.

The board discussed ongoing improcvements to Municipal Lane and the township building. Board members agreed that work needs to be done to improve Municipal Lane before work to improve the office can move forward.

Board chairman John Auerbach said that water entered the building after a storm on Jan. 12. Supervisor Steffen Torres recommended fixing the lane early in the road program so additional plantings can begin in the spring.

During public comment at the beginning of the meeting, township resident John Frank spoke to the board

about the Natural Land Trust’s plans to plant several acres of trees on Peacedale Preserve. Frank said that planting trees makes the area difficult to maintain, and may also destroy the habitat of the redwinged black bird. He suggested planting the trees in another area of the preserve.

Bernie Racey, who lives on a privately owned loop in Colonial Meadows, asked that the board consider assuming responsibility for two private roads in Colonial Meadows. Township solicitor Mark Thompson said that there is nothing in the Municipal Planning Code or the Second Class Township Code that requires the township to take over the two roads. Auerbach said there are two other subdivisions, Twin Bridges and Landenberg Highlands, also have private roads. Auerbach said he would ask the township engineer to look into how the roads in Colonial Meadows were constructed.

Updated township information is available at www.franklintownship. us.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@ chestercounty.com.

No time for cartoons: Architects of state redistricting must be unbiased

Last Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling that essentially forces the hand of the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature to smudge out the existing lines, shapes and contours that make up the state’s current congressional district map, and redraw these boundaries. The lawmakers will have until February 15 to do so, in time for the state’s May 15 primary, or else the Court will redraw the lines on their own.

The Court’s ruling reinvigorated a conversation, an argument and perhaps an inconvenient truth that has been heard from all sides, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, for some time: that the state’s congressional map has been unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Whatever directions the new lines will take, whether they be redrawn by elected officials in Harrisburg or by the Supreme Court itself, speculation is already running rampant that the outcome is very likely to favor Democrats, who could win an additional four or five seats by next November.

As a result of this court ruling, there is a widening belief that the Republican dominance in Harrisburg may come to a close – they now own 13 of the state’s 18 congressional districts – a belief magnified by the results of last November’s election that saw an anti-Trump resistance in the voting booth, a movement that has ignited a snowball avalanche of support from grassroots organizations, public and social media protest.

The news of the ruling, though not universally supported, has nonetheless forced the hand of the state’s lawmakers to design a more fair and equitable system of districting, and while the pendulum may eventually swing in the Democrats’ favor, does it ultimately swing toward justice, impartiality and the will of the voting public to eliminate all political biases?

No, it does not. Instead, putting the big magic marker in the hands of elected officials, no matter their party, and holding them responsible for controlling the state’s Etch-a-Sketch board is akin to a hostage takeover of the state’s entire political system, while the power of the voting public continues to blow according to the wind of whatever party serves in majority.

It will continue the festering wound of back-room legislation. It will not free up data, but pigeonhole it to favor a political party. It will continue the opportunity to hand-pick districts, create definitive lines of division and invite the influence of outside parties. Finally, continuing to give the assignment of redistricting to elected officials will create more examples of congressional borders like the one in the 7th District – which includes Chester County – a boundary so ridiculously drawn by and slanted toward one party that many who have criticized it believe that it closely resembles Donald Duck kicking Goofy.

Thanks to the ingenuity of two bipartisan bills introduced last year in Harrisburg, there is a way out of this potential mess. Pa. Senate Bill 22 and Pa. House Bill 722 both propose to create an 11-member independent citizens commission, chosen by the state’s Secretary of State, to be in charge of both legislative and congressional redistricting. The commission would not include any current or recent elected officials, candidates, political party officials, or their aides or spouses, and will be charged with the task of establishing full transparency, one that will encourage public comment and influence prior to drawing up the new congressional district boundaries prior to adopting a final map.

We encourage those who support these two bills – members of the House and Senate and organizations like Fair Districts Pa. who continue to fight for fairness – to not lose control of the mantel. It is time to give the magic marker of our state’s congressional boundaries to those whose intention is to draw a map of fairness, while keeping it away from our elected cartoonists.

Unionville’s mascot was chosen to honor the Lenape indians

Letter to the Editor:

The Unionville-Chadds Ford students who are advocating for the removal of our Indian mascot are showing their historic ignorance and possibly their bigotry. The Lenape Indians lived in our region

long before European immigrants arrived and slowly, mainly peacefully, pushed their Indian neighbors to the west. The last Lenape Indian in the region, Indian Hannah, died in 1802. There may still be Lenape Indians on reservations in the west.

Perhaps the UnionvilleChadds Ford School District should require history classes detailing what has happened in our region over the ages.

Our mascot was chosen to honor the Lenape Indians, and was not intended to have a derisive impact on our region’s earlier inhabitants. No one can erase history. Our district has far more important needs on which to spend its limited time.

Opinion

Supreme Court decision to throw out the

congressional maps is a good start

By State Sen. Lisa Boscola

Since my first experience with map drawing back in 2001, it was apparent that partisanship plays too large a role in our redistricting effort. The recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court discarding the congressional maps merely serves to reaffirm this position.

The General Assembly has long had the tools to fix the issue once and for all by taking the politics out of map drawing. It is why I am a proud prime sponsor of SB 22. This legislation provides for the creation of an independent commission to draw our lines every 10 years. This has never been a partisan issue for me, but a practical one.

One need only look at our congressional maps to understand that they were not designed with compactness, contiguity and communities of

interest in mind. In fact, as Judge Kevin Brobson noted in his lower court opinion, as long as the General Assembly is involved in the process, partisanship can and will play a role. It is why courts across the country are reluctant to entertain challenges to these maps, inject themselves into the legislative process, and try to define what is too much partisanship.

