Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 156, No. 34
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
$1.00
Township considering potential demolition, preservation of Spar Hill Farm structures By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer With the precision of a diamond cutter wielding a delicate drill bit, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors and the township’s Historical Commission recently considered the structure by structure future of the Spar Hill Farm, including a stabilization proposal that would remove 13 buildings, barns, silos and sheds
INSIDE
Chester County ranked as top-ten digital county...1B
Remembering the Oxford Carnival...5A
from the 103-acre, township-owned property. The public meeting took place on Aug. 17 at the East Marlborough Township meeting room, due to repair work being done at the Kennett Township Building. In her presentation before the board, Commission Chairperson Karen Marshall referred to a May 9 report she received from Matthew Roberson, president of West Chester-based Restoration Carpentry,
Inc. that spelled out the details of his overview of the farm, done in consultation with members of the Commission and township residents. Based on Roberson’s report, the following structures were deemed “not worthy of preservation” at the site and should be demolished: a carriage house, a barn, four sheds, a concrete silo, a loafing barn, a turkey slaughter house, two tenant houses, a
wood fence and a garage – at a total estimated cost of $335,584. Roberson and Marshall also recommended that the following structures be stabilized or retained “as is”: a smoke house, the main residence, a metal silo, a silo base, a stone wall, three small sheds, a pony barn, a metal fence, a spring house, a wood bridge and concrete livestock ramps – at a total estimated cost of $142,626. The estimated cost of
Penndel Bridge installed at White Clay Creek Preserve The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF), a non-profit organization with a mission to protect Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests, partnered with the Friends of White Clay Creek Preserve to announce the installation of the Penndel Bridge in the White Clay Creek Preserve. The 3,212-acre White Clay Creek Preserve in southern Chester County is the only preserve in Pennsylvania’s state park system. The creek from which the preserve takes its name has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River by Congress for its water-quality enhancing features, as well as its outstanding scenic, wildlife, recreational, and cultural value. The preserve is managed for low-intensity day use
activities, such as hiking, trail running, fishing, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Scotty Crowder, chair of the Friends of White Clay Creek, emphasized that “it provides a real outdoor experience.” The new Penndel Bridge is found on the Penndel Hiking/Biking Trail, which was once an 18th-century roadbed, and spans a feeder stream of White Clay Creek. Previously, a culvert facilitated hikers’ movements across the feeder stream. However, a heavy storm in 2018 blew the culvert out, requiring visitors to cross the stream on foot over wet and slippery rocks. Then, after a replacement culvert was installed in 2021, Hurricane Ida tore through the region and knocked the
Photos by Matthew Roberson
A gable shed and a pony barn, located at the historic 103-acre Spar Hill Farm in Kennett Township, have all been recommended for stabilization, based on a recent study presented to the township’s Board of Supervisors on Aug. 17.
site clean up is $18,061. tion at Spar Hill Farm is In total, the estimated cost $478,210. of stabilization and demoliContinued on Page 2A
FROM OUR LENS Reading from the good book
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Twenty members from the Landenberg United Methodist Church (LUMC) and the Chatham United Methodist Church (LUMC) gathered on Aug. 17 as part of a weekly Bible study series between the two parishes. Upcoming classes will be held on Aug. 24 at CUMC and on Aug. 31 at LUMC. To learn more, call the LUMC at 610-274-8384.
Continued on Page 3A
To Subscribe Call 610.869.5553
Oxford Borough seeks to fill council vacancy
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Oxford Borough Council formally accepted the resignation of council member Mary Higgins and is now seeking applications
from those interested in filling the position. Any registered electors in the Borough of Oxford interested in being considered to fill the vacancy
should submit a letter of interest to the borough via email at manager@ oxfordboro.org or by mail to 1 Octoraro Alley, PO Box 380, Oxford, PA
‘As long as I am flying, I will be happy’
AGHS student becomes youngest private glider pilot in U.S. By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer On the morning of July 25 – his birthday -- Lars Trone of Lincoln University was 3,000 feet in the air above the New Garden Flying Field in Chester County, behind the control stick of a 700-pound glider with Piet Barber, an FAAdesignated pilot examiner. There was a pilot’s checklist tucked into a side pocket beside Lars’ right leg in the cockpit, but his training at the Brandywine Soaring Association (BSA) had well prepared him for this ride, and he had memo-
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Sixteen-year-old Lars Trone of Lincoln University recently became the youngest private glider pilot in the U.S.
rized every small detail. tain a 48-knot speed – the He checked the glider’s optimum lift-over-drag altitude on the altimeter. ratio. He was aiming to mainContinued on Page 3A
19363. The person selected to fill the vacancy will serve until January of 2024. Borough council will consider all the applica-
tions and the expectation is that a vote to appoint the new member of council will take place at a public meeting on Monday, Sept. 12.
ChristianaCare and Prospect Medical Holdings announce that Crozer Health deal will not go forward Christiana Care Health System, Inc. (ChristianaCare) and Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. (Prospect) announced this week that negotiations for the purchase of Crozer Health have concluded without an agreement. ChristianaCare and Prospect announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) for ChristianaCare to acquire Crozer Health from Prospect on Feb. 11, 2022. Since the signing of the LOI in February, the economic landscape has significantly changed, impacting the ability of the sale to move forward. Both organizations worked very hard to reach a final agreement and have significant respect for each other, and remain committed to caring for the health of those in Delaware County. ChristianaCare, which is headquartered in Wilmington, Del., recently completed the purchase of former Jennersville Hospital location from Tower Health. Plans to reopen the facility in Penn Township are still being worked on. Continued on Page 4A