Chester County Press 03-15-17 Edition

LaCosta, Schaen run for re-election to Kennett School Board

Bowden seeks to represent Region A on the board

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Heather Schaen and Kendra LaCosta, two leaders of the Kennett School Board, are both seeking re-election this year, while Mark Bowden, an awardwinning author, is making his first bid to represent Region A on the board.

LaCosta, the current school board president, is seeking her second fouryear term on the school board from Region B (New Garden Township).

LaCosta has cross-filed, as has Paola Rosas, who is challenging her for the seat.

In Region C, which is comprised of Kennett Township and portions of East Marlborough Township, Schaen is running for a fourth term on the board. She has served as school board president several times during her 12-year tenure on the board. Vicki Gehrt and Bill Brown have also both cross-filed as candidates in

Candidates line up for Oxford School Board

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

There will likely be a lot of new faces on the Oxford School Board when the reorganization meeting takes place later this year.

According to a stillunofficial candidate list on the county’s Voter Services website, there are no incumbents in the races for four seats on the board.

There are, however, plenty of new faces.

Bruce Henderson has cross-filed and is seeking the Democratic and Republican nomination for an at-large seat on the school board. Kristen Dean, meanwhile, has filed to earn the Republican nomination for that at-large seat. This at-large seat is currently held by Rebecca Fetterolf, who

More public transportation for southern Chester County?

A report by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission looks at the potential for public transit service connecting Southern Chester County and New Castle County in Delaware is a need to explore public transportation options to solve some of the transit gaps that already exist.

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

A report released earlier this year by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) looked at the potential for more access to public transportation for southern Chester County residents—specifically, public transit service connecting southern Chester County and New Castle County in Delaware. The report concluded that there

According to Amy Bernknopf, a senior transportation planner with the DVRPC, the commission relied on data from the DVRPC Household Travel Survey and from the U.S. Census to determine where commuters are coming from and going to. Approximately 15,675 commuters travel from southern Chester County

Part visionary, part gatekeeper

to work in New Castle County, while 6,755 commute from New Castle County to southern Chester County for work, with no public transportation options currently in place.

“Commuter travel patterns that were identified in the Chester County Public Transportation Plan show that there are more people traveling from southern Chester County into New Castle County for work than vice-versa,” Bernknopf

New township manager pointing London Grove toward its future

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

As a young boy growing up in a firefighting family in Caln Township, Ken Battin jumped on fire trucks and equipment at the Thorndale Fire Department, the same items he would later use when he first became a volunteer firefighter there in 1977.

Firefighting was, in many ways, the Battin family business. His cousins served. So did his grandfather, and in fact, his great grandfather even helped build the station where the

Thorndale Fire Department is located.

“The first apparatus I ever drove at the department was an antique 1937 Chevy, which all of my family members touched at some point,” Battin said.

So it was to no one’s surprise that soon after he began as the township manager for London Grove Township on Jan. 17, Battin joined the West Grove Fire Company as a volunteer.

For 24 years, Battin served in East Whiteland Township, where he was the director of the codes

Chadds Ford Art Show marks 68

By John Chambless Staff Writer

There’s no other art show in the region with the pedigree enjoyed by the annual Chadds Ford Art Show.

Founded by Betsy Wyeth in 1949, the show – now in its 68th year – returns to the Chadds Ford Elementary School on March 24 and 25, offering original works by 67 artists with both regional and national reputations. This year will also mark the return of Karl Kuerner III, an artist whose family is intertwined with the Wyeth family, and whose home

years

By Uncle Irvin

It appears that the New Garden supervisors have joined East Marlborough supervisors as traffic cheapskates.

New Garden spends no money on the safety problem on Newark Road, while East Marlborough refuses to spend a dime on Route 82 in Unionville. There are devices available now that are less expensive than traffic lights. There are many other mobile lighting devices that can be moved by each township’s police force, as well as cameras that can be installed to catch speeding and reckless drivers. Larger signs may work in some areas.

The safety of local roads is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors, not PennDOT or state police. Why wait until a fatal collision or avoidable accident

Kennett School Board...

Continued from Page 1A

Region C, where there are two seats up for election this year.

Bowden is the only candidate who has filed for the Region A (Kennett Square Borough) seat that will be decided in the election this year. Bob Norris currently holds the seat after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2016. Bowden is an award-winning journalist and author whose book, “Black Hawk Down,” was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Public transportation...

Continued from Page 1A

said. “In addition, there are approximately 5,000 more people making that commute [from southern Chester County to New Castle County] than into Philadelphia.”

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission brings together elected officials and planning professionals for a collaborative effort to improve transportation, promote smart growth, protect the environment and enhance the economy. The commission serves nine counties in the region—Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer in New Jersey.

For the report about public transportation between southern Chester County and New Castle County, the DVRPC conducted a detailed analysis of who lives in the two counties,

what areas they are coming from, and where they are going on their trips. This information would allow elected officials and leaders from the two counties to make a determination about what kind of transit service could best meet the needs that exist.

The project team examined two types of trips that a new transit service could accommodate: work trips and non-work trips. Next, the group identified potential riders, which is a key component of determining the appropriate transit service type that would meet the needs of riders. Each trip type was then analyzed based on the characteristics of riders who might make them. Non-work trips, for example, are made by local residents to complete activities like running errands or keeping appointments. Work trips were divided into those made by “choice riders”--people who have vehicles, but choose to take public transportation, and “non-choice” riders—people who rely heavily on

The book also served as the basis for an acclaimed film of the same name. Some of Bowden’s other best-selling books include “Killing Pablo,” which detailed the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Colombian Medellin drug cartel; “Guests of the

public transit as their mode of transportation.

The report noted that tourists tend to travel at different times than local residents and commuters, which can present a scheduling challenge for public transportation. Also, those commuters who rely most heavily on transit as their only option tend to live farther away from their destination than those who have access to a vehicle. Additionally, far more work trips are made from Chester County to New Castle County than from New Castle County to Chester County. The fact that there are more work trips from Chester County to New Castle County makes it more difficult to create a cost-effective service model for public transit since there is an imbalance in the traffic flow that would need to be factored in.

Public transportation could be utilized by visitors to the area as well. Longwood Gardens and Winterthur are the largest

Ayatollah,” an account of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis; and “The Best Game Ever,” the story of the 1958 NFL championship game. Bowden is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a national correspondent for The Atlantic “The position offers an

opportunity to do something for the community,” Bowden said. He added that his background in education – he’s been a professor for the last 16 years at Loyola University and the University of Delaware -will give him something to offer to the school board.

“All five of my children were educated in public schools in Chester County,” Bowden said. The primary election is set for Tuesday, May 16.

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

tourist destinations in the study area. It’s difficult to identify where people were visiting Longwood Gardens from since most of the people are out-of-towners and might be staying in a nearby hotel or with family or friends. However, the project team did have access to data about when people visit Longwood Gardens. There is a strong weekend peak in visitation,

with the highest number of visitors on Sundays. There is also a large seasonal peak, with the Christmas season drawing the most visitors. In fact, December visitors are nearly double the number of visitors in May, the second highest month. Accommodating tourists traveling in the area could be one goal if public transportation services were increased.

While there is increased traffic flow between Chester County and New Castle County, implementing a plan will have challenges. Two such challenges will be how to develop a transit service that is cost-effective to operate, and how to develop transit service that is competitive when it comes to how long it takes for passengers to reach their

destinations. People who live in the suburbs use their personal vehicles to make the majority of their trips, and public transportation options would have to offer them amenities that are comparable to what they would have while driving their own vehicles.

The idea of creating a public transit connection between southern Chester County and New Castle County is not new. The report noted that previous attempts to provide public transit in the area have produced inconsistent results. There have been several traditional, fixed-route service lines established along the Route 202 corridor, but continually changing service patterns and schedules failed to attract enough riders. Ultimately, the services were discontinued.

A company called Reeder had the route rights in the early 1970s, and operated in southern Chester County and New Castle County until 1982. Later, SEPTA

Art show...

offered services along three routes along Route 202 between 1995 and 2013. Eventually, funding issues prompted the routes to be changed. Riders were forced to take a second bus to get from West Chester to Wilmington, which lengthened the time it took to make the trip. That was not attractive to commuters. Other routes in the area were poorly used for a variety of reasons. Funding streams constantly changed for the routes, and there was a lack of local and municipal support.

The project team conducted interviews of transit operators and studied different operations strategies for various public transportation services.

One of the recommendations coming out of the report is for local officials to consider bus service and vanpools with a limited number of stops. The limited stops shortens the travel time for passengers making regional trips. Vanpools are often used to

Continued from Page 1A at the school. Also on March 25, children can take part in guided art workshops at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The materials fee is $15 to $25. The 90-minute workshops will be offered on a first-come basis.

overlooks the Kuerner Farm, where Andrew Wyeth completed hundreds of his landmark artworks. Kuerner will have original works in a spotlighted display, and will discuss his history and artwork with the public on March 25.

For artists, the show is a chance to renew contact with their peers and discover the works of artists they might not have known before. For Len Garon, who is marking his 35th year as an exhibitor, the gym of the elementary school has become a welcome return to a region he knows very well. He is the featured artist this year, and he will be returning from his home in Alexandria, Va., for the big weekend.

This year’s donating artist is Jacalyn Beam, whose plein-air Brandywine landscapes capture many of the region’s historic homes and scenic vistas in glowing, luminous oils.

The artists will be setting up their booths on Thursday.

On Friday, March 24, from 7 to 10 p.m., there will be a reception for adults with a chance to get a first look at the art and talk to the artists. The show is open on March 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free of charge.

On March 25 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors can join guides for tours of the school’s astounding art collection, assembled over the decades from members of the Wyeth family and other regional artists. The school’s library boasts a huge N.C. Wyeth mural, as well as an original watercolor by Andrew Wyeth, and a pen-and-ink drawing by a young Jamie Wyeth, done when he was a student

fill gaps in transit services by coordinating travel between groups of people with similar origins, destinations, and schedules. A public or private transit provider coordinates a group of potential passengers who have similar trip ends. The costs of commuting—gas, insurance, car maintenance, cost of a vehicle, and parking— are shared among the participants of the vanpool. Vanpools tend to be cost-effective if the travel distance is between 15 to 40 miles.

According to Bernknopf, “Reliability of service is critical to building and maintaining a ridership base.” She added that the route and stops must be located where passengers can reach them safely.

“Our recommended next step is for employers and residents to be surveyed to identify if there is enough interest and passengers to support this type of transportation service,” Bernknopf said.

Oxford School Board...

Continued from Page 1A

was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board last year.

Chester County’s comprehensive plan, Landscapes2, already has a stated goal to “enhance access to and the use of transportation systems to reduce traffic congestion.” Specifically, the county wants to boost to 15 percent the percentage of residents who use modes of transportation other than single-occupancy vehicles by 2019.

The county’s plan also includes benchmarks for the future of transit service. The plan envisions three

No candidates are currently listed as having filed for the Region II seat that is currently held by Stephen Gaspar.

On March 25 at 1 p.m., Kuerner will discuss his work and history with a show of his paintings and his illustrated books, which will be available for sale.

The money raised from art sales at the show will benefit projects and programs at the school. Thirty percent of all purchases is tax-deductible.

The school is at 3 Baltimore Pike in Chadds Ford. For more information, call the school at 610-3881112, or visit http://cfes. ucfsd.org/artshow.