Frankly, it is embarrassing that citizens need to go to court over redistricting. However, the partisan overreach and cavalier attitude with which maps are drawn in states where the legislature has the final say places us here. In Pennsylvania’s case, a picture says 1000 words and the Court could plainly see that partisanship played an overriding role.

This comes back to the core issue that needs to be addressed by the General Assembly – who should draw the maps? This is not

a reflection on the actual people who draw the map, individuals I work with and respect – both Democrats or Republicans, but more an acknowledgement of the practical reality of any partisan effort. Redrawing maps fairly is too fundamental to safeguarding our democracy to allow partisanship to play a predominant role. It needs to change.

Today, perhaps more so than at any point in my time in office, people are losing confidence in the leaders they elect. In part, I believe it stems from the angst people have that the system is not working for them. Pennsylvanians need point only to the Congressional maps and plainly see that they were not designed with their best interests in mind. While elected officials may feel safer in their districts, voters are feeling more and more disenfranchised. Its why people in Pennsylvania and across

the country are rising-up and challenging the maps. Independent commissions have worked in other states and would work here. Such a process would go a long way assuring citizens that politics will not play an outsized role in setting maps every decade. The General Assembly needs to stand together and begin rebuilding trust in the process with the citizens we serve. The time to act is now so this reformed process is in place for the next time maps are drawn. All the Supreme Court decision did was jettison these maps back through the partisan process from which they originated. You will never eliminate all the politics from the mapping process. However, we can learn from what other states have done and what our court are saying in their opinions. Enough is enough, let’s reform the process now.

Dinniman: Search state’s unclaimed property database

$3.2 billion waiting to be claimed by its rightful owners have unclaimed property waiting for them.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman reminded residents to check with the Pennsylvania Treasury’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property to see if there is property waiting for them to claim.

The Treasury returned $250 million in unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians last year, a 34 percent increase from 2016. Still, there is more than $3.2 billion in unclaimed property waiting to be claimed by its rightful owners and about 1 in 10 residents

You can search the registry by visiting www. patreasury.gov or calling the Treasury’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property tollfree at 1-800-222-2046.

Unclaimed property is any financial asset that has gone unclaimed for a period of time, usually three years. Under Pennsylvania law, businesses are required to report this to Treasury, which serves as the custodian until it can find

and verify its rightful legal owner. The registry includes items from forgotten bank accounts and stocks, uncashed checks, and rebates, the contents of safety deposit boxes and other unclaimed property.

“If you’ve ever forgotten to cash a last paycheck or reclaim a deposit, that money is not lost forever, it is held for you by the Pennsylvania Treasury and it remains available to be claimed by its rightful owner or heir in perpetuity,” Dinniman said.

Dinniman encouraged residents to search the database and see if the Treasury may be holding unclaimed property for them.

“Extra cash is always helpful, whether you’re still paying off holiday bills or beginning to save for a summer vacation,” Dinniman said. “I urge you to search the database. If your name is listed, please feel free contact my district office for assistance in claiming your property.

Roe named to House Finance Committee

Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) recently announced the appointment of Rep. Eric Roe (R-Chester) to the House Finance Committee for the remainder of the 2017-18 legislative session.

“I am extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to represent Chester County on the House Finance Committee,” said Roe. “I’m determined to work on solutions for Pennsylvania’s financial woes. With this appointment, I will have the

opportunity to develop sound public policy that will help job creators and families thrive in our community.”

The House Finance Committee examines all legislation dealing with taxes and other revenue generated to support government obligations.

“Rep. Roe will be an asset to the committee due to his background in businessrelated issues,” said Rep. Bernie O’Neill (R-Bucks), chairman of the House Finance Committee. “I’m looking forward to work-

ing with Eric on the many important issues that come before the committee.” Roe also serves on the Aging and Older Adult Services, Human Services, and Urban Affairs committees. For more information on Roe, visit www.RepRoe. com, or www.facebook. com/RepEricRoe.

Chadds Ford photographer to join expedition in Mongolia

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Over the last several years, in a portfolio that has been celebrated as both ethereal and intimate, the work of Chadds Ford photographer Alessandra Manzotti has explored the fabric and texture of Chester County.

As seen at galleries in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland and in private homes, Manzotti’s camera holds rural landscapes, wildlife and the people of the Brandywine Valley in still-frame continuity: The playfulness of foxes in a snowstorm; the bristle of a horse’s mane; the wide and empty swath of an open field; and the well-worn peaks and valleys of a human hand.

Beginning on Feb. 10, however, Manzotti will take her talents to one of the most remote parts of the world. She will join BBC and Human Planet photographer Timothy Allen, and six other photographers from Europe and South America, on a two-week expedition of the Altai Mountain region of Western Mongolia, where she will document the spring migration of a family of Kazakhs eagle hunters, their prized eagles, and a herd of 1,000 cattle and camels.

“This expedition will allow me to potentially come home with a cohesive body of work,” said Manzotti, who was selected by Allen to join the trip after a Skype interview with him, and will be the only American on the expedition.

“Working in Chester County, I often shoot one image at a time, and often, there is no link to other images,” Manzotti said. “With this trip, I am hoping to create

a collection of images that make sense together. I want to be able to create a story on this trip, from start to finish, that tells what it is like to live and thrive in these conditions.”

Working alongside Allen, Manzotti will be in great company. A seventime winner of the Travel Photographer of the Year award, Allen joined the BBC in 2008 to begin work on the documentary project, Human Planet. He spent more than a year and a half traveling with four teams, covering stories of human endeavor in more than 40 countries around the world. Allen shot content for the program and its accompanying multimedia projects, as well as imagery that was published in a bestselling BBC book, formed an exhibition, and was used in the program’s worldwide branding and publicity.

With temperatures dropping as low as 40 degrees below zero, Manzotti will sleep in traditional round tents called gers. She’ll use this opportunity to become immersed in the life of the nomadic people of Mongolia while witnessing and photographing areas very rarely seen by outsiders.

