The pilot killed in a helicopter crash in Bucks County on Oct. 17 was as Doug Brigham, a native of Birmingham Township. Brigham, 52, was a retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper who worked, for a time, out of the Media barracks. He was the son of Dick Brigham, a past clerk at Birmingham Friends Meeting.
The helicopter Brigham was piloting crashed in the same neighborhood in Tinicum Township where he lived. He had taken off from his own back yard. The craft went down around 7 a.m. on Uhlerstown Hill Road, within walking distance of his home. He was a member of the same fire company that responded to the crash.
Brigham worked for a company called Catalyst Aviation.The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the accident.
The Chadds Ford Zoning Hearing Board denied a sign variance requested for Keystone Plaza. Chairman Bob Reardon said during the Oct. 17 hearing that approving the request would have been “transformative.”
Keystone Plaza owner Andy Varriale had requested the new sign for the shopping center located along the southbound side of Route 202 because, he said, motorists couldn’t read the tenants’ names as they drove by. A variance was needed because the proposed sign — at 24 feet high and with an area in excess of 50 square feet — failed to conform to the sign ordinances of Chadds Ford.
The ordinance requires signs to be no more than 10 feet tall and no more than 50 square feet. The proposal also included a dynamic LED sign.
During a hearing in September, Reardon suggested making the sign smaller and removing the LED portion.
The plan presented in October did have the dynamic portion removed, but the height was 20 feet. At 11 feet wide, the sign still exceeded the 50 square foot limit.
Board members were unanimous, voting 3-0 against the request.
Reardon said, “Other merchants are watching what we do. If we approve this, it will be transformative…What we do will set a new standard.”
He added that it would be better for the supervisors to re-examine the sign ordinance.
Another hearing also continued from September — that for the Chadds Ford side of a Wegman’s development — was continued again to November with no new testimony. The developer requested the continuance.
That application is for a parking variance so that 181 parking spaces can be put into the Light Industrial zone abutting Concord Township where the proposed Wegman’s is planned. The area is on the northbound side of Route 202 across from Hillman Drive.
Chadds Ford code allows parking in the LI zone only as an accessory use, meaning there would have to be a structure built in the zone. No such building is planned.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
DelCo man wins Mercedes helping Habitat for Humanity of Chester CountySherry Potter shows off her 1935 Chevy Sedan to Gary Gajesky of Kennett Square. More than a dozen antique and classic cars were on display during a fund-raiser for Habitat for Humanity. (Photo by Rich Schwartzman)
Habitat for Humanity of Chester County wants to build 40 new houses in West Grove, and a Broomall Township, Delaware County, man won a restored 1973 Mercedes Benz by donating to the cause.
Joe Latarre won the 1973 Mercedes 450 SL in a raffle held during a car show in the parking lot of the New Garden Center on Saturday, Oct. 13. An estimated 280 people plunked down $50 per chance to win the car. Laterre was not present when his name was drawn. The donor was, but he chose to remain anonymous.
The raffle was part of an antique car show and fund-raising effort for Habitat. The organization is looking to raise $60 million in order to build 40 new affordable houses, said Charles “Chip” Huston, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Chester County.
Since 1989, Habitat volunteers have provided housing for 126 families in Coatesville, Downingtown, Phoenixville and West Chester, but Huston said this is the first foray into Southern Chester County for his group, even though it’s been looking for 23 years.
The search, he said, has been business-driven.
“Habitat and the county have been working with numerous housing organizations to discover and plot out where the housing issues are. We’ve heard from businesses that they don’t have places to put employees. There‘s a little bit of a housing shortage, especially quality, affordable housing,” Huston said.
The Chester County Economic Development Council has identified the area west of Kennett as the area as a “hot zone where businesses want to move into,” he said. “If businesses move in, they’re going to want housing. So, from Kennett to Oxford along Route 1, businesses are looking to move in and they’re going to need housing…The western corridor is really important.”
He said he’s not aware of any plans for Habitat to look to the east of Kennett Square.
The plan calls for eight buildings with five townhouses each. Each house would sell for less than $100,000. They are planned as having three bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths. There are also basements that can be converted to an extra bedroom.
The $6 million needed for the project breaks down to $1 million for the land, $1 million for the infrastructure and $4 million for the actual construction.
Huston estimates it will take about a year to raise the money. The first $2 million are needed quickly, but Huston said the remaining $4 million can come in through pledges over the next five years. People can help, he said, by either making a cash donation through the Web site www.hfhcc.org or call 610-384-7993, ext 12.
People can also donate used goods to Habitat’s second-hand store called ReStore. There’s one in the New Garden Center.
Habitat for Humanity began in Georgia by Millard Fuller 1976, but didn’t get national attention until 1981 when former President Jimmy Carter became its first major volunteer. Fuller was Carter’s Sunday school teacher.
The organization has built almost 500,000 worldwide since, but Huston said all of the money raised locally, stays local.