This year’s exhibiting artists include: Annette Allessi, Richard Bollinger, Katee Boyle, J. Wayne Bystrom, Doris Davis-Glackin, Frank DePietro, John Hannafin, Lou Jacobs, Martin May, Lou Messa, Bob Richey, Kathy Ruck, Tim Simboli, John Suplee, Helena van Emmerik-Finn, and Mary Ann Weselyk.

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

In Region I, which includes Upper Oxford, Lower Oxford East, and Oxford Borough East, Eric Owens is seeking the Democratic nomination, while David Severino and Kristen Dean are seeking the Republican nomination. This seat is currently held by Lorraine Durnan Bell. Bell did not file the paperwork to run for reelection to the school board, opting instead to enter the race to become the next mayor of Oxford Borough.

Charley Moore and Jenifer Warren, two firsttime candidates for the Oxford School Board, have both cross-filed in Region III for a seat that is currently held by school board president Richard Orpneck. Region III is comprised of Elk Township and East Nottingham Township.

The primary election on May 16 will determine who wins the Republican and Democratic nominations for the November general election. In Pennsylvania, school board candidates can cross-file to seek the nominations of both parties. A candidate who earns both nominations is in a strong position because he or she will earn straightparty votes on both the Republican and Democratic side in the general election. Additionally, school board candidates can simultaneously seek an atlarge seat and a seat in a particular region. If a candidate would win both seats in a general election, that person would need to decide which seat they would hold.

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

commuter service connections between southern Chester County and New Castle County—one between Kennett Square and Wilmington, another between West Chester and Wilmington, and a third between Avondale and Wilmington—as the population in the area continues to grow in the decades ahead. There could be more and more discussions in Chester County about public transportation.

“There is always a need to consider mobility options for those who do

Oxford Rotary Club honors Dawkins and Harvey

Area High School

students Sidney Dawkins and Elizabeth “Zibby” Harvey were honored as Oxford Rotary Club Seniors of the Month for February. Sidney, the daughter of Jennifer and Morgan Dawkins, is a member of National Honor Society.

National English Honor Society, French Honor Society, the Helping Hands community service club and the LEO Club sponsored by the Oxford Lions Club. In her free time she enjoys snowboarding.

Sidney is enrolled in the Allied Health program at Chester County Technical College High School, where she has been able to experience all aspects of the medical profession, including observing surgical procedures at area hospitals and even bottle-

feeding a premature infant. Sidney’s affinity for science and medicine will take her this fall to the pre-med program at the University of Pittsburgh, where she will major in neuroscience.

Zibby, the daughter of Linda and James Harvey, is president of Student Council and a member of National Honor Society, National English Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. She is secretary of Interact, a community service club sponsored by the Oxford Rotary Club, and is student representative on the Board of Directors of the Oxford Educational Foundation.

Zibby is vice president of the high school’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America, and qualified to attend the FBLA National Leadership Conference held last summer in Atlanta,

Georgia after earning first place for Job Interview at the Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference. She qualified to attend this year’s state conference to be held in April in Hershey after earning first place for Client Service in the FBLA Region 9 competition held this past December.

Zibby has competed in cross-country and track since her freshman year, serving as a cross-country captain her senior year. She was a member of the cast of the spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors.”

After graduation Zibby will attend the U.S. Naval Academy, following in the footsteps of her sister Meghan, who graduated from the Naval Academy last year and is currently in training at flight school in Texas.

Consolidation of Emergency Medical Services councils under consideration in Pa.

Led by chairman Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Chester/ Delaware), the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee held a hearing about the possible consolidation of regional emergency medical services (EMS) councils. One proposal is to trim the current 14 councils down to six.

Potential benefits include cost savings, an improved span of control and exceptional customer service as the larger size allows for a quicker response and greater knowledge base.

“Cost savings and efficiencies are important to this committee, but the ultimate goal is to make sure that the emergency responders have the best training and equipment that we can provide,” Barrar said. “I’m proud of the work they do and am committed to helping in any way possible.”

Richard Gibbons, director of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Bureau of EMS, explained that the distance to a regional office has lessened in importance as technology has advanced, no longer forcing reliance on standard mail service or person-to-person contact.

“Our goals are not to disadvantage the system, but rather to maintain and improve the system. As we continue to do on a daily basis, we will evaluate all programs and projects in comparison to state priorities and plans and make the

best decisions possible,” Gibbons added.

Opinions were strong on both sides of the issue, with numerous concerns about consolidation being raised. Gerald Wydro, emergency health services medical director for Bucks County, supports the current system that allows the people closest to the community and its EMS services to provide the system’s infrastructure and critical components.

“Relocating our EMS Council will serve to undermine and dilute the exceptional programs and cutting-edge regional projects for which Bucks County is known.

Additionally, there will be an inherent increase in cost, travel time and lack of convenience for our EMS services and providers,” Wydro testified.

“While we talk about savings, have turf wars, play with maps and try to make one size fit all, this is about saving the individual, the end user. When you’re calling 911, you’re generally experiencing one of the worst moments of your life. It is about ensuring that our emergency responders have the training and equipment they need so they can try to save that life,” Rep. Frank Farry (R-Bucks), also a volunteer firefighter, advocated.

The Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness and Education Committee had another informational meeting this week about two topics: the Pennsylvania Military Community Enhancement

Commission and fire/ emergency medical services training available through community colleges. Frank Sullivan, director of the Pennsylvania Military Community Enhancement Commission, spoke about the need to prepare for the next Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).

“With each denied BRAC request, the Department of Defense grows increasingly desperate for cuts. There is no question as to whether there will be another BRAC; the question is when,” Sullivan said. “With or without the authorization for a BRAC, the services do possess the power to move equipment, gradually reduce manpower and eventually – functionally – close an installation.” Sullivan highlighted the importance of having a plan in place to resist closure in Pennsylvania given the many jobs provided to local economies. The hearing also included a debate regarding how to deliver fire/emergency medical services training, with some advocating for programs to be more readily available through community colleges and others suggesting training be available to high school students, with written permission from their parents given the potentially dangerous nature of the training. Students who attend trade schools and spend much of their senior year working in the community were a particular focus.

Public transportation...

Continued from Page 3A

not have access to a car or who prefer not to use one all the time,” Bernknopf said. “What those options look like might be different thirty years from now than they do today.”

The Delaware Valley regional Planning Commission report emphasized that partnerships can be very important in creating new forms of public transit service. According to the team that worked on the report, one of the next steps is to undertake a comprehensive planning process that includes an

London Grove manager...

Continued from Page 1A

and life safety departments, which encompassed supervising the building department, emergency management services, the codes department and the fire services staff for the township.

During his more than two decades on the job, Battin oversaw tremendous growth in the township. When he began, Battin was one of just a handful of employees for the township. By the time he left, he had hired 25 firefighters, three assistant fire marshals, and numerous other people.

Understanding what drew Battin to express interest in joining London Grove Township begins and ends with his experience in the fire department.

“I was very apprehensive about leaving East Whiteland, because I loved my job, and to move to London Grove Township was a big change, but I welcomed it,” Battin said.

“I think a lot of why I looked forward to coming to the township stems back to my volunteer fire service, because as a fire fighter, we are adrenaline junkies. We like a challenge. We like to make things better. That’s my whole goal here, to make London Grove Township better.”

With a little more than one month at the township in the books, Battin has already compiled a punch list of priorities, with what he calls “identifying the human capital” chief among them.

“Too many organizations overlook the talents that the people have with the organization,” he said. “We need to make sure that the skills that our employees have outside of their immediate job are identified. For instance, if someone has an interest in summer programs or recreational programs, we can help steer that person into the areas of their specialty.”

The need to find multitaskers is also crucial to conserving taxpayer dollars, he said. Battin said that Public Works director Shane Kinsey recently saved money by recognizing – and using – the ancillary skills of sev-

existing service evaluation and a step-by-step plan for implementation.

One prime area for future public transportation would be the Route 202 corridor between West Chester and Wilmington, which could be selected for a limitedstop bus service. This could increase local accessibility without requiring too many stops. The bus could be coordinated to run during the peak hours of the major employers in the area. By focusing on meeting the needs of potential riders, this public transportation option could succeed long-term where other bus routes in the area have faltered over time.

eral public works staff on several township projects.

He would also like to boost the township’s volunteer base. The township is currently soliciting to fill openings on boards and commissions on its website.

“We are looking more at a volunteer’s interest than in his or her background,” Battin said. “There is an open-door offer from our boards, for those who have an interest in becoming a part of the township. It’s just a matter of steering them, and their talents and aspirations, in the right direction.”

Battin is also looking to tighten up the township’s codes and ordinances –including its fire codes, which will include the eventual hiring of a fire marshal.

Ask any township or municipality manager to lay out the aspirations of the job description and they will likely say that while he or she aspires to be a visionary, more time and energy is devoted to serving as a gatekeeper. For Battin, it’s a clean, 50-50 division of labor, with a lot of hurdles in between.

He said that the three most important issues facing the township are the discussion surrounding whether or not to build a sidewalk along State Road; determining rules and regulations about on-street parking; and reaching a decision on whether or not the township should begin contracting with the newly-formed Southern Chester County Regional Police Department for part-time police coverage in the township.

Battin plans to work on all issues, “one issue at a time.”

“I’m a believer in faceto-face relationships, no matter what the issue is,” Battin said. “I want to come out and meet with residents, and not just be someone behind a desk who takes phone calls. I am encouraging the township staff to go the extra mile and build those relationships. If we build that bond, we may be able to then work out problems and get all sides together and work out the problem, without it going too far.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@chestercounty.com.

The London Grove Township Board of Supervisors are seeking motivated individuals who would like to give back to the community, by serving on various boards and committees, including the Board of Auditors, Board of Appeals, the Planning Commission, the Environmental Advisory Committee, the Historical Committee and the Open Space Committee. Those interested are asked to send a letter of interest to Ken Battin, Township Manger, at kbattin@londongrove.org, or 372 Rose Hill Road, Suite 100, West Grove, Pa. 19390.

The report states, “If a limited stop service is selected for implementation, it could be branded

and marketed as a regional service to ensure potential riders are aware of how it differs from tradition-

al local bus service. The service should be piloted to test routing and stop locations.”

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

in the report.

Next steps

The report by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission offered some suggestions on what the next steps should be. They include the following:

~ Assemble a group of interested participants to act as the leaders to bring the project to fruition. Reach out to other public agencies and private employers to identify additional shareholders. The leaders could come from county planning commission boards, commerce departments, transit agencies, health departments, and the state departments of transportation.

~ Choose which rider type or types to provide service for. These rider types could be local, non-choice riders, choice riders, tourists, or a combination of rider types.

~ Decide on the service type that would fit for land use and rider types. The services could be limited-stop bus service, vanpools, a combination of fixed and flexible services, etc.

~ Determine if there should be a pilot program. Before a pilot program is started, several ques-

tions should be considered: Is there enough evidence of demand to support a service? Is there funding in place to support operations and maintenance for three to five years? Would a pilot program help to justify answers to these questions?

~ Research potential funding sources.

Next, the group leading the effort should do the following:

~ Determine which communities the new transit route will serve

~ Identify and design specific route alignments

~ Establish specific bus stop locations

~ Find grant opportunities and/or matching funds or partnerships for operations, maintenance, and capital costs to implement and continue the new route for five years or more.