A native of Milan, Italy, Manzotti said she was inspired to join the Mongolian expedition by her father’s longtime interest in the region.

“My father has been a world traveler throughout his life, and has always had a passion for learning about Mongolia, even though it’s one of the only places he’s never been to,” she said. “When I was a kid, he would pass books about the region along to me. The vastness, isolation and remoteness of the region has always been attractive to me.

In the chaos of our society, it’s fascinating to think there are still people who live nomadic lives, who change their homes every year, live with minimal possessions in very harsh conditions, and yet are still very content.”

Manzotti said some of the images that will come from her Mongolian expedition will appear in her next gallery show, beginning March 1 at the old forge in Fairville Village, 522 Kennett Pike, in collaboration with artist Susan Iserbyt, from Belgium. To learn more about Alessandra Manzotti, visit www.amanzottifineart.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

DORIS J. WARD LAUVER

Doris J. Ward Lauver, 94, of Pleasant Gap, Pa., formerly of New London, died on Jan. 17 at The Oaks retirement community in Pleasant Gap. She was the wife of the late Wilbur James Lauver, who died in 2005, and with whom she shared 59 years of marriage. Born in Burnham, Pa., she was the daughter of the late John and the late Gladys (Smith) Ward. Doris was a bookkeeper for many years for Danks Department Store in Lewistown, Pa., and Marvel & Smith Hardware in West Grove. She enjoyed playing the organ, doing needlework and was known for her impeccable sense of style. Doris never shied away from hard work – she had even helped her late husband, Wilbur, build their first home. Doris was a faithful member of New London United Methodist Church, where she had served as church treasurer and UMW president. Survivors include four sons, Kirk Lauver and his wife Elizabeth of State College, Lynn Lauver and his wife Ann of Spring Mills, Pa., Mark Lauver and his wife Debra of Jarretsville, Md., and Dale Lauver and his wife Beverley of New London; one brother, John Ward and his wife Juliette of Carlisle, Pa.; seven grandchildren; and five greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by a great-grandchild, Evan Ruff; and a sister, Vivian Ward Becker.

A funeral was held Jan. 27. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries, The Oaks, 200 Rachel Drive Pleasant Gap, PA 16823; or to Macular Degeneration Research, 22512 Gateway Center Dr., P.O. Box 1952, Clarksburg, MD 208711952 (www.brightfocus.org/macular). To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7-8

TheChesterCountyPressfeaturesadedicatedchurch/religious pagethatcanhelpyouadvertiseyourhouseofworshipand/or business.Thepageisupdatedweeklywithnewscripture.Only$10 Weeklyforthisspace.

Weareofferingaspecialdiscountof25%offeachandeveryhelp wanted/classifiedadvertisementtoanybusinessthatadvertiseson thePRESSchurchpage.

For more information or to place an ad, contact Brenda Butt at 610-869-5553 ext. 10

CHRISTINE CROWELL TROSTLE

Christine Crowell Trostle, 90, of West Grove, died on Jan. 23 at Jenners Pond Retirement Community in West Grove. She was the wife of the late Robert S. Trostle, who died in 2011, and with whom she shared 62 years of marriage. Born in West Chester, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and the late Edna (Howland) Crowell. She lived in Chester County her entire life. She was a longtime member and Sunday school teacher at Avondale Presbyterian Church. She was a proud Chester County 4H leader, and volunteered at the Food Cupboard in Avondale and Kennett Square. She was an avid cyclist and enjoyed cycling tours in the U.S. and abroad, and especially enjoyed a trip to the French Alps. She enjoyed visits to Longwood Gardens and listening to the Kennett Symphony. She was an English as a second language tutor. She was an accomplished seamstress and performed alterations for many years at the 410 Shoppe in Avondale.

Survivors include one daughter, Carol Shortlidge of West Grove; one son, Dr. David Trostle and his wife JoEllen of Quentin, Pa.; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A service was held Jan. 26. Interment was in New Garden Friends Cemetery. Contributions in her memory are encouraged to Avondale Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 446, Avondale, PA 19311; or to Willow Tree Hospice, 616 East Cypress Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

ELIZABETH M. HERR

Elizabeth M. Herr, 94, of Nottingham, passed away on Jan. 19 at Twin Pines Health Care Center in West Grove. She was the wife of the late Charles W. Herr, Sr., with whom she shared 68 years of marriage. Born in Oxford, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Lillian Dutton Hannum. Elizabeth was a member of the Oxford Church of the Nazarene. She loved her grandchildren and enjoyed doing crossword puzzles. She is survived by three daughters, Jane Johnson and her husband Alvin of Oxford, Judy Shields and her husband William of Newark, Del., and Joan Martin and her husband Wendell of Drumore; daughter-in-law Jane Herr of New Holland; nine grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Charles Hannum and Richard Hannum, both of Oxford. She was preceded in death by her son, Charles W. Herr, Jr.; and one brother, Alfred Hannum.

A funeral was held Jan. 29. Interment was in the Oxford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Holisticare Hospice LLC, 685 Kromer Ave., Berwyn, PA 19312. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

AVIS CLEO STEVENS

Avis Cleo Stevens, 91, of Lincoln University, passed away on Jan. 19 at Jennersville Regional Hospital in West Grove. She was the wife of the late Benjamin Stevens, and first husband, Asa J. Smith. Born in Ashe County, N.C., she was the daughter of the late John and Stella Sluder Osborne. Avis was a member of Full Gospel Church in Kennett Square. She loved quilting, gardening, cooking, and selling Avon products.

She is survived by three daughters, Connie Troupe, Mary Hughes and Nancy Taylor; three sons, Eugene Smith, Jimmy “AJ” Smith and Virgil Smith; three brothers; five sisters; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and special friend, Dewey Jennings and family.