Huston started out as a volunteer for HfHCC while an employee of QVC. He thought so much of the organization that he applied for the executive director’s position when it opened up.
“It’s been a blast ever since,” he said.
Top Dead Center Motor Club, a Chester County organization that sponsors numerous car shows each year, coordinated the Oct. 13 event. Exton Nissan was also on hand.
According to Lincoln Overholtzer, of Exton Nissan, Nissan has been partnering with Habitat for Humanity for years and has donated 100 vehicles to the organization and given it more than $1 million. Additionally, more than 5,000 Nissan employees have volunteered their time to Habitat.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Local artist Robert Stack doesn’t put a label on his style of painting.
“It’s sort of whatever I see, different things I like, [things] that just sort of hit me a certain way,” Stack said during the opening of Defining Light, his new exhibit at the Chadds Ford Gallery running through Oct. 28.
The exhibit captures those things he‘s seen from the greater Chadds Ford area, Delaware and Maine.
Stack might not paint the scene immediately after he sees it. Sometimes he won’t begin until years later. The recall of the actual scene combined with a new thought will trigger the painting, he said.
He said he likes imbuing his images with warm shadows and, while most watercolorists work from light to dark, Stack reverses that, going from dark to light.
According to Chadds Ford Gallery Director Barbara Moore, this gives Stack’s colors a different quality, especially the whites.
Moore said Stack paints in his own style, what she considers to be a cross between impressionists and realistic. His use of gouache — the use of pigments ground into water and then thickened — makes his style unique, she said.
“He has a unique way of using light with the gouache material,” she said.
Moore added that his horse figures are “perfect and he gives us a nice variety of the area and Maine.” Almost half of the 30–plus paintings include horses.
Stack also reveals a sense of humor with his titling. One image — that of a group of terns in a circle — is called “Tern Round.”
Photo caption: Artist Robert Stack discusses his work with visitors to the Chadds Ford Gallery during the opening reception of his exhibit Defining Light. The exhibit runs through Oct. 28. (Photo by Rich Schwartzman)
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
For those with a taste for cuisine from south of the border, Qdoba Mexican Grill is now open in Glen Eagle Square. Perhaps Qdoba is also for people who are looking to expand the range of their taste buds. The new restaurant — a national chain based in Denver — bills itself as offering “food for people who love food.”
“We strive to offer unique flavors,” said store Manager Andrew Berolini.
The restaurant’s marketing niche is described as “fast, casual Mexican restaurant” where patrons can build their own burritos, quesadillas and tacos.
“You name it, we can make it for you,” he said.
There are also, what the chain refers to as, “signature flavors.” Those flavors include a three-cheese queso sauce, a ranchera sauce and a mole-inspired barbecue sauce. Mole refers to a number of different sauces including black, red, yellow, Colorado (another name for red), green, almendrado and pipian.
There are also a number of other proprietary sauces available. Bertolini would not reveal any information about those sauces.
He did say, however, that the single thing Qdoba is known for is their “big, fat burritos.”
Tim Warfield, a member of the group’s marketing team, added that Qdoba’s main focus is on “providing food for people who love food. We, ourselves, are food fanatics. Our three-cheese queso is actually to die for.”
The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. It has a rewards program in which, once a person is signed up, every 10th entrée is free. There is also double-point Tuesday where those entrée points are doubled. Two entrées are counted as four.
The average check runs between $9 and $10, Bertolini said.
Patrons can also order online and a mobile app will soon be available.
The restaurant and members of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce held a small ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 12.
Photo caption: New Qdoba restaurant Manager Andrew Berolini makes preparations before opening for business. (Photo by Rich Schwartzman)
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Rick Hostetler, supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, told school board members that the high school renovation project is ahead of schedule.
“Our original project completion date was January 2013. Except for a few punch list items, the renovation is now complete and all the construction trailers and equipment are gone,” Hostetler said during the Oct. 15 school board work session
Robert Cochran, director of Business and Operations attributed the favorable news to using a “prime contractor.” That relieved the district from having to deal with legions of subcontractors.
According to Cochran, “The Pennsylvania Department of Education granted the district a waiver and allowed us to use a prime contractor. PDE was concerned this would increase the project cost, however our project will actually be completed under budget.”
School Board member Keith Knauss, the chair of the Finance Committee said, “The high school was my fourth major school renovation/construction project. Unlike the other district project, which included Pocopson Elementary School, there will be no mediation or arbitration issues. I am very pleased with this good news.”
The work session also had some other favorable budget news.
Cochran said the elimination of 1.5 teaching positions in the elementary schools has not impacted on class size because elementary school enrollment has declined. There are simply fewer students this year.
Cochran added that the district is looking “looking at some revenue initiation opportunities” with Advantage 3, a regional advertising company for the next school year. The firm has experience lining up advertising of school district Web sites and large building assets, such as the high school auditorium, gym and athletic fields.
“There is no cost to the district as Advantage 3 would only be compensated through a percentage of the revenue raised through advertising.”