~ Design stops, facilities, and street improvements

~ Develop an operating plan and implementation schedule

~ Develop a marketing plan and brand management strategy

Penn Township presses for intersection improvement

By Nancy Johnson Correspondent

As he often does at the Penn Township Board of Supervisors meetings, chairman Curtis Mason gave an update on the Red Rose Inn intersection at the March 1 meeting. But this time, his tone was a bit different than the usual tone of frustration.

“We are moving forward on it,” he said. “We’ve hired a consultant to do the design, which will be extensive, and another consultant to work on the Act 209.”

The particular section of the 1990 Pennsylvania Act 209 that pertains to Penn Township’s plans to offset the cost of the extensive reconfiguration and construction of the Jennersville Road (Route 796) and Baltimore Pike intersection permits municipalities to impose an impact fee. The act defines an impact fee as, “a charge or fee imposed by a municipality against new development in order to generate revenue for funding the costs of transportation capital improvements necessitated by and attributable to new development.”

“The township had to do this. We had no choice,” Mason said. “We tried for two years to get the stakeholders to come together on this. But now we stand to lose our funding from the state.”

Approximately half of the estimated $2 million cost of the project has been promised through several state grants.

Mason said that Penn had considered enacting an impact fee more than 15 years ago, but the

supervisors voted it down. “I voted against it because I thought it would discourage commercial business,” he said. “But now we have the businesses, and it is only fair that those that use the roads the most pay for them. It will greatly help the businesses in the long run.”

When Penn Township resident Donald May questioned why it has taken so long to get the intersection redesigned, Mason responded, “You have to go by PennDOT’s rules. Hopefully we can get this done before there is a horrible crash.”

In other business, supervisor “Radar”

O’Connell reported on the ongoing issue of false fire alarm calls at Luther House. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, explaining that the senior housing complex has signed a contract with an alarm company and has committed to have the alarm situation rectified by the end of May. Apparently, the false alarms that have repeatedly brought West Grove Fire Company equipment and personnel to Luther House

for non-existent fires are primarily not the fault of the residents, but rather their pets. The apartments are equipped with emergency pull cords which cats seem to find irresistible.

O’Connell, a longtime member and former chief of West Grove Fire Company, explained that the plan for the new alarm system will include two types of alarms – a smoke alarm would go directly to the fire company, while all other alarms would first go to Luther House staff to be verified.

Mason closed the meeting on a somber note as he told the audience of Skip Elvin’s passing. Elvin served the township as roadmaster for 15 years, retiring in 2015. He brought to that position knowledge and contacts from 35 years of employment with PennDOT, where he was a foreman. Elvin succumbed to injuries sustained in an auto accident. He was 64.

“He was my cousin and my best friend,” Mason said.

“This is a big loss to the community. Skip had the absolute best personality of anyone I have ever met. He could talk to anyone.”

Kennett Square Borough to consider resolution targeting gerrymandering in Pennsylvania

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Kennett Square Borough Council is considering a resolution aimed at preventing the gerrymandering of legislative and congressional districts for political benefit in Pennsylvania. The resolution supports legislation that would result in fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting reform.

If Kennett Square Borough Council eventually adopts the resolution, letters of support for redistricting reform will be mailed to lawmakers at the county, state, and federal levels.

Gerrymandering is a practice intended to establish a political advantage for the party in power by manipulating electoral district boundaries. Those boundaries are redrawn in Pennsylvania every ten years.

At the March 6 council meeting, Wayne Braffman spoke in favor of the resolution.

According to Braffman, a vice chairman of the Kennett Area Democrats, residents in the community don’t have a fair voice in state and national politics because of the damaging impact of gerrymandering.

“Because of gerrymandering, voters in Kennett Square really have no voice in national or state affairs,” Braffman

Groundbreaking this week for Canine Partners for Life expansion

Canine Partners for Life, a Cochranville-based nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for individuals with a wide range of disabilities, is holding a groundbreaking ceremony this week for phase one of a planned $8.5 million expansion. The groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, March 16 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. marks the beginning of construction

on the Marian S. Ware Program Services Center. Phase one of the project should take about a year to complete.

During that time, Canine Partners for Life will continue the fundraising effort to secure the remaining $3.1 million to begin phase two of the campaign, which includes building a completely new Training Center. Construction on the Mollie

and Minor Barringer Training Center featuring the Copeland Training Room is expected to begin as soon as the Marian S. Ware Program Services Center is complete.

Darlene Sullivan, Executive Director and Founder of Canine Partners for Life, explained, “This campaign is about respect and appreciation for the needs of the people who we serve. As Canine

Partners for Life continues to grow and improve, it is imperative that our applicants, students, graduates, volunteers, and staff have a facility where they can learn and work in a space that is respectful of their individual needs and unique situations.”

To learn more about the Canine Partners for Life’s campaign to support the expansion project, visit www.k94life.org/campaign.

said. “For political reasons, our congressional district is lumped in with all of Lancaster County, and our state districts are dominated by towns in Delaware County. We have little in common with them and our voice is drowned out.”

The term “gerrymandering” was used for the first time in 1812 when Massachusetts

Governor Elbridge Gerry redrew that state’s senate election districts to benefit his Democratic-Republic Party. One of the districts that was created during the redrawing of the boundaries was said to resemble a salamander, and the term “Gerry-mander” was born. It became a nefarious—and seemingly permanent—part of U.S. politics.

In modern U.S. politics, both major parties have utilized gerrymandering, often to create “safe districts” where the incumbent is protected. One tactic is to dilute the voting power of the opposing party’s supporters across many districts, sometimes targeting a specific group based on their political, ethnic, racial, or religious class. Another tactic is to concentrate the opposing party’s voting power in one district to reduce that party’s power in other districts.

Some of the most gerrymandered congressional districts in the U.S. are located in Pennsylvania, with

southeastern Pennsylvania being hit particularly hard. Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District improbably contains parts of Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and Lebanon counties. The City of Reading is encircled by the 6th District, but was placed in with the neighboring 16th Congressional District because it would have made the 6th District too evenly balanced between registered Democrats and Republicans. Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District, meanwhile, is dominated by Lancaster County, a more conservative area. Fair Districts PA, a notfor-profit, nonpartisan organization, is leading the effort to push for redistricting reforms in Pennsylvania.

Kate Young, the Chester County coordinator for Fair Districts PA, said in a statement that every municipal governing body in Chester County is being asked to consider a resolution calling on state legislators to enact fair, independent, nonpartisan redistricting reform this year.

Kennett Square Borough Council could consider adopting the resolution at its next meeting on Monday, March 20.

“This is a statewide effort,” said Braffman. “It’s not a partisan thing, it’s a good-government thing.” To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

Indivisible KSQ

It’s not the policy, it’s the people

Kennett Square prides itself on its diversity. It has long been a community that cherishes and celebrates cultural inclusiveness. That has been very clear this month, at a time when many Americans across the U.S. are concerned that intolerance and crimes of hate are on the rise.

A new group, Indivisible KSQ, has brought together concerned citizens in the Kennett Square area who are going to work to open more doors and to help more people in the community. One of the immediate goals is to strengthen the connections with the Hispanic community, where a wave of fear has set in as a result of aggressive efforts by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to canvas the Hispanic neighborhoods throughout the Kennett Square area. But that’s a starting point for the group, not a destination.

There is no single class of people and no single issue that motivates Indivisible KSQ—the group will mobilize its members to address any number of issues, and to take on any number of challenges that arise.

At the same time that the new group was forming, Kennett Square officials were considering an ordinance that formally prohibits discrimination and creates a local Human Relations Commission.

Residents in the Kennett Square area turned out in force at the March 6 meeting to show their support for the ordinance, and to hear Kennett Square Borough Council discuss it. Ultimately, borough council unanimously adopted the ordinance, which states, in part: “It is necessary that appropriate legislation be enacted to ensure that all individuals, regardless of actual or perceived race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, natural origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, marital status, age, mental or physical disability, use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids, are afforded equal opportunities for employment, housing, ownership or lease of commercial property, and the use of public accommodations.”

Kudos to the Kennett Square Borough Council for adopting an ordinance that reflects the community’s commitment to diversity and equality.

Kennett Square joins more than a dozen other municipalities in the region that have such an ordinance on the books.

Having people mobilize to insist on fairness and equality and tolerance can only help a community. The only people who should be made to feel like they don’t belong are those people who espouse hate and practice intolerance.

If it turns out that Kennett Square’s Human Relations Commission is rarely pressed into duty, then that’s good thing. It will show that the efforts of Indivisible KSQ and the many other organizations that are there to provide support for people in need are working.

Kennett Square Borough Council member Doug Doerfler called on all local residents to build relationships and work together to ensure that discrimination doesn’t take place because it will be the people who bring about positive change.

It won’t be an official policy printed on paper that makes the difference for people who live and work in Kennett Square. Ultimately, it will be the people.

And in Kennett Square, the people are mobilized.

Chester County Press

Letter to the Editor

Bipartisan effort needed to end gerrymandering

A workshop is taking place on March 28 at Avon Grove High School

Letter to the Editor:

Last week’s editorial “Gerrymandering promotes political divide” was spot on. If our republic is going to survive we need to avoid the extremes and adopt a more moderate approach to the problems that face us. In the long run polarization solves very little and produces intransigence and a festering animosity. It is not going to be easy to return to a time when compromise and civility ruled the land

but it is certainly possible and one step toward that direction is to end gerrymandering.

As the editorial clearly laid out, the practice of drawing absurd legislative district lines allows politicians to choose their voters rather than allowing the voters to choose them. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue but a situation that impacts both parties. Currently, the gerrymandered congressional districts advantage the GOP, but the worm

will turn and someday Republicans will cry foul over redistricting.

If you want to learn more about this issue and perhaps get involved, there is an bipartisan organization called Fair District PA. They have backing along the entire political spectrum from Common Cause to the Commonwealth Foundation. Currently there is a bill in the state senate sponsored by Democrat Lisa Boscola and Republican Mario Scavello to remake the redistricting process in

our state. Fair Districts PA has been presenting public informational programs across the commonwealth and on Tuesday, March 28 they will conduct a Gerrymandering Workshop at Avon Grove High School at 7 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend. If you would like to learn more about the issue of redistricting, please visit the website fairdistrictspa. com.

Eric Schott London Grove

We need to accept all races and creeds as our brothers and sisters

Letter to the Editor:

An article in last week’s Chester County Press titled “Extreme Vetting of Immigrants” says more than its writer intended.

Yes, we, as Americans, have not always followed the teachings of the Christian, Jewish, or Muslim religions in the past. If we had followed the tenets of our major religions to love our neighbors as ourselves, we would not have turned away the Jewish refugees during the Hitler era, or imprisoned American citizens of Japanese descent in interment camps, or sent blankets to Native Americans loaded with the

smallpox disease in order to annihilate Indian men, women and children, or countenanced the lynching and hanging of black men from trees because of their skin color, or treated the Chinese laborers who came to build our railroads so abominably that they resorted to living in underground villages where they could escape the virulent attacks upon themselves because of their yellow skin. To our unending shame, this is our history. Instead of learning from our past mistakes, our government is continuing its unchristian stance of using other minorities, such as Hispanics and

Muslims as the scapegoats for our present ills. Let’s look to ourselves and the religious teachings we espouse and try to live them instead of mouthing one thing and doing another. This involves accepting all races and creeds as our brothers and sisters, as God intended. I often wonder how God can still love us when we have failed Him so miserably. Do we have to keep making the same mistakes over and over before we can move on to better values? Calling ourselves “Great” doesn’t make us great. We are not even close to moving toward greatness until we change the way we treat those

who are different than ourselves. We have become a selfish nation that cares only about money and the supremacy of one race or religion over another. How much longer do we have before the results of our folly destroy all our loving and caring instincts?