A funeral was held Jan. 24. Interment was in the Oxford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Full Gospel Church, 430 E. South St., Kennett Square, PA 19348. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

MYRTLE M. NAJMOLA

Myrtle M. Najmola, 91, of Boothwyn, passed away on Jan. 22 at her residence.

She was the wife of Francis S. Najmola, who passed away in 1987, and with whom she shared 40 years of marriage. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late William A. Pfeiffer and the late Laura Amelia Van Houthen Pfeiffer. She was a homemaker. She enjoyed gardening, going to the casinos, playing bingo, and being with her family and friends.

She is survived by two daughters, Lorraine C. Santiago and her fiancé Hector Cartagena of Kennett Square, and Irene Melton and her husband Richard of Newport Richey, Fla.; six grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Myrtle was predeceased by three sisters, Dorothy Spencer, Virginia Peak and Lorraine Daltrui; and one brother, William A. Pfeiffer, Jr.

A funeral was held Jan. 29. Burial was in Immaculate Heart of Mary Cemetery in Marcus Hook. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with the family, visit www.grieoccares.com.

FRED P. PRATOLA, SR.

Fred P. Pratola, Sr., 92, of Avondale, passed away on Jan. 25, surrounded by his loving family.

Born to Michael and Grace Pratola in 1925 in Madison, N.J., he was the husband to the love of his life, the late Angeline Pratola, who died in 2007, and with whom he shared 58 years of marriage. A World War II veteran, Fred worked side by side with his father and brothers, first at Michael Pratola and Sons and later at Pratola Brothers. He was a talented gardener, supplying his family and friends with vegetables and lettuce all season. He was an avid fisherman and gifted woodcarver who was generous in sharing his beautiful carvings with his loved ones. He will be remembered as a kind and patient father, a fun and loving grandfather, and a loyal husband, son, brother and friend.

Fred is survived by his children, Angela and Tom Mattoscio, Donna Pratola, and Fred Pratola Jr.; his grandchildren; and his great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Anna Kelleher; his twin brother and best friend, Michael Pratola; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two brothers, Pat and Ralph; and a sister, Angeline.

A mass of Christian burial was held Jan. 30. Burial was in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Kennett Square.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Church, PO Box 709, Avondale, PA 19311; or to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 600 Reed Road, Suite 104, Broomall, PA 19008. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

Looking back at Weymouth’s love of the Brandywine region

By John Chambless Staff Writer

Known primarily as a philanthropist, equestrian and longtime chairman of the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, George “Frolic” Weymouth kept his artworks out of the spotlight, for the most part, despite his position at the crux of the Chester County art world.

“The Way Back: The Paintings of George A. Weymouth,” which opened at the museum on Jan. 27, is the first major retrospective for the artist, who passed away in 2016. The long line of friends and admirers who were in front of the museum before the doors opened for a reception on Jan. 26 showed just how widely connected and respected Weymouth was.

The exhibition is truly career-spanning, including Weymouth’s first small painting, the shadowy “Chicken Fight,” done in 1948, when the artist was about 12 years old. It ends with his last work, a pencil portrait of Herbert V. Kohler, Jr., completed shortly before Weymouth’s death in April 2016. In between are plenty of highlights – his well-known works, along with privately owned paintings and portraits, and Weymouth’s

incredibly detailed pencil sketches.

The 1959 temperas, “Charfoot” and “Field Sparrow,” share a contemplative mood and a muted palette. The large portrait of Eugene Eleuthere du Pont, done in 1958, emphasizes the sinuous curve of the walls and roof more than the man himself, but includes the telling detail of a frayed edge of the sitter’s favorite wing chair.

A watercolor portrait, “Mr. Hilton Taylor,” done in 1962, has astonishing, just-right details that get to the essence of the sitter. Weymouth hits his stride with the quietly ominous “Gathering Storm” (1964), which speaks volumes in the sitter’s lost-in-thought gaze and her crossed arms, subtly emphasizing the tumultuous year of civil rights struggle. That theme is echoed in “Eleven O’Clock News” (1966), which catches a man pausing as he is chopping wood, concentrating on the sound of a transistor radio relaying a news bulletin.

Weymouth’s portraits focus on his friends and family members, and “Portrait of Anna B” (1965) shows Weymouth’s then-wife in an unusual pose, her eyes closed and facing away from an antique table which holds

Feb. 2 to April 27

Dance lessons

The Oxford Area Senior Center (12 W. Locust St., Oxford) hosts dance lessons by Shirley Mackey on Feb. 2 and 16, March 2, 16 and 30, and April 13 and 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. She will teach an assortment of popular line dances such as the Electric Slide, Cha Cha, Boot Scootin’ Boogie and more. Beginners and experienced dancers are welcome. The cost is $5 per class/per person. Call 610932-5244 or email oxsrctr@ zoominternet.net.

Feb. 3

Chocolate is topic at meeting

Chocolatier Albert A. Lauber V, of Neuchatel Swiss Chocolates, will educate the community about Fair Trade chocolate and how to ensure that your Valentine treats are not the result of modern-day slavery, on Feb. 3 at the meeting of ACE AntiHuman Trafficking Alliance of Oxford. The meeting will be held at the Oxford Senior Center (12 E. Locust St., Oxford). Refreshments will be served at 9 a.m., followed by the one-hour presentation and

a lighted candle. Anna is seen again in the charming watercolor “Our Crowd” (1967), sitting on a curve of beach, her attention focused on the book in her hands.

There is much of Andrew Wyeth’s style in the winter landscapes “Thaw” and “Snow Drifts,” In “Study for Mrs. E. Miles Valentine” (1966), Weymouth explores the landscape behind the sitter with a thin wash of brown on the white paper. In the finished portrait, Valentine looks directly at the viewer. She is seated on a horse, which is suggested with only the reins and a small patch of its back. The sweep of winter landscape rises like ocean waves behind her.

