At the end of the year it’s traditional to look back at what
was, look ahead to what may be and to offer a wish or two for a brighter
tomorrow.

This past year saw the end of a local newspaper and the
start of a new online news service for the Chadds Ford area. The Post was good
while ChaddsFordLive.com will be better.

Also in 2009, the economic downturn continued to influence
businesses locally as well as nationally. One of the brighter spots was the
opening of the Cattie Shack, the convenience store that took the place of the
old Wawa in Chadds Ford Village. The Wawa closed a year earlier and residents
were without a gathering spot, a place to chat while getting their morning
coffee and newspapers.

But things weren’t necessarily rosy for the new business.
With the site vacant for so long, motorists who used to stop for coffee had
found someplace else and the Cattie Shack struggled. That led to some sign wars
between the owner and the township. That in turn led to members of the Chadds
Ford Business Association to work with township officials to amend the township
code allowing for some temporary signage beyond what was normally allowed.

(According to Cattie Shack owner Bill Bonderchuk, the store
will soon change its name to The Old Wooden Market and Deli. We hope the sign
change for that goes through smoothly.)

So for 2010 we wish businesses the signage they need to
attract customers and stay in business while for the purists we hope those
signs are acceptable.

Another major story affecting the area was that of the
Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission and the Brandywine Battlefield
Park. In June, members of PHMC voted to stop funding the park and in August the
site shut down for two weeks while a temporary agreement was reached between
the state and the park’s friends’ group.

So for George Thorpe–who led the efforts to keep the park
running–and the Friends of the Brandywine Battlefield we wish enough money to
keep the battlefield park operating without an ongoing feeling that the park
will be shut down permanently because there’s not enough funding.

For property owners whose millage rates could ultimately be
affected by the need to fund the park operations through local taxes we wish a
deep-pocketed private source to get in on keeping the park open with a hefty
donation or even a purchase of the site with the aim of keeping it a park open
to the public with historic interpretation.

For Pennsbury Township, its residents, supervisors and
developers who do business there we wish a rapid end to litigation and a final
approval of the Pennsbury Village plan so political factions can find something
new to argue about.

For the sports fans we wish another World Series
championship for the Phillies and maybe even a Super Bowl victory for the
Eagles. OK, maybe that pairing is a little farfetched, but we are engaging in
wishful thinking here. The 76ers and Flyers will likely have to wait a few
years before they can contend for championships, but we hope that wait isn’t
too long.

But for all of our readers and advertisers we wish a happy
and healthy new year.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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