Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 30
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
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Amid Fire & EMS storm, Kennett Square Borough leaders consider paths forward By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer As its founding principle, the Kennett Regional Fire & EMS Commission operates under the philosophy that the power sum of shared resources leads to safer communities. Formed in 2017, the Commission has, in effect, regionalized fire and EMS services in southern Chester County through the financial support of its six members –
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East Marlborough, Kennett, Newlin, Pennsbury and Pocopson townships and the Kennett Square Borough – as well as the strength of its key fire and EMS providers – the Kennett, Longwood and Pro-Mar-Lin fire companies, and two ambulance services supplied to the region by the Longwood Fire Company. The in-pay contribution formula of the Commission takes in four criteria from each municipality: popula-
the borough needed to pay for, like repairing infrastructure and fixing roads. Staring down the large increases of what remaining in the Commission would cost the residents of the borough over the next few years – costs determined by the voting members of the Commission by a caveat contained in its inter-municipal cooperation agreement writPhoto by Richard L. Gaw ten in 2017 – they were aghast From left, Kennett Square Borough Mayor Matt Fetick, at what they were seeing. Borough Council President Doug Doerfler and Borough Continued on page 2A
School taxes set to increase throughout southern Chester County
The new fiscal year is now underway for Pennsylvania’s school districts and residents from Nottingham to Penn Township to Chadds Ford Local writer to release will see higher tax bills for third volume of women’s the 2023-2024 school year. writing anthology...1B The Kennett Consolidated School District has continued its recent tradition of adopting budgets with small, incremental tax increases. Kennett adopted a $98,616,455 spending plan for 2023-2024, as the district plans for the two elementary school building projects. The millage rate Help name new ‘pocket’ park in Kennett Square...1B
tion, assessed value, and the annual volume of fire rescue calls and EMS rescue calls. At this time last year, the Kennett Borough Council had welcomed four new members and Kyle Coleman was barely into his new job as Borough Manager. When they all met with Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick – a voting member of the Commission – they weighed the cost of membership against the cost factor backdrop of other major projects
is increasing from 32.4358 mills to 32.7275 mills. That amounts to a .92 percent increase. The Avon Grove School District, which opened a new high school last fall, adopted a $109,840,747 budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The millage rate increased 2.50 percent from 34.1000 mills to 34.9500 mills. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District adopted a $109,380,524 budget. The district includes communities in both Chester County and Delaware County. For
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Unionville-Chadds Ford residents who reside in Chester County, the millage rate will be 31.9500 mills, up from 30.7345 mills in 2022-2023. That equates to a 3.96 percent increase. The Oxford Area School District, which has a comparatively small commercial tax base, spends significantly less than its neighboring school districts each year. For 2023-2024, Oxford adopted a $82,393,787 budget. The spending plan includes a 4.11-percent increase from 34.6390 mills to 36.0592 mills.
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Millage rate 23-24
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Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Accompanied by her ukulele-playing daughter Lucy and her dog Bunker, Lauren Messick of Avondale enjoyed a stroll through Anson B. Nixon Park on July 19, and a concert by Bones Brigade, who performed as part of the 2023 Summer Free Concert Series, sponsored by the Kennett Area Park Authority. The series continues with shows on July 26, Aug. 2 and Aug. 9, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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*Millage rate for those residents who reside in Chester County. Delaware County residents have different tax rates.
Police chief issues warning to residents: home burglaries are on the rise By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Following the delivery of his department head update – which summarized Kennett Township’s police activity during the month of June -- Police Chief Matthew Gordon devoted the remainder of his report at the July 18 Kennett Township Board
ship – Greenville, where the average cost of a home in 2022 was $706,620 -- and Hockessin, where an average home last year was valued at $378,418. According to a story that appeared in the News Journal on July 7, burglars have also targeted residences along the Kennett Pike corridor and are “bouncing back and forth”
between Kennett Square and New Garden Township. The perpetrators are known to be South American crime rings identified as “theft groups” or “crime tourists” that arrive in the U.S. under visa waiver programs. Once in the U.S., they join a highlysophisticated global network of thieves who target the homes of mostly Asian and
Middle Eastern families, who are known to keep expensive jewelry and cash in their homes rather than in a bank. “We’ve been getting information from the New Castle County Police Department that there are organized Colombian gangs out of New York City targeting small business owners Continued on page 4A
The kids are (probably) alright: Gen Z’s perspective on life and community By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
of Supervisors meeting to an increasingly concerning reality. Home burglaries in the area are rising at the rate of sea levels. Referring to a recent spate of crimes that have occurred throughout New Castle County, Gordon said that the two areas most affected border the town-
Growing up means realizing that no one actually knows what they are doing. When you grow up Gen Z, however, all it would seem to take is a quick search and scroll to find an answer to just about any of life’s problems. Ask anyone in Gen Z, and they’d tell you that is not the case. Consider the volatility of
the economy, the reality of climate change, and other obstacles while adjusting to adulthood and it can be understood how life still manages to stump this generation just like every one before. I recently spoke to three close friends to hear what they have to say about life as a Gen Zer facing the modern world and figuring it all out for themselves -- or with the help of a
few great friends. Bridget Kyriakos is a 21-year-old Oxford local and student at Towson University in Maryland; Ariana Vazquez is a 21-year-old Oxford local who works as an assistant teacher; and August Pomrenke is a 20-yearold classmate from the University of ColoradoBoulder. Responses have been edited for breadth and clarity. Continued on page 5A
Photos courtesy of Gabbie Burton
Ariana Vazquez, left, and Bridget Kyriakos.