Weymouth has a way with temperature extremes, seen in “Ice Shoes” (1996), a view of his home, Big Bend, in winter, with icy needles jutting from the roof and ice clinging to the trunks of the trees. And he expressively captures winter again in “Rogue Wave” (2010), in which wind-piled snow looks like an ocean wave against a barn wall.

The tempera “Corn Basket” (1965) is a rare still life, but the tempera glows with slanting light and soft shadows, elongated on the wooden table top.

If the public knows of Weymouth’s work, it’s probably through “The Way Back” (1963), a large tempera that shows his point of view as he drives a carriage back toward his home. There are two pencil studies with the work that show Weymouth’s meticulous technique. The other Weymouth landmark is “August” (1974), his dazzlingly detailed tempera of a hillside near his home. The field of Queen Anne’s lace, wildflowers and grass has every blade in place, and puts the viewer right into the scene. Take a moment

sample tasting. Call 610-9320337 for more information. Feb. 10

Kennett teachers take on Wizards

Kennett School District teachers play the Harlem Wizards on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. in Kennett High School’s Reynolds Gymnasium. Doors open at 5 p.m. The Wizards are a performance basketball team that entertains the crowd with a variety of basketball tricks. Advance tickets are $10 for students and $12 for adults at www.HarlemWizards.com. Tickets can also be purchased by emailing requests to khsminithon2018@gmail. com. Proceeds benefit Kennett High School’s MiniTHON, a club based that fundraises to support Four Diamonds, an organization dedicated to funding research for childhood cancer and helping afflicted families.??Feb. 11?Chocolate Festival?The Kennett Chocolate Lovers Festival will be held Feb. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. (Connoisseur tickets from noon to 1 p.m.) at Kennett High School (100 E. South St., Kennett Square). There will be hundreds of chocolate treats including

to appreciate the pencil studies for this painting, and marvel at the level of precision Weymouth lavished on each stalk.

Weather is the dominant presence in “Storm” (2004), in which a prickly weed is made monumental by the low perspective, reaching into a bank of ominous gray clouds sweeping over the scene. A similar groundlevel view is used in “The Crossing” (2009-10), in which the plant life is rendered microscopically and the sweep of storm clouds above is a grayblack mass. “Requiem” (2010) is a powerful view of a lightning-shattered tree trunk under a slategray sky, suggesting turmoil and dramatic passing, echoed in the death of Andrew Wyeth in 2009. The sprigs of life at the base of the tree, however, add a tiny note of hope.

“Swelter” (2011) is Weymouth’s last tempera, and it’s a tour-de-force of blazing yellow light, suggesting the crushing heat of a meadow in midsummer, again with the grasses rendered in nearly three-dimensional detail.

“Night Life” (2000) is a wall of interwoven flowers and vines under a moonlit sky, and it has a fine, brooding presence. The tempera “Before Mowing” (2009) is a monument to the wild, exqusite beauty of Queen Anne’s lace and what might be called weeds, as they express their individuality in a burst of life before they are cut down.

The exhibition has a wonderful arc, bookending Weymouth’s art but suggesting his deep love of both the land and the people who were special to him. It’s fitting that he is getting a chance for his art to shine at the Brandywine, in the company of works by artists he admired so much.

The exhibition continues through June 3. Visit www. brandywinemuseum.org or call 610-388-2700 for more information.

cakes, brownies, candies, cookies and cupcakes to benefit United Way of Southern Chester County. General admission is $10 per person, including six tastings ($30 for a family of four).

Parking is $5. Connoisseur tickets allow admission at noon. They are $25 per person or $45 for two people (includes beverages and parking). Visit www.KennettChocolate.org. Feb. 11

Record Collectors show The Continental Inn (2285 Lincoln Highway, Lancaster, next to Dutch Wonderland) hosts the monthly Keystone Record Collectors Music Expo on Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dealers will buy, sell and trade music memorabilia, CDs and records from all eras. Admission and parking are free. Call 610-932-7852 or visit www.recordcollectors. org.

To submit items to the Calendar of Events, e-mail jchambless@chestercounty. com. There is no charge. Not every submission can be included. Items should be submitted at least two weeks before the event.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@ chestercounty.com.

Historical Society hosts Paint Out

The Chadds Ford Historical Society hosts its 10th annual plein air art event called Paint Out Chadds Ford from Feb. 1 to 3.

Artists from the MidAtlantic region will be painting outdoors around the Chadds Ford area, as well as at the Barns Brinton House, John Chads House and along Brandywine Creek. Paint Out Chadds Ford celebrates local art and artists, and harkens back into time when early American illustrators and painters such as Frank Schoonover, Howard Pyle, Bayard Berndt, and N.C. Wyeth were inspired by the beauty of the region and painted outdoors, en plein air.

The Historical Society will host an art exhibition at the Barn Visitors Center on Saturday evening, Feb. 3. From 6 to 8 p.m., the public is invited to an artists reception and a wet paint sale. Admission is $15 per

person ($10 for Chadds Ford Historical Society members), and includes light refreshments. Guests can meet the artists, and view the work just completed in the plein air event, as well as select art featuring the Brandywine Valley. All exhibited artwork is for sale. A portion of the proceeds from each painting sold helps support the Chadds Ford Historical Society. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org. Tickets are also available in advance or on the night of the reception at the Barn Visitor Center (1736 Creek Rd., Chadds Ford).

