Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 31
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
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Oxford Police Department struggles to fill openings By Betsy Brewer Brantner or more applicants, but it is Contributing Writer getting much harder to find replacements,” Iacono said. Filling an opening in the According to the police police department is not as chief, there are 12 openeasy as it used to be, accord- ings for police officers in ing to Oxford Borough Chester County. In the state Police Chief Sam Iacono. of Pennsylvania that numAnd it is not just an issue in ber rises to 50. They have Oxford—it is a nationwide had the part-time position problem. publicized for months, and “We are looking to replace are putting out the full-time two part-time openings and advertisement this week. one full-time and we are The test for full-time applinot getting any applicants. cants will be given on Sept. We used to get at least 30 9.
INSIDE
The problem, as the chief sees it, is that Oxford is having to compete with the higher salaries of other departments. The 24/7 police coverage in Oxford does come with a hefty price tag, which is discussed every year by borough officials at budget time. That coverage is a selling point for new residents when moving to the borough. Both businesses and residents are happy that police protection is just min-
utes away, but competing with other departments has posed a problem. Iacono explained, “The full-time positions are pulling away from the parttime positions. An officer is going to take a full-time over a part-time if he can get it. In some instances, some officers are retiring earlier than normal because they just want to get out of police work.” Courtesy photo It is estimated that officers Terri Dugan was appointed as the new Zoning and Continued on page 3A
Codes official for Oxford Borough.
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Landenberg Village begins next chapter in its storied history
FROM OUR LENS Lit by the summer sun
Heralded hockey program hires new coach...1B
Who hasn’t paid their Photos by Richard L. Gaw taxes? Notice of tax sales Landenberg Village, which includes the historic Landenberg Store, is now under for unpaid taxes...4B the ownership of Fenix Capital Group.
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
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Township – is a community ity of progress. of constant evolution and Perhaps the most promiredefinition, and is liberally nent of these has been Landenberg – indeed, the dotted with landmarks that the Landenberg Store and entirety of New Garden seem to defy the inevitabilContinued on page 2A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Dusted by the glowing presence of sunflowers in the foreground, the vista from Hicks Brothers IV Meadow Spring Farm in Avondale – as enjoyed last week -- is a postcard representation of southern Chester County.
Chester County law enforcement agencies set to utilize ‘game changing’ technology The Chester County District Attorney’s Office recently acquired new technology that will be used by law enforcement to assist with their investigations. Through a grant approved by the Chester County commissioners, the District Attorney’s Office purchased a Rapid DNA instrument
that will expedite DNA testing to help solve crimes faster. In addition, Chester County law enforcement will partner with neighboring counties to share DNA samples in their investigations. On July 27, over 100 law enforcement officers throughout Chester County were trained on the tech-
nology’s capabilities at the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus in Modena. This technology will be utilized by law enforcement throughout the county to help either eliminate or identify suspects within 90 minutes in some cases. It will further assist law
enforcement to keep our county safe, and solve many types of crimes including homicides, assaults, and property crimes. “This game changing technology is significant to our investigations not only by producing faster results, but also for the ability to share data across a larg-
er database with our law enforcement partners in different areas,” District Attorney Deb Ryan said. “With expedited test results we can make quicker arrests and eliminate those who are innocent. This will help in our mission to protect and uphold the safety of all in Continued on page 3A
Chester County Commissioners approve preservation of 101-acre farm in Upper Oxford Township Upper Oxford Township partners with County Parks + Preservation on the deal
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The Chester County Commissioners recently approved the preservation of the 101-acre Kavanagh Farm in Upper Oxford Township. The county’s Department of Parks + Preservation partnered with Upper Oxford Township to acquire the easement rights from the estate of Paul A. Kavanagh Jr. at a cost of more than $523,800. The Chester County
Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline said in a statement, “The preservation of the Kavanagh Farm is a testament to the power of collaboration and the commitment of our community to preserving farmland. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Kavanagh family for their stewardship of this land over the past 70 years. “This achievement also
represents Chester County’s unwavering commitment to preserving our community’s natural beauty and environmental sustainability.” The Kavanagh family purchased the farmland – originally an old grist mill – in 1956, and two generations have farmed the land since then. Chester County provided 55 percent of the farm preservation funding, with Upper Oxford
Township contributing 45 percent. The deadline is approaching to apply for the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board’s agricultural land preservation programs – the Commonwealth/County Program and the Chester County Challenge Grant Program. To date, these programs have preserved more than 570 farms in
Chester County, totaling over 44,000 acres. Interested farm owners are encouraged to apply by Aug. 4. Applications and program guidelines can be found at www.chesco.org/4618/ Farmland-Preservation. For further inquiries, contact Geoff Shellington, Chester County Agricultural Programs Coordinator, at 610-344-6504 or via email at gshellington@chesco.org.