I’m not the only voice crying in this wilderness of lies, deceit, and hatred. I cling to the hope that our combined prayers and perseverance can melt the hardened hearts of those around us before it is too late!

Barbara Hoffman Landenberg

Budgets impact county and state partnership on critical services

By Douglas E. Hill Executive Director, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania counties have a 235-year history of partnership with the commonwealth, dating from the earliest counties established by William Penn in 1682 (Bucks, Philadelphia and Chester). Over that time, the county role has evolved so that counties are now the primary provider of human services programs on behalf of both the state and federal governments.

These human services programs protect the most vulnerable in our communities – children suffering from abuse, those fighting substance abuse addictions, individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, and seniors in need of longterm care, for instance. However, the far-reaching effects of these services impact all residents, whether they use the services directly or not.

To assure the health, safety and well-being of their residents in this way, counties depend on funding from their state partners. Unfortunately, county capacity to meet

service needs continues to be compromised by stagnant state funding, at the same time that program mandates and service needs continue to increase.

Preliminary surveys of counties conducted by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) show that some 80 percent anticipated a budget shortfall as they developed their 2017 budgets, with nearly half pointing to state mandates and increased caseloads as cost drivers. About two-thirds of counties cited the impact of the drug overdose epidemic, while others shared their concerns that state funding will decrease in FY 2017-2018. To make ends meet, three-quarters of counties dipped into their reserves, while more than 40 percent made budget cuts, and one third made the difficult decision to increase property taxes.

Counties also are watching what promises to be a difficult state budget process, with the six-month budget delay of FY 20152016 still fresh in their memories. During that time, in the absence of state funds counties put up an average of $12 million to maintain services at a consistent level for their residents, with 70

percent using funding from reserves and about 30 percent borrowing an average of $5.7 million. And they are keenly aware of their limited resources should another impasse occur, with many counties unsure whether they could manage an extended state budget delay.

As we look ahead to the debate on the FY 20172018 state budget, we know that the General Assembly and the administration have heard counties’ messages about the need for adequate human services funding. Counties, in turn, understand the budget challenges of the state and in that context appreciate the program allocations Governor Wolf proposed a few weeks ago, which largely maintain current funding levels. But the fact remains that the state’s fiscal condition works against the funding growth needed across all human services programs, so that counties face a double dose of budgetary constraints while trying to do the right thing for county residents.

For that reason, counties’ top priority for 2017 continues to center on human services funding, in particular seeking restoration of the ten per-

cent aggregate cut in FY 2012-2013 to seven line items that impact core services in all 67 counties. Equally important, counties seek assurance that state funds will be provided without interruption for critical human services in the event of budget delays. Relatedly, counties extend a hand in partnership to the commonwealth as considerations progress on Governor Wolf’s proposals to consolidate several state agencies relating to human services and criminal justice. These discussions about system reform and program restructuring offer opportunities to improve service delivery, and counties, which have both responsibilities for and expertise in delivering these services, must be included in the conversation. Counties have more than two centuries of experience working with their state partners to assure Pennsylvanians have access to critical services that affect the fabric of our communities. Counties will continue to seek ways to strengthen that partnership in the years to come, so that appropriate structure and resources are in place to effectively plan for the future.

Police operation nets 49 drug dealers

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan and the Pennsylvania State Police have announced that 49 drug dealers have been indicted in a joint law enforcement investigation called “Operation Crushed Ice.”

The drug dealers were based in southern Chester County, and had operations reaching across the United States. The defendants trafficked methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and prescription drugs.

The operation was led by the Chester County Detectives and the Pennsylvania State Police. District Attorney Hogan said, “Operation Crushed Ice has destroyed a significant drug trafficking organization that was operating in our back yard. This is a battle that law enforcement fights every day to protect our children, our businesses, and our homes.”

Captain Maurice Tomlinson, the Commander of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop J, said, “Law enforcement cooperation was an integral factor in this investigation being successful. Agencies from around the country, county, and state worked cooperatively to bring Maitre’s reign in Chester County to an end.”

Defendant Richard Maitre was the head of a drug trafficking organization (the “Maitre DTO”) based in Oxford.

The Maitre DTO trafficked large-scale quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and prescription pills. The group also had connections to Montgomery County, Lancaster County, Delaware County, and Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania; as well as Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Arizona; and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Maitre is 27 years old. He lived at 370 Conner Road in Oxford. The other members of the Maitre DTO who have been charged are: Brian Amoriello, 40; Alberto Andrews, 37; Jose Beltran-Mercado, 33; Michael Brackin, 25; Kiere Brown, 25; Christopher Bryant, 29; Nicole Bui, 29; Samuel Carr, 29; Charles Chambers, 55; Julio Colon, 28; Harry Dillow, 55; Dean Fenner, 47; Christopher Forrester, 38; Gilberto Hernandez, 24; Jeremy Horne, 26; Eboni Jackson, 41; Jermaine Jackson, 45; Scott Johnson, 29; William Jones, 30; Ryan Kelly, 36; Maria Lemos, 41; Carrie Lewis, 33; Debra Lewis, 46; Brittaney Mantz, 24; Marc Massey, 36; Herbert McClain, Jr., 30; Jenna McGoldrick, 26; Steven Miller, 29; Michael Oxford, 38; David Price, 34; Joseph Racca, 28; Moiscell Robinson, 28; Robbie Robinson, 40; Austin Rodriguez, 29; Deanie Seymour, 29; Victor Smith, 37; Theodore Spencer, 56; Tonya Stewart, 39; Andrea

Sydenstricker, 27; Barry Sydenstricker, 60; Jonathan Taylor, 27; Darrell Thomas, 33; Timothy Turner, 27; Louie Velez, 37; Michael Walsh, Jr., 20; Michael Walsh, Sr., 38; Stephen Westmoreland, 33; and Michael Zelek, 30.

Operation Crushed Ice began in 2015, when investigators learned Maitre was running drug operations in Southern Chester County. Maitre actually was in Chester County Prison at the time. He was using his co-conspirators to deliver drugs outside the prison, collect money, and stay in touch with other drug dealers.

When Maitre was released from Chester

County Prison in 2016, he immediately began to run the DTO again, engaging in full-scale drug trafficking. Maitre had sub-distributors and customers. Using cooperators, the police were able to make purchases of drugs directly from Maitre and his co-conspirators. The police also discovered that Maitre used violence to run his operation. Using all of this information, law enforcement then put a wiretap of Maitre’s cell phone. Maitre was consistently dealing drugs throughout the region, and his drug contacts stretched across the United States.

Operation Crushed Ice brought down the Maitre DTO on Jan. 12.

Co-defendant Alberto Andrews was driving Maitre’s BMW to and from Ohio to deliver seven pounds of methamphetamine to Maitre at 416 Chesterville Road, Landenberg. Shortly after Andrews arrived, law enforcement executed simultaneous search warrants at 416 Chesterville Road and 17 other locations in the region used by the Maitre DTO.

During the raids, police seized methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs. The police found more than 40 firearms, both handguns and long guns.

Law enforcement also seized cash, more than 20 vehicles, and paraphernalia associated with drug

trafficking, such as scales and packaging materials. Maitre briefly escaped, but eventually was captured on Jan. 25. The defendants have been charged with felony drug trafficking, conspiracy, firearms violations, and related charges. Maitre’s bail was set at $2,000,000 and he was remanded to Chester County Prison. All of the defendants were indicted by the Chester County Grand Jury. District Attorney Hogan added, “Drug dealers are like a virus. They constantly shift and mutate, finding new ways to avoid detection and cause harm. Law enforcement works constantly to stay one step ahead of these criminals.”

East Marlborough supervisors approve new fireworks dates for Longwood Gardens

By John Chambless Staff Writer

After a two-year hiatus, fireworks and fountain shows will return to Longwood Gardens this summer.

At the East Marlborough Township Board of Supervisors meeting on March 6, two representatives from Longwood asked for board approval for six dates in 2017 that will feature the popular shows.

The Main Fountain Garden at Longwood is completing an extensive renovation process, and should be ready for the start of the season in a few weeks. To take advantage of the improved lighting and water features, the shows will feature more visual effects and fewer fireworks. A resident in the audience asked about noise complaints from the fireworks shows of past years, and the representative said the music will be more focused on the audience area thanks to an improved sound system, and that there will be less of the loud fireworks in each show,

contest focuses on seniors

reducing the overall amount of noise.

The board unanimously approved the application for the shows.

A land development agreement for a car wash to be built near the Walmart store on Route 1 was also unanimously approved. The business was extensively discussed at last month’s meeting, and the supervisors have expressed that they are satisfied with all the plans for the business.

The board approved the addition of Chris McDougall to the township Historic Commission, and allowed the Walmart store to open an outdoor garden center in its side parking lot again this summer. While supervisor Bob Weer objected again to what he feels is a violation of the terms that Walmart agreed to during construction of the store, the other board members said that the garden area has been run well in past years.

“I agree with Bob [Weer] in some respects, but I do think you have done a good job with this,” supervisor John Sarro told the Walmart

The Kennett Square Resale Book Shoppe has announced a photo contest for all ages in Chester County. The contest runs from April 15 through May 31.

The staff and volunteers of shop want to encourage the entire community to get involved and show through photographs how seniors contribute their talents, wisdom, and time in their local communities. The contest

representative. “I think the area looks good, so I don’t have a problem with it.”

The board approved the second year of the Willowdale Chapel Run for Recovery 5K, which will take place on Oct. 1, 2017. The event was successful last year, and it will cover the same route this year, the organizers told the board.

Police Chief Robert Clarke said the organizers had met with him, and that the event will require three officers to direct traffic. Route 82, from Route 926 to East Locust Lane,

attempts to bring awareness to a segment of the community that is often overlooked, or taken for granted.

Shop manager Karen Martin said, “I want to show the value of seniors through photographic stories. Imagine, if you will, a world without retired volunteers, or waking up to the loss of a loved one without memories, keepsakes or photographs to share with friends, family

will be closed for no more than an hour during the event, which will include a picnic and party at the Willowdale Chapel site after the end of the race. There was an extended conversation about the removal of a specimen tree from the site of the Walnut Walk townhome community. The specimen willow tree was removed after an extension of the community was approved, in an attempt to preserve the historic farmhouse and barn originally on the property. In that extension

and community. We are sponsoring this photo contest to shine a light on the ageless and active seniors who contribute so much to their community.”

Photo entries will be accepted from April 15 through May 30. Entries must be at least 8 by 10 inches and no larger than 11 by 14 inches. Photos can be dropped off at the Kennett Square Resale Book Shoppe

of the original plan, the tree was not specifically tagged for preservation, and it was inadvertently cut down before an attempt to save it was completed.

Doug Knox, the developer of the property, came to the board to see what he could do to make up for what he called a mistake. Township engineer Jim Hatfield laid out the background of how the tree was removed, and said, “All along, this developer has been honest, and making a real effort to preserve trees. I do believe this was a mistake.”