1p-24-2t

ADVERTISEMENT FOR GRANT OF LETTERS

ESTATE OF WILLIAM B. SZLEMKO, late of Oxford, Pennsylvania, Deceased. Letters of Administration on the estate of the above named WILLIAM B. SZLEMKO, having been granted to the undersigned, all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the said decedent are requested to make known the same and all persons indebted to the said decedent to make payment without delay to: Robert Crossan, 249 Mount Hope Road, Lincoln University, PA 19352, Administrator, c/o Attorney: Ira D. Binder, 227 Cullen Rd, Oxford, PA 19363

1p-24-3

ADVERTISEMENT FOR GRANT OF LETTERS

ESTATE OF Zink, Jr., Christian N., late of N. Coventry Twp., Pennsylvania, Deceased. Letters of Administration on the estate of the above named Zink, Jr., Christian N., having been granted to the undersigned, all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the said decedent are requested to make known the same and all persons indebted to the said decedent to make payment without delay to: Robert A. Zink, 860 E. Schuylkill Rd., Apt. 121, Pottstown, PA 19465, Administrator. Charles Rick, Esq., Rick Linn, LLC, 933 N. Charlotte St., Suite 3B, Pottstown, PA 19464 1p-24-3t

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Elk Township Planning Commission will hold its 2018 monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Elk Township Building, 925 Chesterville Road, Lewisville PA 19351. If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend these meetings and require auxiliary aide, service or other accommodations to participate in these meetings , please contact Terri Kukoda at 610-255-0634 to discuss how Elk Township may best accommodate your needs. 1p-31-1t

PUBLIC NOTICE

260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA during their normal business hours. If you are a person with a disability or need special services or facilities, contact Penn Township at 610-869-9620. R. Samuel McMichael, Esquire Solicitor for Penn Township

The Elk Township Board of Supervisors will hold its 2018 monthly meetings on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Elk Township Building, 925 Chesterville Road, Lewisville PA 19351. If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend these meetings and require auxiliary aide, service or other accommodations to participate in these

meetings , please contact Terri Kukoda at 610-255-0634 to discuss how Elk Township may best accommodate your needs. 1p-31-1t

ESTATE NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Letters Testamentary have been granted to Joseph P. Chamberlain, Grace R. Chamberlain and Glenda M. Patrick, Co-Executors of the Estate of Joseph G. Chamberlain, whose last address was Oxford, Chester County, PA. Any person having a claim to this Estate is asked to make same c/o R. Samuel McMichael, Esquire, PO Box 296, Oxford, PA 19363. 1p-31-3t

INCORPORATION

NOTICE

MARVEL MASONRY, INC. has been incorporated under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988.

Richard N. Lipow, Esquire, 629 Swedesford Road, Malvern, PA 19355 1p-31-1t

INCORPORATION

NOTICE

CITIZENS TO PROTECT OUR PENNSYLVANIA has been incorporated under the provisions of the PA Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988.

Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel, LLP, Centre Square West, 1500 Market St., (3400 W.), Philadelphia, PA 19102 1p-31-1t

INCORPORATION

NOTICE

LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL

RUN has been incorporated under the provisions of the PA Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988 The Weiser Law Firm, 22 Cassatt

Avenue, Berwyn, PA 19312 1p-31-1t

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter. SALE NO. 18-2-55

SALAINTIFF ATTORNEE ADDRESS: 260 Rose Hill Road, a/k/a 260 Rosehill Road, West Grove, PA 19390-8903

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEE ADDRESS: 260 Rose Hill Road, a/k/a 260 Rosehill Road, West Grove, PA 19390-8903

Y:Y: PHELAN HALLINAN DIAMOND & JONES, LLP, 215-563-7000

CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate

By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-62 Writ of Execution No. 2015-02420 DEBT $354,456.96

ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or piece of ground being known as Lot No. 12, situate in the Township of London Grove, County of Chester and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, bounded and described according to a Final Major Subdivision Plan of “Foxchase”, prepared by Keystone Custom Homes by RGS Associates, dated 2/20/2004 last revised 11/23/2005 and recorded in Plan Book 17733, as follows, to wit:

BEGINNING at a point on the northerly side of the cul-de-sac at the terminus of Wreath Road (40 feet wide), a corner of this and Lot No. 13 on said Plan; thence extending from said point of beginning along the northerly side of the cul-desac at the terminus of the Wreath Road, aforesaid, along the arc of circle curving to the left having radius of 80.00 feet the arc distance of 88.32 (and a chord bearing of south 56 degrees 13 minutes 56 seconds west 83.90 feet) to a point of reverse curve therein; thence extending along the arc of circle curving to the right having a radius of 20.00 feet the arc distance of 22.08 feet (and chord bearing of south 56 degrees 13 minutes 56 seconds west 20.98 feet) to a point tangent on the northwesterly side of Wreath Road (50 feet wide); thence extending along the same, south 87 degrees 51 minutes 38 seconds west 20.72 feet to a point, a corner of Lot No. 11 on said Plan; thence extending along the same, north 02 degrees 08 minutes and 22 seconds west 158.69 feet to a point in line of Open Space on said Plan; thence extending along the same, north 76 degrees 40 minutes 06

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM.

seconds east 112.15 feet to a point, a corner of Lot No. 13, aforesaid; thence extending along the same, south 02 degrees 08 minutes 22 seconds east 125.46 feet to the first mentioned point and place of beginning.

BEING known and numbered as 14 Wreath Road West Grove, PA 19390

BEING part of the premises which C. Raymond Porter and Patsy R. Porter, husband and wife, by Deed dated February 28, 2001 and recorded on March 27, 2001, in the Recorder’s in and for Chester County, Pennsylvania in Record Book 4918, Page 1799, granted and conveyed unto Keystone Custom Homes, Inc., its successors and assigns.

ALSO being part of the premises which C. Raymond Porter and Patsy R. Porter, husband and wife, by Deed dated May 29, 2002 and recorded June 19, 2002 in the aforesaid Recorder’s Office in Record Book 5309, Page 1536, granted and conveyed unto Willow Creek, L.L.C.

