Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 21
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
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Penn Township celebrates two major projects The groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Sports Park and the Emergency Operations Center took place on May 18 By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer Penn Township is facing the future with major improvements for the community in both safety and recreation. On May 18, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for both the first phase of the Sports Park and the new Southern Chester County Emergency Operations Center. Among those taking part in the festivities were the Penn Township Board
INSIDE
Avon Grove Art Show set for May 30 and 31…..3A
of Supervisors—Victor Mantegna, Bill O’Connell, Jay Ennis, Curtis Mason and Laura Sperratore— as well as State Sen. Carolyn Comitta, State Rep. John Lawrence, Deputy County administrator Eric Walschburger for the Chester County Commissioners, and Pennsylvania DCNR regional advisor Drew Gilchrist. The first ceremony was for the Penn Township Sports Park on North Jennersville Road. The
43-acre site was obtained by the township from Star Roses in 2016 with funding from the township, a National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Chester County Office of Open Space. The E. Kneal Dockstader Foundation has also provided grant funding for trails, parking, an outdoor classroom and story walk which comprised the first phase of park
FROM OUR LENS
development. “Today we mark the beginning of an exciting journey toward seeing a long time vision of this board (of supervisors) and this community,” said Victor Mantegna, the chair of the Penn Township Board of Supervisors. “We’re confident that the Penn Township Sports Park, with its playgrounds, sports fields and trails, story walk and E. Kneal Dockstader Photo by Marcella Peyre-Ferry Environmental Education The Penn Township community and elected officials Center will promote healthy came together to celebrate the groundbreaking on the Continued on page 2A
new Penn Township Sports Park.
Unionville Class of 2023 gifts Longhorn statue to the school
Integrity. Justice. Duty. Family.
Courtesy photo
Pictured at the new Longhorn statue unveiling at Unionville High School are, from left to right, Riley Angstadt, Lenny the Longhorn, Quintan Boyle, Ellie Almeida, Dr. Amy Jenkins, Pat Clark, Tim Hoffman, Dr. John Sanville, Maggie Hunt, and Mrs. MariBeth Lyles.
Dr. Timothy Blair is new Kennett Symphony board president…5B
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Photo by Richard L. Gaw
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Officer Justin Busam of the Southern Chester County Regional Police gathered with his wife Rebecca and their children just prior to the start of the department’s annual awards ceremony, held at the New Garden Township Building on May 17. For a complete story and additional photographs, see Page 4A.
Karpas named Neighborhood Services Center director By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer Aaron Karpas is the new director at Neighborhood Services Center in Oxford, but he is not a newcomer to the area. He has worked at Big Sisters and previously served as the executive director for the Jennersville YMCA. He is familiar with the Oxford community and how caring it is, and that is what actually attracted him to his new position. Since Nov. 1, 1971, Neighborhood Services Center (NSC) has provided a centralized location where residents of southern Chester County can access health and social services and find help to meet their basic
needs. The Neighborhood Services Center’s staff works to empower all people to achieve health, wholeness, and stability in their lives. Karpas explained, “I live in the Lincoln University area and heard NSC was looking for an executive director. I’ve always wanted to help people where I live and thought I’d throw my hat in the ring.” Karpas added, “My goal is to help as many people as we can. As long as we are helping people and the community, we are doing our job. I hope to enable the staff to carry out our mission, too.” A big part of what NSC does is feed the community through the food pantry. This fiscal year they have Continued on page 2A
The Unionville High School Class of 2023 presented their senior class gift on Friday, May 19— a large, bronze Longhorn statue. Students, staff and administrators gathered in front of Unionville High School for the unveiling of the new statue, complete with the marching band, Lenny the Longhorn and confetti cannons. The statue was gifted by Unionville’s 100th graduating class as a token of their appreciation for their school and represents the school’s nickname and mascot, the Unionville Longhorns. The class held fundraisers throughout the year to fund this monumen-
tal gift, which will serve as a legacy for the 100th graduation class of Unionville High School. Class of 2023 student officers Quintan Boyle, Riley Angstadt and Ellie Almeida played a significant role in making this happen for their classmates. During his remarks, Unionville Senior Class President Quintan Boyle said, “This statue is a symbol for our school that represents the perseverance of the student and the perseverance of the teachers and administrators that help us as students succeed and past students that have succeeded for the past 100 years.” The process to make
this happen was a group effort. Under the leadership of senior class advisor and UHS teacher, Alison Holmes, the students researched artists and designs and partnered with the school district’s facilities department to find the perfect location and help build the base. With the support of UHS and district administration, and the school board, the students moved forward with this exciting project. After months of planning and preparation, the Unionville Longhorn statue is now in place and is visible to all visitors and students as they drive on to the school campus.
Kennett Square church to be demolished By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer As Kennett Square’s infrastructure changes to reflect its surging growth, pieces of its past fade from view, and one part of that past will soon be the Christ Temple Church on 551 Rosedale Road in Kennett Township. The township’s Board of Supervisors voted at their May 17 meeting to approve the demolition of the building, On April 26, Karen Marshall and Linda Dillow of the township’s Historic Commission met with Pat Muller and Anne Verplanck of the township’s Planning Commission, Bob’s Cranes owner Richard Nichols and Robert Bowers, a representative from the church, to discuss Nichols' request
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
The Kennett Township Board of Supervisors voted at their May 17 meeting to act on the recommendation of the township’s Planning Commission to move forward with the demolition of the Christ Temple Church on Rosedale Road.
to have the structure demolished. Built in 1950, the structure does not meet the criteria to be considered on the National Register for Historic Places, and has
been severely damaged from time and neglect. The Historical Commission remarked in its report that the building's roof is sagging, its chimney is out Continued on page 3A