Supervisor Christine Kimmel expressed her disappointment that the tree had been lost due to an oversight. To compensate for removing the tree – which qualified for specimen status due to its 42-inch width –the developer will pay to have seven new trees planted. The location will be decided at a later date. Most likely one tree will be planted at the Walnut Walk site, and the rest will be planted in the new Unionville Park, according to board chairman Richard Hannum, Jr.

or the Kennett Area Senior Center, or mailed in a sturdy, unbendable envelope to: Photo Contest, c/o Kennett Square Resale Book Shoppe, 113 South Union Street, Kennett Square PA 19348; or to Photo Contest, c/o Kennett Area Senior Center, 427 S. Walnut Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. There is a $2 entry fee for each photo submitted, and a limit of five photos per person. Additional rules

Board member John Sarro detailed recent activities of the safety committee which has been addressing the problem of speeding in the village of Unionville. Two radar speedcontrol signs have been effective in slowing traffic through the village, he said, and he was seeking approval to purchase another, smaller radar sign that can be moved around the area to trouble spots.

The battery-operated signs don’t operate well in shady spots such as the approach to the village from the west, and particularly when baseball season starts, the supervisors want to concentrate speedcontrol efforts near the ball fields in the village. Crosswalks will be repainted to make them more visible before the season starts, Sarro said, “but the good news is that the new radar signs have helped a lot.” The board unanimously approved the $2,000 cost for the third sign.

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

apply, including permission to use and duplicate the photos submitted to the contest. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in two categories -- youth up to age 18, and adults 19 and older.

For more details, contact Karen Martin at the Kennett Square Resale Book Shoppe at 610-444-6069 or e-mail kascbooks@ kennettseniorcenter.org.

March 15

Photography classes for seniors

The Oxford Area Senior Center will hold a series of five photography classes beginning on March 15 from 4 to 5 p.m. There is no charge. A CountyWide Art/Photography show is coming to the Government Services Building in West Chester in May, and participants will work on creating images for this show. The classes will be led by longtime area journalist Chris Barber. To register for these classes, contact Jim McLeod at the senior center by phone (610-932-5244) or email at jdmcleod@ oxfordseniors.org.

March 16 to 18

‘Mary Poppins’ Unionville High School (750 Unionville Rd., Kennett Square) will present the Disney musical “Mary Poppins” on March 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 through www. showtix4u.com. Tickets at the door are $14 for adults, and $12 for students and seniors.

March 16 to 18

‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ Kennett High School will stage the musical comedy “The Drowsy Chaperone” on March 16, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m., with a matinee on March 18 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www.kcsd. org, or at the door.

April 2 Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point

The Myrick Conservation Center (Route 842, between Unionville and West Chester) will be the site of the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point on April 2. Gates open at 11 a.m., and the first race is at 12:30 p.m. There will be pony races for young riders, and then a full day of steeplechase competition, along with children’s activities, raffles, face-painting and more. Dogs on leashes are welcome. General admission is $20 per carload. Visit www. brandywineredclay.org for more information.

April 22

Chicken barbecue Russellville Grange 91, on Route 896, one block north of Route 10, will host a chicken barbecue on April 22 from 3 p.m. until sold out. Patrons may dine in or take out. The meal includes half a chicken, potato salad, pickled cabbage, applesauce, beverage, roll, and dessert. The meal is $10 ($6 for children), and half a chicken only is $6. Call 610-255-5418 for more information.

Kennett Flash schedule

The Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square) hosts regional and national artists. Tickets are available in advance at www.kennettflash.org, or at the door. Snacks and beverages are sold, or guests can BYOB. The schedule includes: The Dan Dechellis Trio (March 16, 8 p.m.,

$20); Beyond the Pale featuring Irish step dancing (March 17, 7 and 9:30 p.m., $18 to $22); Trespass: The music of Genesis (March 18, 8 p.m., $23 to $26); Open Mic with host Marc Staudenmaier (March 19, 7 p.m., $4); John Eddie and His Dirty Ol’ Band (March 24, 7 and 9:30 p.m., $25 and $28); Jeffrey Gaines with Ben Arnold (March 25, 8 p.m., $22 and $25); Mike Keneally and Beer for Dolphins (March 31, 8 p.m., $25).

Reactors Comedy Club schedule

Reactors Comedy Club (in the Wyndham Gardens Hotel, 1110 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills) hosts live comedy on weekends. Tickets are $20. Doors open at 8 p.m., and shows start at 9 p.m. Call 267374-0732 or visit www. reactorscomedyclub. com. The schedule includes: Chris Rich and Cory Jarvis (March 17 and 18); Jay Black and Tyler Rothrock (March 24 and 25); Moody McCarthy and Glen Tickle (March 31 and April 1).

Longwood Gardens concerts

Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square) will host the following concerts this summer (tickets are on sale now): The Savoy Company performing Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” (June 9 and 10, 8:30 p.m., $29); Josh Ritter (June 18, 7:30 p.m., $25 to $45); Delaware

Symphony with pianist Peter Serkin (June 25, 7:30 p.m., $37 to $67); Natalie Merchant (July 5, 7:30 p.m., $56 to $86); Dianne Reeves (July 11, 7:30 p.m., $33 to $53); The Brandywiners present “Beauty and the Beast” (July 27 to 29 and Aug. 3 to 5, 8 p.m., $30); Chick Corea Elektric Band with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m., $55 to $85); Del McCoury and David Grisman (Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m., $35 to $55); the Kennett Symphony (Aug. 19, 7 p.m., $40 and $45); Julieta Venegas (Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m., $39 to $59). Visit www.

longwoodgardens.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.

Through April 2

Plein-air landscapes at Bookplace

Plein-air paintings by Lisa BurgerLentz will be on display at Bookplace (2373 Baltimore Pike, Oxford) through April 2. The bookstore and art gallery is open Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Call 717-715-4775 or visit www.bookplaceoxford. com.

Through March 31 ‘Waterlines’ by Terry Anderson The Station Gallery (3922 Kennett Pike, Greenville, Del.) presents “Waterlines,” featuring paintings by Terry Anderson from the

Brandywine Watershed to the Canadian Near North, through March 31. Call 302-654-8638 or visit www.stationgallery. net.

March 17 to April 14

‘Reconstructed Materials’ The Oxford Arts Alliance (38 S. Third St., Oxford) presents “Reconstructed Materials,” a show of metal sculpture, from March 17 to April 14. There will be an opening reception on March 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. There are 12 artists exhibiting, including Lele Galer and Stan Smokler. Visit www.oxfordart.org for more information.

March 24 and 25

Chadds Ford Art Show

Founded in 1949 by Betsy Wyeth, the popular Chadds Ford Art Sale & Show features works by more than 70 professional artists from the Brandywine Valley and beyond. The 68th annual show will be held on March 24 and 25 at Chadds Ford Elementary School. On March 24 from 7 to 10 p.m., there will be a free opening night reception and sale (adults only), with live music and hors d’ouevres. On March 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the artists will be displaying their work. There will be live music and a raffle drawing at 3 p.m. For more information, visit cfes. ucfsd.org/artshow.

Barrar and Committee discuss military recruitment barriers

Led by chairman Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Chester/ Delaware), the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee held a meeting with military recruiters this week to learn about the challenges that recruiters experience in Pennsylvania’s high schools when trying to connect with students.

“Because it is important to facilitate conversations between our young people and military recruiters –for our country as well as for those who could benefit from enlisting – I am glad we discussed this important issue,” Barrar said. “I look forward to seeing the ideas we discussed, such as assemblies to allow the military and emergency responders to talk with all

TEENS ARRESTED FOR BURGLARY

On Feb. 28, three teens were arrested for burglary, trespassing and theft after they were found by police inside 411 Chatham Street in Avondale Borough, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. One was a 13-year-old from Avondale, one was a 15-year-old from West Grove,. And one was a 14-year-old from Oxford.

students, put into action.”

Capt. Ryan Tintera, an active duty Army recruiter, explained that the military would like to have the same access to students that colleges and universities experience. However, equal access is a matter of opinion, and military recruiters are concerned that a negative stigma on military service prevents them from gaining equal access to students.

Currently, military recruiters are often forced to stay behind a table in the lunchroom while college recruiters are allowed to approach students.

Tintera described many scholarships and programs that are available, including a two-year enlistment. The opportunity provides

CAR VANDALIZED

Overnight on March 4, a vehicle parked at 724 W. Baltimore Pike in Kennett Square was vandalized, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. Anyone with information is asked to call 610-2682022 or 1-800-4PA-TIPS.

ATTEMPTED

BURGLARY

On March 5, a homeowner discovered that someone had tried to enter a home at 195 Ewart Road in Kennett Township by loosening the door handle screws. No entry was gained into the home, according to

more than $65,000 for college, special preference when applying to college as a service member and college credit for training (up to 30 semester hours) while living abroad and receiving payment for work, rent, utilities and food. Program enrollees will then spend another two years in the reserves.

Despite state law requiring military recruiters to receive the same access to students as is provided to college recruiters, claims were made that some high school administrators limit access to students. Dr. Eric Eshbach, superintendent of Northern York School District, explained that while his district does not limit student interaction

Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. Anyone with information is asked to call trooper Ryan Ard at 610-268-2022.

BURGLARY AND ARSON ARREST

On Feb. 27, an arrest was made by Pennsylvania State Police Avondale in connection with a burglary and arson dating to April 2016. James William Mesaros, 20, of Green Brook, N.J., was arrested for breaking into a garage at 16 Media Road in Elk Township, rummaging through tool boxes, then taking hand towels and a carpet from the garage

with military recruiters, he imagines a possible explanation is simply a lack of knowledge of the many benefits available.

Eshbach shared that he sent a couple of guidance counselors from his district to a four-day boot camp designed to allow professionals to experience training camp while also getting information about the military’s offerings.

One of the counselors attested that experiencing a taste of boot camp gave her a greater understanding of the student profile that would be a good fit, better enabling her to match her students with opportunities that will best serve them after high school.

Also this week, the committee partnered

and setting them on fire in the middle of Media Road near the home.

DUI On Feb. 27, Pennsylvania State Police Avondale arrested Lorena Vazquez, 38, of Oxford, while she was driving west in the east-bound lane of Calvary Road in Lower Oxford Township. She was charged with DUI and giving false identification to police, and was found to have a warrant for a parole violation.

On March 3 at 12:50 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police Avondale stopped Joseph Allen Gift, 52, of

with the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee for a conversation with officers and students in the United States Army War College’s Advanced Stategic Art Program. The distinguished members of the military community talked about what the border partrol is doing to respond to the heroin crisis, how a border wall may address immigration issues and what can be done to further develop the active-duty population in the Commonwealth.

Emergency response organizations shared challenges they face, program updates and their legislative agendas with the committee on Tuesday.

In a conversation with the

Avondale, for speeding on West Cypress Street in New Garden Township and found that he was DUI. He was subsequently arrested.

On Feb. 15 at 7:55 p.m., officers from the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department found a car sitting at the intersection of Penn Green Road and Gap New Port Pike, blocking traffic. The driver, Esteban Estrada-Ayala, 32, of Avondale, was asleep at the wheel. He was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and later turned over to Pennsylvania State

Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Brig. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, state adjutant general of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), talked about the status of the Pennsylvania National Guard, the military mission, deployments, military equipment upgrades and improvements made at Fort Indiantown Gap. To control spending, 13,000 solar panels were installed on 20 acres of DMVA land at no upfront cost to the DMVA or taxpayers. The panels will generate much of the power needed for the military training site, lowering operating costs.

police for an outstanding warrant pending a court appearance on the new charges.