BEING the same premises in which Willow Creek, LLC, a PA Limited Liability Company, and Keystone Custom Homes, Inc., a PA Corporation by Deed dated December 29, 2006 and recorded in the Office of recorder of Deeds in and for Chester County on January 3, 2007 at Book 7048 and Page 1515, conveyed unto Anthony D. Tuskweth and Jillian G. Tuskweth, husband and wife.

PARCEL: 5910 00031800

PLAINTIFF: Caliber Home Loans, Inc. VS DEFENDANT: ANTHONY D. TUSKWETH and JILLIAN G. TUSKWETH

SALE ADDRESS: 14 Wreath Road, West Grove, PA 19390

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: RICHARD M. SQUIRE & ASSOCIATES, LLC, 215-886-8790

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate

By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in

interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-70

Writ of Execution No. 2017-03736 DEBT $217,604.91

ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or piece of ground with the buildings thereon erected, situate in West Fallowfield Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, as shown on Map and Plan made for Percy Bair, dated November 5, 1963 and made by Edgar Laub, Registered Surveyor, as follows, to wit:

TAX I.D. #: 44-7D-34

PLAINTIFF: CIT Bank, N.A. VS DEFENDANT: RONALD E. HAYS

SALE ADDRESS: 241 Cochran Street, Cochranville, Pennsylvania 19330

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: McCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, P.C., 215790-1010

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate

By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-77

Writ of Execution No. 2017-05833

DEBT $291,802.53

ALL THAT CERTAIN tract of ground

of Real Estate

By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-82 Writ of Execution No. 2016-09409 DEBT $298,297.13

PROPERTY situate in the Pennsbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania

BLR# 64-3-39

IMPROVEMENTS thereon: residential dwelling

PLAINTIFF: Lsf9 Master Participation Trust VS

DEFENDANT: SAMUEL MYCHAK

SALE ADDRESS: 22 Fern Hill Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348-2106

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: PHELAN HALLINAN DIAMOND & JONES, LLP, 215-563-7000

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t

situate in the Township of Kennett, County of Chester and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, more particularly bounded and described as Tract “B”, according to a survey made by George E. Regester Jr. & Sons, Inc., Registered Surveyors, dated August 19, 1969, as follows, to wit:

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-84 Writ of Execution No. 2014-01633 DEBT $133,779.32

BEGINNING at an iron pin set in the title line of the bed of a public road known as Hillendale Road being Leg. Rt. #15233, leading in a southwesterly direction to Five Points and a northeasterly direction to State Rt. #82, said iron pin marking a southeasterly corner of this about to be described tract and a southwesterly corner of lands of J. Fred Brenner, thence leaving said iron pin of beginning and by the title line of said Leg. Rt. #15233, south 54 degrees, 51 minutes 40 seconds west, 363.85 feet to a stone set for a southwesterly corner of this and said stone being set in line of lands of John Gibson, et. ux.; thence by lands of said John Gibson, et. ux., the following two (2) courses and distance to wit: (1) north 05 degrees 02 minutes 00 seconds west, 103.00 feet to a stone; (2) north 03 degrees 55 minutes 39 seconds west, 524.28 to an old iron pin marking a northwesterly corner of this and a southwesterly corner of lands of Kenneth Wendle; thence by said lands of Kenneth Wendle and partly by lands of Herbert S. Plankinton, north 76 degrees, 54 minutes 00 seconds east, 74.98 feet to an old iron pin marking a northeasterly corner of this and a northwesterly corner of lands of J. Fred Brenner; thence by lands of said J. Fred Brenner, south 31 degrees, 52 minutes, 55 seconds east, 510.18 feet to the first mentioned point and place of beginning.

BEING Tax Parcel 62-3-122.2

BEING the same premises which Karen F. Kelly now known as Karen F. Conaway by Deed dated 10/18/1996 and recorded 10/18/1996 in the County of Chester in Record Book 3999, Page 1373 conveyed until Paul E. Conaway, Jr., and Karen F. Conaway, his wife, in fee.

PLAINTIFF: The Provident Bank VS DEFENDANT: PAUL E. CONAWAY and KAREN F. CONAWAY

SALE ADDRESS: 153 East Hillendale Road, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: DANIELLE M. KARCICH, ESQ., 215-979-3800

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t Sheriff Sale

PROPERTY situate in the New Garden Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania

BLR# 60-04-0073.260

IMPROVEMENTS thereon: residential dwelling

PLAINTIFF: The Bank of New York Mellon fka The Bank of New York as Trustee for the benefit of the Certificateholders of The Cwabs Inc., AssetBacked Certificates, Series 2004-5 VS DEFENDANT: SCOTT R. BONNE and ALLISON A. BONNE a/k/a ALLISON BONNE

SALE ADDRESS: 10 Edgewood Drive, Avondale, PA 19311-1410

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: PHELAN HALLINAN DIAMOND & JONES, LLP, 215-563-7000

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s

Legals Chester County Press

IMPROVEMENTS thereon: residential dwelling

PLAINTIFF: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

VS DEFENDANT: ARTHUR BOYD, III, IN

HIS CAPACITY AS HEIR OF LONA PEARL FABIUCCI, DECEASED; CHRISTINE BOYD, IN HER CAPACITY AS HEIR OF LONA PEARL FABIUCCI, DECEASED; WILLIAM BOYD, IN HIS CAPACITY AS HEIR OF LONA PEARL FABIUCCI, DECEASED; KAREN WILKINSON, IN HER CAPACITY AS HEIR OF LONA PEARL FABIUCCI, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, AND ALL PERSONS, FIRMS, OR ASSOCIATIONS CLAIMING RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST FROM OR UNDER LONA PEARL FABIUCCI, DECEASED

SALE ADDRESS: 270 North Guernsey Road, West Grove, PA 19390-1028

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: PHELAN HALLINAN DIAMOND & JONES, LLP, 215-563-7000

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to

sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-105 Writ of Execution No. 2015-07056 DEBT $332,403.08

PROPERTY situate in the New Garden Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania

