Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 30
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
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Residents express fears of zoning change By Chris Barber Contributing Writer An unusually high number of about 30 Penn Township residents came to the monthly township meeting on July 24, expressing fears that a rural open space area was in danger of having its zoning changed. Environmental scientist Dennis Newbold requested time during the meeting to make comments, and he spoke from a prepared statement about his fears of that potential zoning change. Referring to the township’s 1991 comprehensive plan and those that followed, he pleaded that the northern
INSIDE
Maxwell elected chair of Regional Planning Commission….6A
tract of 730 acres bounded roughly by Route 796 and Ewing and Phillips Mill Road be kept rural and free of sewage deposits, given that the area is now classified as Institutional Open Space. The danger, Newbold said, is that a land parcel there is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese and is up for sale. His fear, he said, is that the township supervisors will yield to the church, change the zoning and make the property available for residential development. Newbold first spoke of the benefits of open space and the dangers of development. His two major points
Commonwealth’s 19 electoral college votes may decide 2024 presidential election In the last month alone, the race for the U.S. presidency on Nov. 5 has undergone a tsunami of unprecedented moments that have cut deep into a nation already splintered by political and ideological division.
• On June 27, 81-year-old President Joe Biden faced Hangry Bear Creamery...1B off against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in their first debate in Atlanta. Throughout the debate, Biden labored to complete sentences and
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emphasized that the supervisors contact area and county conservation groups to strengthen his case. To that, attorney Winnie Sebastian, who clarified legalities, replied, “We already have.” Newbold concluded, “The best they (the supervisors) can do is take no action on the zoning ordinance “I urge you to have faith in your own ordinance and Continued on Page 2A
The Institutional Open Space area in Penn Township is in the northern section bounded roughly by Ewing Road, Phillips Mill Road and Route 796.
‘If there is one state that will determine who wins this election, it is going to be Pennsylvania’
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
were the loss of farming and the reduction in the purity of the water caused by development. He also emphasized that if changes were made in the zoning to permit even residential two-acre home properties, the township would lose its rural character and become “suburban.” Newbold spoke of rumors or suspicions that the township, under pressure from the Archdiocese, would be tempted to press for altering the zoning to attract housing. He said that idea could be “Implicit, implied, made up or even a ‘benign consideration.’” To combat that, he
struggled to hold on to his train of thought. As the debate wore on, it became clear that any case Biden had that would prove him worthy of a second term as the leader of the free world vanished in the fog of a verbal vortex. • On July 14, while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pa., Trump was wounded during an assassination attempt. With blood trickling down his face, the 45th President pumped his fist three times as he was carried off the stage by secret security officials.
An artistically altered illustration
FROM OUR LENS In the company of seniors
Courtesy photo
Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Casey recently visited The Hickman, an assisted living facility and retirement community in West Chester, where he spoke to residents about his work for seniors and the state of the presidential race and took a tour of the facility. Casey is chair of the Senate Aging Committee and has been a leader in the Senate in support of the senior generation that has included lowering medical costs, protecting them from financial scams and safeguarding Social Security and Medicare from drastic cuts.
Continued on Page 2A
Stacy Caldwell’s art and creativity on display at Oxford Arts Alliance exhibit By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer
Courtesy photo
“Barnyard, Evening Sky.”
For Lancaster County artist Stacy Caldwell, art is not just a pastime, it’s a practice. This practice of art is what Caldwell has focused on for her upcoming exhibit “Daily Encounters” at the Oxford Arts Alliance starting Aug. 2. It is Caldwell’s first solo exhibition and features over 160 pieces of charcoal sketches and oil paintings created by the artist.
In 2021, Caldwell decided to sketch a charcoal drawing every day of something she saw from memory. Three years later, she has created a collection of sketches, 125 of which will be on display at her exhibition that show the “little miracles” of everyday life that too often go unnoticed. “We miss so much when we aren’t paying attention,” Caldwell said. “The gift of making art is being able to notice so much more around you.” Caldwell’s art is heavily
inspired by her Lancaster roots. Her landscape oil paintings often feature the open fields and farmland she has spent her life surrounded by, but before she came to focus on landscapes, she began painting dog portraits. In 2009, Caldwell asked her Facebook friends to send photos of their dogs for her to paint, and if they liked the painting, they could purchase it and Caldwell would donate half of the proceeds to the Humane League. Continued on Page 3A
Funding secured to support southern Chester County’s emergency radio station An important emergency management information system in southern Chester County will be upgraded and expanded to serve more communities after state funding was secured by State Senators Carolyn Comitta and John Kane. Avon Grove Regional Emergency Management
(AGREM) received $20,000 in state grant funding to maintain and enhance the signal of 1670 AM, a locally managed community information station that broadcasts information on severe weather events, roadwork and road closures, regular public service messages, and reminders
regarding emergency preparedness and safety. As an emergency management organization, AGREM provides support to Avondale, West Grove, Penn, New London, Franklin, and London Britain. It continues to expand to support municipalities in the Oxford area.
“In an emergency, access to timely, accurate and up-to-date information is critical for residents, families, and community members,” Comitta said. “For nearly a decade, AGREM has provided southern Chester County with a radio frequency to tune to for trusted, emer-
gency information. I was happy to help secure funding to ensure that the station is maintained, expanded, and prepared to keep running in the future.” Kane added, “Keeping our local emergency and information outlets maintained and funded is absolutely Continued on Page 3A