On Feb. 16 at 6:45 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police Avondale arrested Luis Rivera-Hernandez, 42, of Chatham, for DUI and driving while unlicensed. On Feb. 18 at 7:21 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police Avondale responded to a three-car crash at Gap Newport Pike and Moxley Lane and found that Carl Rasheed Smith, 30, of Avondale, was DUI and had caused the crashes. He was arrested and charged with DUI.

Staging a magical ‘Mary Poppins’

By John Chambless Staff Writer

At Unionville High School, there’s no such thing as putting on a little show. The spring musical, which this year is “Mary Poppins,” is an all-hands-ondeck effort. This year, Scott Litzenberg, who is usually leading the school’s award-winning marching band, is directing the show for the third time.

New Year’s Day, and the pit orchestra works basically for the last two-and-a-half weeks. They all rehearse on their own, and then we work together later.”

There are 47 people in the cast, along with about 55 in the tech and stage crew, and 23 musicians in the orchestra. Add that to a production team of six, and just managing all the questions could be a full-time job.

kids figure it out and work as a team. They’re just good kids.”

The 1960s movie version of “Mary Poppins” is much sunnier than the stage play, he said. “There are some major differences, with a couple of slightly darker scenes that reflect more of what the original story was. Some of the lessons that Mary tries to teach the kids are slightly darker than they were in the movie.”

audience will see on stage. There’s an army of parent volunteers who make meals for the cast during this week’s crucial technical rehearsals, which stretch into the night. There’s advertising and ticket sales and the display in the lobby – all taken on by parents, Litzenberg said.

During an after-school rehearsal last week, as the days ticked down to opening night on March 16, Litzenberg was presiding over a run-through of a dance routine for “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

“This is my third year of directing the show,” Litzenberg said as the dancers found their places on stage. “I did ‘West Side Story’ here two years ago, and I did ‘Shrek’ last year. We started working with the cast just after

This year’s show, the Disney musical version of “Mary Poppins,” has an added layer of complexity because Mary has to fly, and her friend Bert, the chimney sweep, has to climb the walls – literally.

The rigging rental “cost almost twice as much as what it cost us to do the whole show,” Litzenberg said. The mechanism arrived on March 10, followed by eight hours of training from the company on Saturday and Sunday.

When the harness is up and working, the audience will get to see Bert walk up the stage proscenium and then walk across the ceiling. It’s a showstopper that will add to the magic of the beloved musical, but first, there were the thousand details of getting 47 teens all moving in the right directions.

“The students do all the lighting design, all the stage design. I give them what I want, but the kids make it happen,” Litzenberg said. “It’s so intense, and it’s a lot of time, but this is so much fun. It’s great to see the

Since two of the characters in the story are supposed to be young children, there are two actors from middle schools playing Jane and Michael Banks. Other middle schoolers who tried out have been cast as well.

“We actually have four middle schoolers in the show,” Litzenberg said. “It’s been really fun to watch them. The highschool kids have taken the younger kids under their wing. It’s neat to see the kids embrace it. We have sixth graders with twelfth graders, and they’re all treated like they’re part of the team.”

To give students more experience, there are different student choreographers for each dance routine. Supervised by an adult choreographer, the students are responsible for choreographing and running rehearsals for their numbers – taking into account the wide range of dance abilities in such a large cast. Putting together the spring musical each year involves much more than what an

“It’s been tradition for many years,” he said. “The parents always get very involved. The best thing about it is that it takes all those things off our plate.”

The state-of-theart auditorium at Unionville High School is a wonderful resource, but it’s also huge. Thankfully, the seats are usually mostly filled for every performance.

“We average about 1,000 people per show,” Litzenberg said. “We’ve been selling out. For ‘West Side Story,’ we were about 200 tickets away from selling out all three nights. It’s more than parents and family members who come, too. I think the tradition of Unionville musicals has driven a

lot of people to come and enjoy our shows.

There’s a lot of alumni, and alumni parents, who come back every year.

A lot of the district employees and their kids and grandkids come every year. Teachers love seeing their kids doing this.”

For the cast and crew of young people, “it gives them somewhere to be,” Litzenberg said.

“But the most important thing is that it teaches them self-confidence.

It’s the same thing that any activity does –whether it’s music or sports or clubs – it gives them a chance to learn

how to become part of a team.”

Unionville High School will present the classic musical “Mary Poppins” on March 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. Online ticket sales are available at www. showtix4u.com for $12. Tickets at the door are $14 adults ($12 students and seniors). Performances will be at Unionville High School (750 Unionville Rd., Kennett Square).

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

GERTRUDE V. ORR

Gertrude V. Orr, 95, of Garner, N.C., formerly of Oxford, passed away on March 2 in Central Harnett Hospital, Lillington, N.C.

She was the wife of the late Ralph M. Orr. Born in Elkton, Va., she was the daughter of the late Wesley and Mattie Morris Shiplet.

She was a member of the Oxford Senior Center, Golden Slippers and Gray – Nichols Post No. 1779 VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Oxford. Gertie enjoyed crafts, going to craft shows, dancing, and especially spending time with her granddaughter and great-grandsons.

She is survived by two daughters, Susan L. Freeman (Barry) of Holly Springs, N.C., and Sandra K. Taylor (J. Earl) of Garner, N.C.; one granddaughter, Terri E. Taylor (William Gabor) of Raleigh, N.C.; and two great-grandsons, Zachary Gabor and Noah Gabor. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Bizeel Shiplet and Warfield Shiplet; and two sisters, Ethel Jackson and Leona Sexton. Funeral services were held March 8. Interment was in Oxford Cemetery. Visit www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

GUY RICHARD MARTINDALE

Guy Richard “Dick” Martindale, 76, of Lewisville, Pa., passed away on March 6 at Lancaster General Hospital. He was the husband of the late Lois Martindale. Born in Lewisville, he was the son of the late Joseph and Marian Martindale. Dick retired as a heavy equipment operator with James Julian in Wilmington, Del. He graduated from Oxford Area High School, class of 1958. Dick was a member of the Ancient Order of the Croaking Frogs, Quarryville; and Moose Lodge, Elkton, Md. He enjoyed farming and carving duck decoys.

He is survived by the love of his life, fiancé Barbara Pryor of Oxford; two nephews, Dr. Steven Parsons and Douglas Parsons, both of Raleigh, N.C.; and two nieces, Deborah Dills of Lewisville and Victoria Parson. He was preceded in death by a sister, Betty Parsons; and brother, Bobby Martindale.

Funeral services were held March 13. Interment as in Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Cherry Hill, Md. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

HAROLD L. WAGNER

Harold “Hal” Lane Wagner, 78, of Avondale, died on March 4 at his home, surrounded by family.

Born in West Chester, he was the son of the late Charles F. and Margaret F. Anderson Wagner. He graduated from Kennett High School in 1957, where he was a baseball pitcher and earned the nickname “Honus.” He was also an active member of their FFA program. Harold was a lifelong farmer and lived the majority of his life on the family’s century farm on Hillendale Road. Harold was famous for joke telling and his quick wit. He made an impact on everyone he met. Harold regularly had coffee with friends before starting his busy day. In his 40s, Hal picked up golfing and joined the Over the Hill Gang golf group. It wasn’t allowed to rain on Thursdays, his weekly golf day. Hal had a passion for Oliver tractors, and began collecting and restoring them. For the past 10 years he enjoyed spending winters in Florida with friends and his brother, Wayne.

Survivors include his only daughter, Julianne Wagner Desmond and her husband Darren of Phoenix, Ariz.; his brother, C. Wayne Wagner and his wife Terry of Wilton, N.H.; four grandchildren,

March 17 and 18

Children’s clothing and equipment sale

West Grove United Methodist Church will hold its annual Children’s Clothing and Equipment Consignment Sale on March 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be a large selection of spring and summer children’s clothes, shoes, coats, toys, books, baby items and equipment. On Saturday, many items will be half price. This sale benefits the early childhood and scholarship programs at the Children’s Morning Out and Preschool Program of the church. For more information, call the church office at 610-869-9334.

March 22

Joseph’s People meeting

The monthly Joseph’s People meeting for the unemployed/ underemployed will be on March 22 at 6:45 p.m. in the parish life center (lower level) of ABVM’s Church (300 State Rd.). The guest speaker will be John Colgan, director of professional outreach at Jennersville Regional Hospital and JP West Grove Chapter Leader. His presentation will be titled “MD Save: New Healthcare Alternative Assists You With Saving Money.”

May 6

‘Attic Treasures’ The “Attic Treasurers” sale takes place on May 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grove United

Sarah, Katie, Maggie and Darren Jr.; along with many nieces and nephews who he adored. To many in the family, he was known as “Uncle Bear.”

A visitation with friends and family will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. March 23 at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (250 W. State St., Kennett Square). A memorial service celebrating his life will follow at 11 a.m. Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1626 Locust St. Philadelphia, PA 19103. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares.com.

R. KENNETH GALLAGHER, JR.

R. Kenneth Gallagher, Jr., 84, passed away peacefully at home in Oxford on Feb. 5. He was born and raised in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. Ken graduated from Central High School. He attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown for two years prior to being drafted in the U.S. Army. After serving in the army for two years, Ken attended La Salle University. He was captain of the La Salle soccer team before graduating in 1959. Ken was hired by Rust Craft Greeting Cards, Inc., in 1960 and eventually moved his wife and three children to Foxborough, Mass., in 1966. The family moved back to Pennsylvania in 1971 and spent much of their time living in Hollidaysburg. All three children graduated from Hollidaysburg High School. Ken and Kay moved to Morgantown, Pa., in 1986 to be closer to their family in Philadelphia. They lived in Morgantown for 25 years and were very active in the community, including Saint Thomas Episcopal Church. Ken spent the last six years of his life living in Oxford. Ken was a member of the Boy Scouts of America during his childhood and continued his involvement as a young adult with the Explorers Club. Ken’s other hobbies included photography and stamp collecting. Ken was a devoted husband to his wife of 58 years, Kay. He is survived by his wife, Kathryne (Kay) Bateman Gallagher; daughters, Connie Gallagher and Carolyn Gallagher Hall; and son, Kenneth E. Gallagher; granddaughter, Sydney Marie Hall; son-in-law, Richard Allen Hall; brother, Ronald A. Gallagher; sister-in-law, Doris Gallagher; and sister-in-law, Shirley Bateman Smith. He was predeceased by one grandson, Trevor Allen Hall. Ken was the son of the late R. Kenneth Gallagher, Sr., and Naomi Hoffman Gallagher.

A memorial service was held March 11. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church or the Parkinson’s Foundation. Visit www. elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

PHILIP H. MATHIAS

Philip H. Mathias, 83, of Kennett Square, passed away on March 9 at Kendal at Longwood.

He was the husband of Shirley Fischer Mathias, who passed away in 2015, and with whom he shared 57 years of marriage. Born in Middletown, Pa., he was the son of the late Russel and Stella Hoffman Mathias. He was a district manager for customer service at Bell Telephone Company in Upper Darby, retiring in 1990 with 35 years of service. After working at Bell Telephone Company, he worked for 18 years at H&R Block. He also was a past volunteer at Longwood Gardens. Philip was a faithful and committed member of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville. Prior to that, a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Broomall for 30 years.