BLR# 60-2-93.8

IMPROVEMENTS thereon: residential dwelling

PLAINTIFF: U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, Successor in Interest to Wachovia Bank, National Association, as Trustee for Wells Fargo Asset Securities Corporation, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-Ar2 VS DEFENDANT: RICHARD WANNEMACHER, JR. a/k/a RICHARD WANEMACHER and NANI WANNEMACHER a/k/a NANI SHIN-WANNEMACHER

SALE ADDRESS: 800 Sunrise Drive, Kennett Square, PA 19348-4226

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: PHELAN HALLINAN DIAMOND & JONES, LLP, 215-563-7000

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-109 Writ of Execution No. 2017-06774 DEBT $265,000.82

PROPERTY situate in the Parkesburg Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania BLR# 08-05-0435

IMPROVEMENTS thereon: residential dwelling

PLAINTIFF: Freedom Mortgage Corporation VS DEFENDANT: WILLIAM ROUSSOS

SALE ADDRESS: 312 8th Avenue, a/k/a 312 West 8th Avenue, Parkesburg, PA 19365-1358

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: PHELAN HALLINAN DIAMOND & JONES, LLP, 215-563-7000

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM. CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t Sheriff Sale of

days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-47 Writ of Execution No. 2015-09177 DEBT $234,972.63

ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or piece of ground, situate in the Township of Highland, Chester County, Pennsylvania, bounded and described according to a subdivision of land about to be conveyed to Charles and Dorothy Manley made by Berger & Hayes, Inc., dated December 6, 1976, and last revised January 5, 1977, as follows, to wit: BEGINNING at an iron pin on the proposed west right-of-way line of McHenry Road (T-346) said point being located the following two courses and distances on the intersection of said McHenry Road with Lenover Road (T-367) to wit: thence (1) south 19 degrees 15 minutes 45 seconds west 749.10 feet to a point; thence (2) south 60 degrees 37 minutes 10 seconds west 37.84 feet to the place of beginning; thence along the land belonging to Earl E. Mest, south 60 degrees 37 minutes 10 seconds west 230.19 feet to an iron pin; thence leaving said land of Earl E. Mast, and along other lands belonging to the grantor-herein, the following two courses and distances to wit: (1) north 19 degrees 15 minutes 45 seconds east 372.79 feet to an iron pin; thence (2) south 70 degrees 44 minutes 15 seconds east 177.10 feet to an iron pin on the title line in the bed of the said McHenry Road (T-346); thence along the said title line in the bed of said road, south 19 degrees 15 minutes 45 seconds west 171.60 feet to the first mentioned iron pin on the west line of McHenry Road; thence crossing the bed of said road, south 60 degrees 37 minutes 10 seconds west 37.84 feet to the first mentioned point and place of beginning.

UPI# 45-2-54-60

BEING the same premises which Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation by Court Order dated January 11, 2011 and recorded January 19, 2011 in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds in and for Chester County in Deed Book 8101, Page 1667, conveyed unto Theodore P. Perpinka and , aka Linda S. Reel. AND the said Linda S. Reel departed this life on September 27, 2016. Title to the property passed to Theodore P. Perpinka by operation of law.

BEING known as: 148 McHenry Road, Parkesburg, PA 19365

PARCEL No.: 45-2-54-6

IMPROVEMENTS: residential property.

PLAINTIFF: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. VS DEFENDANT: THEODORE P. PERPINKA

SALE ADDRESS: 148 McHenry Road, Parkesburg, PA 19365

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: POWERS, KIRN & ASSOCIATES, LLC, 215942-2090

N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 2PM.

CAROLYN B. WELSH, SHERIFF 1p-24-3t

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate

By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Carolyn B. Welsh, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, March 19th, 2018. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

SALE NO. 18-2-51 Writ of Execution No. 2015-05187 DEBT $521,358.01

PROPERTY situate in New Garden Township

TAX Parcel #Tax ID / UPI Parcel No. 60-06-0091 / 60-6-91

IMPROVEMENTS: a residential dwelling.

SOLD AS THE PROPERTY OF: Kathleen Morgan

PLAINTIFF: Bank of America, N.A. VS DEFENDANT: KATHLEEN MORGAN

SALE ADDRESS: 9 West Shore Court, Landenberg, PA 19350

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: KML LAW GROUP, P.C., 215-627-1322 N.B.

ChesterCounty PRESS

VALENTINE’S DAY EXTRAVAGANZA

JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 9

Enter to win 1of 3 prize packs

Since we are feeling the love, everyone receives an award for participating!

1st

•Grand Prize Basket from Harvest Market ($100 value)

•$110 Gift Card to Churrascaria Saudades Brazilian Steakhouse

•$50 Gift Certificate towards Furniture at Martin Furniture

•11x14 Canvas Print ($89 value) from Cardinal Camera

•2 passes to the 2018 Summer Concert Series at Paradocx Vineyard (over $200 value)

•Special Treetops Kitty Café Merchandise

2nd

•$50 Gift Card for Harvest Market

•$75 Gift Card to Churrascaria Saudades Brazilian Steakhouse

•$25 Gift Certificate towards Furniture at Martin Furniture

•from Cardinal Camera

Fuji Intax mini 25 camera ($69 value)

•A Paradocx Wine tasting for 2 at Paradocx Vineyard ($40 value)

•A VIP pass for two from Treetops Kitty Café

3rd

• One Chocolate Bar every month for a Year from Harvest Market

•$50 Gift Card to Churrascaria Saudades Brazilian Steakhouse

•$25 Gift Certificate towards Furniture at Martin Furniture

•Premium photo book of your favorite photos

($49.99 value)from Cardinal Camera

•2 free flights from the Market at Liberty Square or Paradocx Vineyard ($24 value)

•Frequent Feline "Fur"iend Rewards Card from Treetops Kitty Café