Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 156, No. 35
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
$1.00
Homelessness in Chester County: Part 1 in a series
Agencies call on legislators to push for affordable, accessible housing in county Against the backdrop of increasing homelessness in Chester County, the event was marked by testimony from area residents, whose fight to be heard is being swallowed up by a lack of action By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
and appointed officials and representatives from several county agencies. One by one, the stories of nearly two dozen county residents were amplified and humanized to the strains of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”:
You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long Somebody holds the key Well, I’m near the end And just ain’t got the time And I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home “Can’t Find My Way Despite working steadily Home” by Steve Winwood since 1976, a 62-year-old Phoenixville man has been Last week, at a consortium homeless for more than a on homelessness in Chester year and living in shelters. County, a 22-minute video “Everybody is a human began to roll before elected being and we shouldn’t
overlook anybody,” he said. ness for families who have been homeless before is a A Coatesville woman has very real fear, and having to consistently been denied move again, you’re met with housing. She said that she the fears of not being close is now living on the streets, to your job, transportation with nowhere to go. and uprooting your children to different schools. There A Coatesville couple has are a lot of unanswered been turned down by sev- questions of, ‘Where are we eral assistance programs going now?’” and has been homeless for the past two-and-a-half An Oxford woman said years. “We have been met that she has been “couch with dead ends all the way surfing” with friends for the around,” the mother said. past two years. Continued on page 2A “The threat of homeless-
INSIDE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan was one of several speakers who addressed the issue of homelessness in Chester County at “Voices of Lived Experience,” held on Aug. 24 at the West Chester University Graduate Center.
In This Issue
Oxford Car Show this Friday
Artists in the shadows: Barclay Rubincam and Rea Redifer...1B
The popular Oxford Car Show returns to downtown Oxford this Friday, Sept. 2 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is the 8th annual car show and there will be plenty of gleaming vintage cars, modern muscle cars, sleek motorcycles, and impressive trucks—enough to please any car enthusiast. There will also be lots of family-friendly fun during the First Friday car show. For complete information about the event, visit the Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. Facebook page or website at www.downtownoxfordpa.org.
House candidate conversations set for Aug. 31
Patriot Day returns...5A
concert
Chester County legislative candidates are coming together for what could be the only candidate conversation in the district before early voting begins. Child Care Voters, a project of the Children First Action Fund, is bringing together Republican and Democratic candidates vying for House Districts 26, 74, 155, 156, and 167.
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Continued on page 2A
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Oxford Borough Council accepts resignation of Mary Higgins By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer Oxford Borough Council accepted the resignation of Mary Higgins at the Aug. 15 meeting. Council member Peggy Ann Russell said, “This is the hardest motion I’ve ever had to vote on.” Council approved to advertise the vacancy cre-
ated by the resignation. Higgins had this to say about her time on Borough Council: “I have lived in the Borough of Oxford for seven years, moving here at the age of 68. Serving the Borough has been so meaningful to me and given me a sense of purpose. Oxford is such a wonderful town and has exceeded my expectations. I instantly felt like I belonged here.”
She emphasized that she is one of those rare people who loves governance and does not find it boring. “Governance tells us how citizens make a difference,” she explained. “It lays out a set of rules to help us access power equitably. In order to make government work for the people, we let the people select those that can do that. “I viewed myself as a conduit. Many visions and
realities are different than mine and I have to be aware of how each person’s reality impacts their understanding of government. I think that is something I have brought to any position I’ve held whether in church or on council.” Higgins was also the head of the personnel committee and she explained, “How could I possibly assess someone’s performance if
I did not know what they were responsible for? It was very important that I educate myself on the duties of staff. I learned council and staff have to understand what our different roles are and how we perform them. Council’s work is policy development which would promote good government. It is about listening to everyone, not just getting Continued on Page 4A
Comitta: Four bridges in county damaged by Hurricane Ida to be repaired Repairs are expected to begin this fall on four bridges in Chester County that were damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida last year, state Senator Carolyn Comitta said. “The remnants of Hurricane Ida brought severe rainfall and flooding that took a significant toll on our local transportation
infrastructure. We continue to work to repair and upgrade these structures to ensure that they are safe and reliable for residents and motorists,” Comitta said. The work will occur on the following structures: • Route 926 (Street Road) over a Branch of White Clay Creek in West Marlborough.
• Yellow Springs Road over a Branch of Pine Creek in West Pikeland. • Pikeland Road over a Branch of Pickering Creek in Charlestown, and • Pennock Bridge Road over a Branch of White Clay Creek in New London Township. According to PennDOT, the bridges suffered under-
mining or scour at their support abutments or piers from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September of 2021. They, along with two additional bridges in Bucks County, will be repaired under an $815,000 contract recently awarded to Loftus Construction, Inc. “I want to thank our local partners for coming togeth-
er in the wake of Ida to identify these important and extensive needs. I continue to work to advance projects that aim to make our infrastructure stronger and more resilient in the face of more frequent extreme weather events,” Comitta said. Work on the bridges is expected to begin this fall and finish in the spring.