He enjoyed fishing, gardening, and was an avid Philadelphia sports fan for all the teams. At Reading High School, he was an outstanding athlete. While attending Yale University, he played football and baseball, receiving many awards for his athletic ability. In 2013, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

and Kate Mathias. A visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. March 18 at St. Michael Lutheran Church (109 E. Doe Run Rd., Unionville). His memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, a contribution in Philip’s memory, may be made to St. Michael Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 178, Unionville, PA 19375. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com.

KIM E. OSBORNE THOMPSON

Kim E. Osborne Thompson, 53, of Downingtown, died on March 6 at her home.

Born in West Chester, she was a daughter of James J. and Ann E. (Millard) Osborne. Kim was a 1981 graduate of Kennett High School. She was a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) specializing in disabled pediatrics. She was a diehard Eagles fan and never missed watching a game. She loved her family and friends, and her dog, Katie.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her beloved son, Matthew J. Osborne of Downingtown; one brother, James Osborne and his wife Shirley of Lewes Del.; one sister, Sandi Seiler and her husband Bill of Garnet Valley; and four grandchildren, Dominic, Devin, Dylan and Dawson.

A memorial service was held March 11. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Chester County SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike West Chester PA 19380. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www. griecocares.com.

JESSICA M. PRIGG

Jessica M. Prigg, 28, of West Grove, passed away on March 3 at her residence.

Born in Newark, Del., she was the daughter of the late James T. Prigg, Jr., and the late Cheryl Erickson Prigg. Jessica enjoyed shopping, dining out, going to the beach, her dogs Odie and Odessa, and being with her family and friends.

She is survived by two brothers, Jason Prigg, her twin brother, of West Grove, and Kenny Walker of Newark, Del.; one sister Lauren Walker of Claymont, Del.; her maternal grandmother, Mary Lou Erickson of Claymont, Del., her paternal grandmother, Betty Warren of West Grove; and her paternal grandfather, James Prigg, Sr., of West Grove. Her service and burial were held privately. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com.

Join us for a special afternoon with Kim Engstrom, M.S. Family Counselor.

March 19th3pm

You are not alone.

Thelossoflovedoneislistedamongthetopmost stressfullifeeventsapersonwillexperience.Thereare responsestothatlossthatmanypeoplehave,butthere isnotypicalresponsetolossjustasthereisnotypical loss.Ourlossisasindividualasourlivesandyourgrief isasuniqueasyouare.

Shewillhelpexploreandidentifywhatyoumaybe feelingduringthisdifficulttime.Learnaboutthe stagesyoumaybeexperiencingandgainknowledgeof grief'sterrain,assistingyoutobebetterequippedto copewithlifeafterloss.

Light refreshments will be served•Free Admission Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home 250 W. State St., Kennett Sq., PA 19348 RSVP to lpetrick@griecofuneralhomes.com or 610-444-4116

Methodist Church. There will be used books, jewelry, snacks to go, and household items. Light refreshments are available. Call 610-348-0421 or visit www.grovechurch.org.

He is survived by one son, Mark F. Mathias and his wife Laura of Rochester, N.Y.; two daughters, Marcy L. Wisbauer and her husband Kenny of Charlottesville, Va., and Sharon L. Mathias of Kansas City, Mo.; one brother, Larry Mathias and his wife Joyce of Stuart, Fla.; five grandchildren, Andrew Mathias and his wife Allison, Jeremie Mathias, Kevin Mathias, Katie Wisbauer and Kelli Wisbauer; and two great-granddaughters, Samantha Mathias

Alleluia

For more information, visit us on the web at www.griecocares.com 866-354-1583 Or call us at

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

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

CAROLE JUANITA DIFILIPPO

Carole Juanita DiFilippo, 80, of Rexford, N.Y., formerly of Kennett Square, died on March 3 after a brief illness. She was surrounded by her family. Born in Bluff City, Tenn., Carole was the daughter of Smith and Opal Gentry. She moved to Kennett Square in her early 20s and eventually met and married Robert E. DiFilippo. She worked at Chatham Acres Nursing Facility for over 30 years, and retired in 2006, when she moved to Rexford, N.Y., to live with her daughter and grandson. Carole enjoyed keeping her mind active by doing crossword puzzles, crocheting, and trying to keep up with her grandson. She also adored her chihuahua, Mimi.

Survivors include her children, Karen V. Daley, Barbara A. Parker, and Robert A. DiFilippo; one grandchild, Matthew Robert Parker; three sisters, Hazel Vandergrift, Mary Jenkins, and Peggy Hartsook; and two brothers, Donny Shaffer and Arliss Shaffer.

Carole will be laid to rest at 11 a.m. April 22 at St. Patrick Cemetery (460 N. Union St, Kennett Square). She will be buried next to her husband Robert, who died in 1995. Contributions in her memory may be made to Faithful Friends Animal Society, 12 Germay Drive, Wilmington, DE 19804.

To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

MARY TEALE BATTIN

Mary Teale Battin, 88, of Kennett Square, passed away on Feb. 27 at the Crosslands retirement community. Born in 1928 in Des Moines, Iowa, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Marcella (Stearns) Teale. She and her mother moved to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1941, where she resided until 1950. In Buffalo, Mary attended the Buffalo Seminary and graduated with a scholarship to Swarthmore College. At Swarthmore she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and graduated in 1950. While at Swarthmore, she met her future husband, Joseph Battin, who was a civil engineering student. Upon graduation in 1950, they married, and Joe embarked on an engineering and construction career with the Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco. With Bechtel, they lived in many places and traveled to many more. In 1978 they were resident in Teheran, Iran, when the Shah fell to Khomeini’s forces. Eventually, they moved to San Francisco and remained there for 22 years before moving to the Crossland Community in 2003.

Mary was an only child. She is survived by her husband, Joe; her children, Sheila Monahan and Stephen Battin (wife

Elizabeth); and one grandson, Justin Seides. She became an accomplished hiker, was a world-class cook and participated in community affairs at Crosslands. First and foremost, she was a wonderful wife, mother and friend and will be much missed. A memorial service will be held for Mary at the Crosslands Community on April 2 at 2 p.m. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com.

CARMELITA A. BROWN

Carmelita A. Brown, 98, of Oxford, passed away on March 7 at Ware Presbyterian Village in Oxford. She was the wife of the late Roscoe C. Brown, with whom she shared 65 years of marriage. Born in Freeland, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Mary Giordano Yarrusso. Carmelita was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Oxford.

She is survived by one son, Steven Brown of Oxford; two daughters, Gail Vahey of Wilmington, Del., and Antoinette Mitchell of Saxton, Pa.; eight grandchildren; 11 greatgrandchildren; and three sisters, Pauline Renai, Anna Watts and Josie Woodis. She was preceded in death by a son, Charles Musser.

Funeral services were held March 10. Interment was in Oxford Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www. elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

ELVERA R. HALLMAN

Elvera R. “Eva” Hallman, 96, of Oxford, formerly of Kennett Square, passed away on March 8. She was the wife of the late Charles H. Hallman. Born in Springdale, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Michael J. and Anna DiPaola DiFilippo. Eva lived most of her life in Kennett Square. She retired from MGA Mushroom Cannery in Kennett Square after 52 years of service. She was a member of St. Patrick Church, Kennett Square and the Oxford Area Senior Center.

She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Betty J. Hallman of Oxford; three grandsons, David (Anita) Hallman of Oxford, Glenn (Cathy) Hallman of West Grove, and Michael (Stacey) Hallman of New London; seven great-grandchildren; and one sister, Marie Leone of Kennett Square. She was preceded in death by a son, Charles M. Hallman; three brothers, Michael DiFilippo, Freddie DiFilippo and Frank DiFilippo; and four sisters, Rosie Pesilo, Yolanda Johnson, Mafalda Hallman and Millie Jordan.

Funeral services were held March 13. Interment was private in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www. elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

CHARLES W. HANBY, JR.

Charles (“Buck”) W. Hanby, Jr., 79, of Lincoln University, passed away on March 9 at his home. He was the husband of Sandra Ferguson Hanby, with whom he shared 53 years of marriage. Born in Boothwyn, he was the son of the late Charles W., Sr., and Doris Sheetz Hanby. Buck farmed in Upper Oxford Township with his brother, Beau Hanby. A well-known fox hunter, Buck had a love for all animals, especially his dogs, which he enjoyed riding with in his golf cart. He also enjoyed his beach house in Rehoboth, and NASCAR

He is survived by his wife; one son, Charles (Chip) W., III and his wife Debra of Carney’s Point, N.J.; one daughter, Megan Cadreau and her husband Michael of Lincoln University; five grandchildren, Zaria, Zaniah and Zayden Cadreau, Melissa (Joseph) Lafferty, Kristin Martin; and three great-grandchildren, Madison, Gemma and Bryanna.

A memorial service will be held at noon on March 15 at the New London United Methodist Church (1010 State Rd., New London). Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Rough Riders 4H, 325 Noble Rd., Christiana, PA 17509. Visit www. elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

CAROL ANN CALLAHAN GLENN

Carol Ann Callahan Glenn, 56, of Nottingham, formerly Glenolden, passed away on March 4 in Berwyn, Md. She was the wife of Mitchell K. Glenn, with whom she shared 31 years of marriage. Born in Darby, she was the daughter of the late Donald and Gertrude O’Neill Callahan. Carol owned the Sunoco Gas Station in Oxford, where she was the cashier. She received the Business of the Year award 2015 from the Oxford Area Civic Association. She enjoyed her beach home and dancing.

She is survived by her husband; two daughters, Shannon A. Glenn and Keri A Glenn, both of Nottingham; two sisters, Debra Carroll of Coatesville and Karen Callahan of Ports Mouth, Va.; one brother, Donald Callahan of Glenolden; and best friend, Carol “Buchy” Flood of Newark, Del.

A celebration of life service will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. March 18 at the Wyncote Restaurant (50 Wyncote Dr., Oxford). Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Oxford Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 142, Oxford PA 19363. A scholarship will be awarded to an Oxford Area High School graduating senior. Visit www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Elizabeth M. Crawford, deceased, late of 195 Warwick Road, Elverson, Warwick Township, Pennsylvania 19520.

