Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 12
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
$1.50
Conditional-use hearing pushed to April 17
New Garden board hears testimony from company seeking to occupy vacant facility By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer After a nearly two-hour testimony at its March 20 meeting, the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors voted to extend a conditional-use hearing with Purolite, LLC as part of an application by the company to open
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a resin-based, purification and extraction manufacturing facility at the currently vacant building at 380 Starr Road in the township. The board will hear further testimony from the company on April 17, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the New Garden Township Building, prior to its regular meeting, when it is
expected that the board will render its decision. In a hearing conducted by township Solicitor William Christman and Michael Gill, Esq. an attorney with the law firm of Buckley Brio in West Chester, the board heard from Michael Murphy, Purolite’s senior project manager, who said Continued on page 2A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Michael Murphy, center, senior project manager for Purolite, LLC, testified before the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors on March 20 in a conditional-use hearing that seeks occupancy for the company to begin a manufacturing facility at 380 Starr Road in the township.
Tovar honored as outstanding citizen at Southern Chester County Chamber banquet By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
Luis Tovar, the 2023 Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen, urged the audience at the awards ceremony to pursue cultural diversity and to fight the Katee Boyle: Telling scourge of drug addiction— stories from a personal two causes that are close to place...1B his heart. Earlier this year, the Chamber announced that Tovar, 69, a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway in
Kennett Square, would be formally recognized at its 56th annual gala banquet in Longwood Gardens on March 18. In 1968, the chamber started naming an individual who has made outstanding contributions to Kennett Square and beyond as its “citizen of the year.” Tovar has had an extraordinary journey on his way to receiving the honor. He immigrated to the United States from Mexico with Photo by Chris Barber his family as a young Guests at the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner Continued on page 3A
arrive at the banquet hall on Saturday.
FROM OUR LENS Avon Grove students recognized for their academic achievements...4B
All aboard Kennett Square history
Township spent $50K to repair meeting room during eight-month remediation
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By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
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The Kennett Heritage Center will be presenting “Speaking of History,” a four-part speaker series that will present a diverse series of presentations by local experts. The series will begin on April 16 with a presentation by local historian Donald McKay about the intricate trolley system that once operated in Kennett Square. To learn more about the entire series, see the article on Page 5B.
On the very day Ted Otteni began his new job as Kennett Township’s new Public Works Director on Oct. 3, 2022 – taking over for long time director Roger Lysle -- he inherited a mess. No, not an administrative mess, but a functional one that forced the township to close its lower floor meeting room last August due to extensive moisture and a subsequent mold problem. During its closure, the board was forced to hold its meetings at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square, the West Marlborough Township Building and at the New Garden Township Building. At the township’s Board of Supervisors meeting on March 15, Otteni provided the board with a top-tobottom overview of what it took Otteni and several contractors to remediate and rehabilitate the room to prepare for its re-opening at a board meeting on March 1. Over the five-month period of restoration, the township was forced to spend $50,658 on necessary work that included the installation of 80 feet of underdrain, sump pumps and a commercial-sized dehumidifier; waterproofing; the demolition of a stage, bathrooms, carpeting and drywall; the rehabilitation of studs Continued on page 4A
Lawrence, Comitta announce significant state funding for infrastructure projects across southern Chester County State Rep. John Lawrence and State Sen. Carolyn Comitta this week announced significant state funding for infrastructure projects across southern Chester County. “Key infrastructure initiatives recognized for state funding will serve the community for decades
to come,” said Lawrence. “For many years, our part of Chester County sent a lot of money to Harrisburg and saw very little in return. Working with elected officials at all levels of government, I’ve worked to right that historical wrong. These state grant awards will help build and rebuild
local infrastructure both for today and for the next generation.” “These investments support a broad scope of improvements in local communities throughout our region,” Comitta said. “From improving local parks to upgrading our local wastewater infrastructure,
these projects aim to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life for all residents and families.” Oxford Area Sewer Authority will receive nearly $800,000 to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Oxford Borough and East Nottingham Township. Funds will be utilized to
upgrade the authority’s receiving station and complete work at the Grant Street/Twin Ponds pump stations. “Receipt of this grant funding is great news for the authority and its customers,” said David Busch, executive director of the Oxford Continued on page 4A