Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 50
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
$1.50
Emergency declaration issues six-point initiative
Kennett Square Borough on ‘assault’ to address recent phorid fly outbreak By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The thousands of newcomers to this year’s Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square Borough in September were not the only first-time visitors that populated this popular hamlet in southern Chester County this fall. During the warm weather months of early fall, borough residents began to flood the
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Kennett Square Borough offices with complaints that the phorid fly – the invasive insect known to breed at the many mushroom growing and composting facilities throughout southern Chester County – had begun to proliferate in homes throughout the borough and beyond. It did not take long – by the end of August, to be precise – before Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick
and members of the Kennett Borough staff began to receive emails and phone messages complaining about the fly’s presence in their homes. “This year by far has been the worst,” Fetick said of the phorid fly proliferation in the borough. “We have had more people reaching out than ever before and it was very clear and obvious this year that it was differ-
ent than usual. While the flies can be around in the Continued on Page 2A Courtesy photo
In response to an outbreak of phorid flies in residences throughout Kennett Square Borough earlier this fall, the borough recently issued an emergency declaration calling for “a comprehensive, multi-agency approach to eliminate the phorid fly infestation.”
First in a series: Chester County faces the climate crisis
The big drought: Watch, warning and emergency By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer For the past several years, in edicts ranging from warnings to an all-bulleChester County appoints a tin call for an apocalyptic catastrophe, deadlines from new CEO, COO...4A across the world continue to spread news about extreme weather, often painting the picture of climate change happening on a global scale. News articles right now talk about a “once in a century cyclone” in Mayotte off the eastern coast of Africa and a “rare” California tornado, but here in Chester County however, incidents of extreme weather feel far less extreme comparatively. The assuring news is that Tinsel on the Town this Thursday...1B
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ers have already embraced plans to combat the problem. In 2021, the Chester County Commissioners acknowledged the threat of climate change and adopted their Climate Action Plan with the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emission, mitigating impacts of climate change and transitioning to sustainable energy across the county. The plan provides a tenyear framework focusing efforts on four main sectors: buildings and energy, waste management, transportation and land use and food, agriculture and forestry. The report also cites the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) on how there for everyone to see. Pennsylvania’s climate is “In Pennsylvania, temchanging due to human peratures have increased impact, and the facts are Continued on Page 3A
FROM OUR LENS ‘Our’ tannenbaum
New Garden board passes township’s 2025 budget By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
we don’t suffer from wildfires, rising sea levels or chronic extreme heat – at least not yet. While Chester County may not be on the front lines of the climate disaster, the ramifications of global warming continue to signal that extreme and unusual weather conditions are creeping into the county and changing the community and the lives of its residents. Most recently, the county-wide burn ban and drought watch status could potentially become a tell-tale sign of an increasingly volatile issue. In preparation for what is likely to be on the near horizon, county stakehold-
First introduced by Manager Christopher Himes as part of a State of the Township brief on Aug. 26, the 2025 New Garden Township budget went through five reviews in September, October and November. At their Dec. 16 meeting, the Board of Supervisors gave their final sign off to a budget that will reflect next year’s expenditures, priorities and strategies for a municipality that will continue to forecast residential
and business growth that will coincide with a vision to develop its infrastructure. As reflected in the board’s Nov. 18 meeting, the 2025 general budget will be $8,179,084, a $236,166 increase over the amended 2024 budget of 7,942.818. Of that amount, a little more than two-thirds will be spent on community development and safety; public safety in the areas of fire and EMS services; the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department; and the Public Works Department’s highway and road maintenance
and upgrade projects. The remaining third of proposed expenditures will be divided among 13 of the township’s service areas. A key component of next year’s budget will be to focus on several of the township’s top priorities as spelled out in its 2018 Comprehensive Plan. They include creating strong financial management; stimulating economic development in the township; investing in infrastructure; addressing the rising costs of public safety; implementing technology and other
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Seven local arts organizations are displaying their own uniquely decorated Christmas trees as part of the holiday celebration at Longwood Gardens. The trees, located in the East Conservatory, have been designed by Centered Clay Studios in Kennett Square; the Chester County Arts Association in West Chester; the Chrysalis Arts Center for Emerging Artists in Downingtown; the Community Arts Center in Wallingford; the Darlington Arts Center in Garnet Valley; Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs; and the Center for Creative Arts in Yorklyn, Del.
Continued on Page 3A
Historic Crebilly Farm officially preserved Westtown Township makes $20 million purchase By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer After seven years of negotiations, public input and outrage and continuing efforts to save it from development, the historic 308-acre Crebilly Farm was officially purchased for $20 million by Westtown Township on Dec. 10 in a signing ceremony held at the law offices of Gawthrop Greenwood, PC in West Chester. The purchase closed on approximately 206 acres of the farm through financial assistance from federal,
state and county grants, an open space tax referendum approved by the residents of Westtown Township, a local fundraising effort initiated by Natural Lands and support from the Open Space Institute’s Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund. Located at the intersection of Routes 202 and 926, Crebilly Farm is one of the final remaining open spaces in the township. The Robinson family expressed their wish to preserve the farm after a proposed plan by Toll Brothers to develop Photo by Mark Williams, courtesy of Natural Lands the property ended in 2021. Westtown Township has purchased the historic Crebilly Farm for $20 million, thus Continued on Page 2A
preserving the 308-acre property as open space.