May 2, 2012

The developer of the Pennsbury Village project has offered to move the house to township property, but the supervisors have made no decision yet.

By Rich Schwartzman

The fate of the Hope House in Pennsbury Township remains up in the air.

The house is the building on Route 1 just to the west of the township building property. It’s currently home to the retail shop, La Maison.

It sits on an 8-plus acre parcel that’s part of the Pennsbury Village project. Townhouses are planned for the site and the building has to go to make way for the project. It can either be moved or demolished, but supervisors haven’t decided on which.

Removing the house from the property — one way or another — is part of the stipulation agreement between the township and the developer allowing for the village plan.

Developer Tim Filler — who bought the property 14 years ago — has offered to move the house to township property where it would be boarded up with no plumbing or utility connections made.

When asked how a demolition would sit with him, Filler said, “It’s not my choice; it’s the township’s choice.”

But the supervisors are undecided, despite a July deadline. Right now it’s a matter of what it would cost the township to maintain a mothballed structure.

“We’re not quite sure yet what costs would be acceptable,” said Supervisors’ Chairman Aaron McIntyre. “That’s a discussion [the supervisors] still have to have together.”

And so far they don’t know what the cost might be.

McIntyre said he would like some Planning Commission members to help out in that determination. He was also going to make some calls himself to see if he can get some ideas on costs for long-term mothballing.

“Not just for mothballing something very short-term, but keeping a house mothballed year after year where you might need to limit moisture, replace a roof, things of that sort, things beyond just six months or a year or two-year shutting up of the place.”

McIntyre said he would like to find a way to keep the house, not to see it demolished. The dating of the house isn’t a factor as far as McIntyre is concerned. “My inclination is to preserve it,” he said, “but I think costs need to be considered. Barring costs being prohibitive, I would be inclined to preserve it.

Architect Margot Leach, a member of the Pennsbury Township Planning Commission and chairman of the Hope House Task Force, said she has just begun to investigate what it would cost to preserve the house, but has no figures yet.

No one is quite sure how old the house is. There is a discrepancy based on the interpretation of the house’s documentation. Some people think the house was built in 1802 while others interpret the papers to indicate it was built between 1725 and 1749. McIntyre said the exact age of the house doesn’t matter to him.

According to Leach, the general Task Force position is for the 18^th century dates, while the 19^th century date comes from the interpretation of Eileen Scottoline, another member of the task force, and an archivist at Chester County Archives.

Noted architect John Milner also toured the house.

“Definitive proof is not in the house,” he said.

According to Milner, one key clue to dating a structure is original woodwork, but there’s not enough remaining to make a firm determination. However, he added that the pitch of the roof is consistent with early 18th century construction.

The stipulation agreement was sign in April of 2011. It allows for 111 housing units, both single and attached, on 18 acres of land on either side of the township building property and on Hickory Hill Road. The proposed development was controversial for more than a dozen years and generated several lawsuits. It originally called for a multi-use district before being limited to housing only.

There was a township-wide yard sale in Pennsbury and the annual road clean up in Chadds Ford.

By Rich Schwartzman

It was community day on both sides of the Brandywine Creek last weekend with a road cleanup and recycling event in Chadds Ford Township and the annual yard sale in Pennsbury.

Cars by the hundreds poured into the Pennsbury Township Park Saturday morning. More than 300 were on site by 9:30 a.m., one half hour after the event began. People perused almost 60 tables of used goods for sale.

“It’s about community and family,” said Bill Reynolds, a former township supervisor who chaired the yard sale committee.

Resident vendors were charged $20 to set up a table, but nonresidents also took part at $30. Commercial vendors were discouraged, Reynolds said. Buyers, from all over, got in for free.

Reynolds said it was the 11^th year for the yard sale.

In Chadds Ford, roughly 30 members of the Civic Association volunteered to pick up litter from township roadways, something they’ve been doing every spring and fall for years. Five years ago, however, the township also began holding a recycling event at the township building.

Township residents were able to get rid of old appliances including air conditioners, computers, printers and even refrigerators — anything with a plug at no cost to them. There was also a shredding truck on hand for residents to securely get rid of old paperwork and documents.

 

PennDOT lane restrictions; native plant sale

• On Thursday and Friday, May 3-4, eastbound and westbound Route 3 (Market Street/Gay Street) will be reduced to one lane from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. between Matlack Street and Worthington Street in West Chester Borough;
On Saturday, May 5, eastbound and westbound Route 3 (Market Street/Gay Street) will be reduced to one lane from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. between Matlack Street and Worthington Street in West Chester Borough.

• The Brandywine Conservancy will be holding its annual native plant sale on May 12 and 13 in the courtyard of the Brandywine River Museum. It’s the 31^st year for the event. Featured this year are three selections of Garden Phlox. ‘David,’ originally found in the Brandywine Conservancy gardens and selected by the Perennial Plant Association as the 2002 “Perennial Plant of the Year,” is prized for its large, bright white flowers.  ‘Blue Paradise’ has plump clusters of lilac-blue flowers that darken to a deep violet-blue as they age. ‘Jeana’ produces luscious, lavender pink flowers. All are easy to grow, are highly mildew resistant, and provide pleasant fragrances for gardeners and nectar for butterflies.
Sunday, May 13 is also Mothers’ Day. Admission to the museum is free until noon.

• Brandywine Battlefield Park celebrates Craft Day on Saturday, May 19. Visitors can explore the simplest to the more intricate of colonial crafts. There will be demonstrations and do-it-yourself activities for the whole family.

• Rose Tree Park in Media will host the fifth annual Walk for the Wounded from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 19. It’s a two-mile walk to benefit wounded soldiers. There will be live music, a motorcycle and car show and television personalities Michael Barkann, Tracy Davidson and the Phillie Phanatic will be featured. For more information or to sign up, go to www.WalkFortheWounded.org.

Mia and Spanky are a purrfect pair of cats that were brought to the shelter when their owner’s new baby turned out to be allergic to cats.  Now they’re looking for a new home where they won’t make anyone sneeze!  Mia and Spanky are about seven to eight years old and have the laidback dispositions to allow for easy acclimation into any home – both cats are friendly and have lived with cats, dogs, and kids in their previous home.  Mia and Spanky have been together their whole lives and take comfort in each other’s company, making it a must for this duo to be adopted together. Because of this, Mia and Spanky are available for the special adoption fee of $25 per cat.  If you are able to provide Mia and Spanky or any of our other animals here at the shelter a home, visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113.  Mia and Spanky’s registration numbers are 96807173 and 96807174.  To meet some of our other adoptable animals, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org.  Not quite ready to adopt?  Consider becoming a foster parent!  CCSPCA is particularly in need of kitten fosters at this time.  Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.