Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 156, No. 51
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
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Oxford Borough Council approves budget with no tax increase By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer There will be no tax increase for Oxford Borough residents as borough council unanimously approved the adoption of the 2023 budget and established the tax rate for next year. The tax rate will remain at 12 mills for another year. Council member Peggy Ann Russell, the chair of the Finance Committee, thanked borough manager
INSIDE
Pauline Garcia-Allen, borough treasurer and assistant borough manager Arlene Harrison, and all who worked with them on the budget. Garcia-Allen said, “We will continue to spend tax dollars wisely and study how we can communicate that effectively with our taxpayers.” The budget will be posted online at the borough’s website at oxfordboro.org. Council also officially accepted the resignation of
Mary-Laura Buchner-Hulse. They will be receiving letters from those residents interested in filling the position. Those letters can be sent to Pauline GarciaAllen, Borough Manager, at P.O. Box 380, Oxford, PA 19363. Council approved the motion to accept the resignation and to authorize advertising the vacancy. Council has 30 days to fill the vacancy, and the plan is to discuss the vacancy at the first meeting in January. In other business, coun-
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Just under the wire
Courtesy photo
Officer First Class Mario Raimato recently retired from the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department after a 29-year career.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Katrin Hoeller of Ohio and Owen Kane of Unionville wrapped up some last-minute shopping at Clean Slate Goods in Kennett Square on Dec. 24. Several stores along State Street were packed throughout the day with patrons of small business holiday shopping.
Wreaths Across America honors veterans By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer
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meeting: • A hearing and motion to adopt an ordinance accepting dedication of the additional public right-ofway by Amos. G. Blank, Rebecca R. Blank, and Daniel L. Blank. • A motion to approve the developer agreement, financial security agreement and
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer On the frozen evening of Dec. 12, Officer First Class Mario Raimato emerged from the headquarters of the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department (SCCRPD) into retirement, and into an awaiting sea of humanity, all huddled against the bitter cold. After a 29-year career – 25 of them spent with the New Garden Township Police and the SCCRPD – Raimato
DeEmilio appointed assistant principal in Avon Grove...4A
administer the provisions of the Business Improvement District Final Plan. Council then approved a motion to authorize the agreement between the Borough and Oxford Mainstreet. Inc. for administration of the Business Improvement District. Council also approved the following at the same
FROM OUR LENS
Mario Raimato: ‘My role was simply to build bridges’
Popular officer retires from regional police department Lenape Forge: A link to our industrial heritage...1B
cil held a hearing and motion to adopt an ordinance approving the adoption of the Business Improvement District Final Plan, approving the Business Improvement District boundaries, and designating Oxford Mainstreet, Incorporated as the management association to implement and
Wreaths Across America visited the town of Oxford and surrounding areas on Dec. 17 to remember veterans with the laying of wreaths. For the last few years, Clarissa Sherrow’s name has become synonymous with Wreaths Across America, as she has worked diligently as a fundraiser and organizer for the effort since 2019. Photo by Jim Coarse
Local Boy Scouts and the community honored the veterans at the Oxford Cemetery by laying Wreaths during the Wreaths Across America event.
Each December, on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission is to Remember, Honor and Teach and that mission is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 3,700 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad. One added bonus of the ceremony is that many small cemeteries, once forgotten or neglected, have been brought back into the spotlight, rescued and renewed as a result of this effort. Mt. Calvary Cemetery, the final resting place for veterans of the Civil War, Continued on Page 3A
Church and Rotary join to collect coats for children in need By Chris Barber Contributing Writer At least 300 children in southern Chester County are warmer this winter thanks to the coat collection sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Consortium in concert with the Kennett Area Rotary Alliance and the Unionville Presbyterian Church. The Maternal and Child Health Consortium is a county-wide non-profit agency that sponsors
programs to ensure that caregivers of children have the knowledge and resources to support their healthy growth. According to its website, the Maternal and Child Health Consortium aims to create healthier communities, reduce healthcare costs, ensure safe environments and prepare children for school success. On Nov. 16, members of UPC joined to box up the coats they had collected and prepare them for
distribution. The quantity was so great that the coats and the volunteers sorting them filled the chancel of the church. UPC Pastor Annalie Korengel said the project at her church started about five years ago after the MCHC presented a program about its work during a Rotary meeting, of which Korengel is a member. “They asked if we could help buy coats. Since I am a member of Rotary, I took the idea back to the church,”
she said. According to Korengel, MCHC, including its nurses and social workers, handle many details of the project. Its representatives visit families, create a list of clients who need coats and deliver the coats to those in need. The church members and Rotary raise the money and buy the coats based on the list of genders sizes and ages provided by MCHC. They purchase the coats from Amazon, Macys,
Boscovs, Walmart—anywhere they can get a good deal or sale. Korengel explained, “We do not have any special deals from the sellers; we just shop around.” Although MCHC is a county-wide agency, coats it receives from the Rotary and UPC go to recipients in southern Chester County. Other groups in other parts of the county designate for their areas as well. “We typically like to have Continued on Page 3A