Letters Testamentary on the above estate having been granted to the undersigned, all persons indebted to the estate are required to make payment, and those having claims to present the same, without delay to Executor:Terry Lee Crawford, 42 Kestrel Drive, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Or Attorney: Heidi B. Masano, Esquire, Masano ¨ Bradley, 1100 Berkshire Boulevard, Suite 201, Wyomissing, PA 19610

3p-15-3t NOTICE The London Grove Township Zoning Hearing Board will conduct a public hearing on, Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 7:00 p.m., in the London Grove Township Building, 372 Rose Hill Road, West Grove, PA for the following purpose:431

The cost estimate for this project exceeds $100,000.00; therefore, Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Rates are applicable for this project. Contractor is required to review project with Road Master. Bid packages are available at the Township Building, 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA 19390. Full sets of plans are available for $30 per set. 1. Paschall Mill Road; STA 00+00 to STA 38+00 (3,800 lineal feet)- Mill & Overlay with Drainage ImprovementsA swale and underdrain should be installed flush along the northern edge of the roadway from the eastern edge of the culvert near 214 Paschall Mill Rd to the Woodcrest Road intersection (ending at top of the radius) (from STA 03+60 to STA 18+50). The swale should be 5 feet wide and 12 inches thick of AASHTO #1 stone with a maximum vertical depression of 2 inches. At the center of the swale, an underdrain should be installed. The underdrain should measure 18 inches wide and 18 inches deep and should be lined with a lightweight geofabric on all sides. The underdrain shall be backfilled with 2B clean stone with an 8 inch perforated HDPE pipe (or equal). There are 7 locations where the underdrain will be required to be installed underneath existing driveways. At these areas, the underdrain should be overlaid with 4 inches of modified stone and 2.5 inches of a 9.5

course. All crossing excavations should be 3 feet wide for the underdrain installations. Mill the existing roadway 1.5 inches and overlay with a 9.5 mm wearing course. Remove the asphalt berm currently installed on the north edge of the road from the eastern side of the Woodcrest Rd intersection to 156 Paschall Mill Road (from STA 18+10 to STA 34+55) and replace in-kind. At the Woodcrest Rd

inches of modified stone, 3 inches of a 19 mm binder course, and topped with 1.5 inches of a 9.5 mm wearing

2. Pennview Drive; STA 00+13 to STA 16+90 (1,677 lineal feet)- Mill & OverlayMill existing roadway 1.5 inches and overlay with 9.5 mm wearing course. Remove the asphalt berm currently installed on the western edge of the road between the driveways of 14 to 18 Pennview (from STA 02+65 to STA 05+00) and replace in-kind. 3. Ledum Run Road; STA 00+00 to STA 15+46 (1,546 lineal feet)- Mill & Overlay with Drainage Improvements- An underdrain shall be installed immediately flush to the northern edge of the roadway from the existing inlet near Rt. 896 to immediately west of the driveway at 2 Ledum Run Rd. The underdrain should measure 24 inches wide and 24 inches deep and should be lined with a lightweight geofabric on the sides and bottom. The underdrain shall be backfilled with AASHTO #1 stone with a 6 inch perforated rigid HDPE pipe (or equal). There are 9 locations where the underdrain will be required to be installed underneath existing driveways. At these areas, the underdrain should be overlaid with 4 inches of modified stone and 2.5 inches of a 9.5 mm wearing course. The 6-inch pipe of the underdrain should be hard-tied into the existing inlet near Rt. 896. Mill the existing roadway 1.5 inches and overlay with a 9.5 mm wearing course. Following placement of asphalt, both stop bars shall be repainted at their existing locations. All prices shall include sweeping, tack coat (including vertical edges), notching paving joints at all paved driveways and intersections (notch depths must be a minimum of at least the nominal maximum aggregate size), raising all manhole, water valves, and similar flush with new roadway grade, traffic control with flagmen as required, sealing all pavement joints with an AC-20 hot seal

application, repainting traffic markings with either a waterborne or epoxy paint in accordance with PennDOT Pub 408 Section 962 or 964, respectively, and restoring all disturbed lawn areas with topsoil, seed, and straw matting as required. All roadway subbase material and bituminous asphalt material is to be properly compacted with a minimum of three passes of a 10-ton smooth drum roller utilizing vibration. All unconfined pavement edges must be thoroughly compacted with either a hand tamper or lute. All 19 mm binder course and 9.5 mm wearing course bituminous asphalt material should be a Superpave mix design. Contractor to submit mix design to Township Engineer for review and approval prior to paving. All excavation spoils must be hauled off site and disposed of accordingly. Contractor is required to review project with the Road Master. PA prevailing wages apply. Contractor required to submit Public Works verification form. Roadway must be paved in one pass to eliminate center joint. Bids will be accepted until and opened at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 3, 2017. They will be presented for review and qualification to the Board of Supervisors at their Regular Meeting scheduled on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

The Township reserves the right to reject any and all bids or any part of the bid or to waive any minor discrepancies in the Bid specifications when deemed to be in the interest of the Township. Specifications may be obtained at the Township Office Monday through Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

3p-15-2t

INCORPORATION NOTICE

WEST PETS, INC. has been incorporated under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988. One Montgomery Plaza, Suite 706, Norristown, PA 19401

3p-15-1t

INCORPORATION NOTICE

HR inTel Inc. has been incorporated under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988. Mark S. Rhodes, Esq., Rhodes Law Group, LLC, 351 East Conestoga Road,Wayne, PA 19087

3p-15-1t

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Elk Township Planning Commission will hold its 2017 monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 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.

3p-15-1t

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Elk Township Board of Supervisors will hold its April Meeting on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 7:00 PM at the Elk Township Building, 925 Chesterville Road, Lewisville PA 19351. The Board of Supervisors will hold its remaining 2017 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. 3p-15-1t

BID

Oxford Area High School FBLA sends 28 members to state competition

Courtesy photo

Members of the Oxford Area High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America qualifying to attend the Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference to be held from April 3 to 5 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center are, front from left, Maggie Walsh, Gabrielle Murphy, Sarah Wilkinson, Zibby Harvey, Sarah Robinson, Meghan Pitney and Grace Tipton; second row from left, Matt Sumner, Noah Sperratore, Matt Krivansky, Ryan Hannum, Brendan Chew, Cole Hartert and George Tzanakis; third row from left, Sarah Johnson, Emily Sniechoski, Madison Chambers, Emily Quesenberry, Maddie Williams, Maddie Hamilton and Kaylee Madden; fourth row from left, Liz Estes, Ashley Dively, Rachel Hannum, Colin Lilly, Mikael Axelsson, Brandon Perdue and Jacob Hewes.

Twenty-eight members of the Oxford Area High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America will attend the Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference and Competition to be held from April 3 to 5 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. The students qualified for the conference after participating in several business-related categories at the FBLA Region 9 conference in December, when the Oxford chapter hosted over 600 members from 14 area high schools who competed in online events as well as live presentations.

Oxford students advancing to the state level are seniors Zibby Harvey, first place, Client Service; Gabrielle Murphy, first place, Job Interview; George Tzanakis, Spreadsheet Applications; and Maggie Walsh, first place, Future Business Leader; and the team of seniors Ryan Hannum, Brendan Chew and Cole Hartert, first place, Network Design. Also advancing to the state level are senior Mikael Axelsson, second place, Word Processing; the team of senior Maddie Hamilton and juniors Noah Sperratore, Emily Sniechoski, Matthew Sumner and Maddie Williams, second place, Parliamentary Procedures; junior Kaylee Madden,

Oxford, PA

second place, Journalism; senior Matt Krivansky, third place, Business Calculations; senior Andrew Stefanosky, third place, Word Processing; junior Sarah Wilkinson, third place, Organizational Leadership; sophomore Ashley Dively, third place, Cyber Security; sophomore Jacob Hewes, fourth place, Intro to Financial Math; freshman Madison Chambers, fourth place, FBLA Principals & Procedures; junior Brandon Perdue, fifth place, Business Calculatons; sophomore Colin Lilly, fifth place, Intro to Business; and freshman Liz Estes, fifth place, Intro to Parliamentary Procedures.

The following students will attend the Leadership Conference to compete in categories offered only at the state-level and not at the regional competition: the team of seniors Rachel Hannum, Emily Quesenberry and Sarah Johnson, Social Media;  and the team of juniors Grace Tipton, Sarah Robinson and Meghan Pitney, Community Service. Zibby Harvey and Sarah Wilkinson also placed in the top 10 for American Enterprise Project.

Any individual, business or organization interested in making a donation to the FBLA chapter to offset the cost of attending the state competition may contact adviser Kimberly Webber at kwebber@oxfordasd.org.

Oxford Area High School honors Students of the Month

Oxford Area High School recently held a breakfast to recognize the school’s Students of the Month for February. Each month teachers in selected departments nominate underclassmen for this honor, with the final selections made by the school administration.

Students of the Month are chosen based on criteria including demonstrating an effort and desire to learn; involvement in school and classroom activities; respect for all school policies and personnel; concern for the school community and friendliness and support for other students. The following Students of the Month for December were named after being nominated by members of the business education, art, music and guidance departments and the nurses’ office.

Madi Chambers, freshman.

Selena Hernandez, freshman: Nominating teacher Kimberly Webber said, “Selena missed the first week of school but quickly made up all of her work and maintained an A throughout Personal Computer Applications 1. She had a smile on her face every day, was willing to help other students and was a hardworking, diligent student.”

Caitlin Sylvester, freshman: Nominating guidance counselor Mary Humphreys said, “Since the start of the school year, Caitlin has found a good system for success. She is maintaining all A’s and B’s while making a name for herself with teachers as respectful, mature and a pleasure to have in class.”

Xitlali Torres, freshman: Nominating teacher Dave Martin said, “I had Xitlali in

both Personal Finance and Business Enterprise in the first semester, and I enjoyed and appreciated her positive attitude, enthusiasm and participation in both classes. She is a role model who has a positive influence on the students around her.”

Emily Muniz, sophomore: Nominating teacher Jason McLead said, “Emily is a very hard worker and is very conscientious of her grades. She is always respectful to both staff and students.

“Emily always has a positive attitude and seems to love to learn for the sake of acquiring knowledge, not just for a grade. I believe that Emily displays the best traits of a student and that her attitude will make her successful in fulfilling her goals in life.”

Rylee Shafer, sophomore: Nominating teacher Jennifer Muehlmatt said, “Ryee gives more than 100 percent in all that she does and with a positive and friendly attitude. She goes out of her way to help others in her classes. Rylee has a rock solid character and could not be a more conscientious student.”

Donte DiFrancesco, junior: Nominating teacher Erin Kauppila said, “Donte is an excellent student. He is conscientious, hardworking and focused.

“Donte is a great communicator and works very well with his peers. He knows what he wants and will stop at nothing less than achieving the best results possible. Donte is a terrific trumpet player and an asset to the OAHS band program.”

Jaclynn Mills, junior: Nominating guidance counselor Keith Truver said, “Jaclynn has maintained a positive attitude and strong work ethic throughout the school year.”

Meghan Pitney, junior: Nominating teacher Julie Wydrzynski said, “Meghan defines Student of the Month. She is polite, talented and hardworking, and we should be proud to have her as a representative of our school.

“Meghan is by far one of the most respectful, creative, mature students I have had the pleasure of teaching. She sets high standards for herself, which is evident in the quality of work she produces. Meghan is a wonderful asset to our music department and our school.”

Steven Thomas, junior: Nominating teacher Valerie Hill said, “Each day Steven enters the class with a greeting. At

the end of one class when he noticed I had some supplies that I needed to move to the other classroom, he offered to help.

“Steven notices when people need assistance, is polite and is a hard worker. I look forward to a positive, productive semester with Steven!”

Rodrigo Escoto, senior: Nominating school nurses Tish Foster and Nichole Cardarople said, “Rodrigo has been assisting in the nurses’ officer by getting a cooler of ice each morning. He is reliable and always respectful. His ‘good morning’ is nice way to start the day!

“In the classroom Rodrigo has shown leadership skills and compassion toward others. He entered school speaking only Spanish and has learned the English language quickly and competently. Rodrigo’s kind and caring actions are why he is our Student of the Month.”

Experienced Parts Counter Representative

1+ years

Performs

1+ years of experience

Lawn & Garden Service Technicians

Responsible for selling, receiving, and delivery of parts and accessories. In addition performs

overall organizational promotion, and stocking duties.