Other business
• School Board Director Kathleen Do said there are still some tickets available for the Bullying movie, scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24 at Painters Crossing. District residents should contact the school district if they are interested in seeing this movie.
There is also a bullying workshop on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in the Unionville High School cafeteria.
• The next board meeting will be 7:30 p.m., Monday Oct. 22 at Unionville Elementary School.
After 41 years of auditing large NYSE global corporations, former IRS Agent Jim Phreaner was looking for a project in retirement with fewer regulations and more people. He joined the staff at Chadds Ford Live more than a year ago.
James Edward “Jim” Phreaner, 64, died suddenly in his Birmingham Township home on Dec.17, 2012. Jim was a devoted husband, son, father, friend, and neighbor.
• An undisclosed amount of jewelry was stolen from a location on Evergreen Drive in Concord Township. A police report said the unknown suspect removed the jewelry by unknown means and fled in an unknown direction by unknown means. The theft occurred sometime between Sept. 17 and Oct. 7.
• There was a residential burglary on Concord Crossing in Concord Township sometime between 8:55 a.m., Oct. 8, and 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 9, police said. Unknown suspects gained entry into the home by unknown means and removed several pieces of jewelry. The thief (or thieves) then fled in an unknown direction by unknown means. The investigation is continuing.
• State police arrested a West Chester man for DUI in Pocopson Township. A police report said Donald Barr Logan, 50, was arrested after crashing his vehicle into another motorist. The incident happened 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 10.
• Birmingham Township Police Chief Tom Nelling said his department responded to 1,107 incidents in September, with four criminal arrests. He said there is one case still open.
Cossart Road in Pennsbury Township’s, also known as “Devil’s Road”, will get some extra patrolling by the Pennsylvania State Police during the Halloween season.
Township Manager Kathleen Howley asked State Police Cpl. Michael Stoner during the Oct. 17 Board of Supervisors’ meeting to step up patrolling Cossart Road during “mischief season”.
Howley told Stoner, who was making his quarterly report to the township, that during the weeks surrounding Halloween, the Cossart Road area is frequented by mischief makers.
“Police patrols along “Devils road” are necessary to keep the areas safe from rowdy visitors,” she said.
Stoner responded by saying that troopers from the Avondale barracks “diligently patrol during this season and are aware of potential unwelcome visitors.”
During his report, Stoner said, “Pennsbury remains a safe community with little criminal activity.”
Most of the incidents police responded to involve traffic passing through the community on Route 1. In addition, he said that during the last quarter, the state police reported 26 criminal incidents, most of which related to drug possession found in vehicles stopped for traffic violations including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
There were 24 vehicle crashes on township roads, four of which were the result of drunk driving. Stoner added “in a typical quarter Pennsbury roads average around 35 to 40 incidents involving the state police, so this past quarter has been favorable.
Aaron McIntyre, chairman of Board of Supervisors asked for an update on the recent Hillendale Road home invasion that resulted in a township resident being shot and the home robbed.
Stoner said, “We can only make limited comment about a crime under active investigation. Our investigators conducted interviews as recently as today. We believe it was a targeted crime not a random incident. We have been in contact with the Delaware State Police and the F.B.I. sharing details of this crime. All we can disclose is the F.B.I. is not presently directly assisting in our investigation. We can also disclose the victim is recovering from his bullet wound in his leg and other injuries suffered during the robbery”.
Other business
Township solicitor Tom Oeste said the sheriff’s sale for the Pennsbury Village Associates property scheduled for Oct. 18 was postponed until Nov. 15.
“Until the Sherriff’s sale matter is resolved, the township remains uncertain regarding the status of the development of land immediately adjacent to Hickory Hill Road and the parcels of land on both sides of the Pennsbury Township building along route 1”.
Supervisor Charles “Scotty” Scottoline added, “The fate of the historic Hope house located on land owned by PVA developers is also on hold until the project status and related financing and legal issues are resolved.”
Township Manager Howley reported postcards had been mailed to all Pennsbury residents regarding Fall branch and leaf collection dates Oct. 22 – Nov. 30. Township residents can phone Howley 610-388-7323 or email khowley@pennsbury.pa.us for details.
After 41 years of auditing large NYSE global corporations, former IRS Agent Jim Phreaner was looking for a project in retirement with fewer regulations and more people. He joined the staff at Chadds Ford Live more than a year ago.
James Edward “Jim” Phreaner, 64, died suddenly in his Birmingham Township home on Dec.17, 2012. Jim was a devoted husband, son, father, friend, and neighbor.
• Birmingham Township supervisors accepted the resignation of Ed Zaloga from the Historic Commission. Zaloga will not be replaced at this time. The commission had been a nine-member body, but is now down to five members. Supervisors Chairman John Conklin said the Planning Commission and Recreation, Parks and Open Space Committee have been downsized to five members each and are doing well and have had no absentee problems.
• The Board of Supervisors resolved to renew the township’s Emergency Response Plan. Emergency Management Coordinator Lloyd Roach told the board that the plan had to be memorialized every two years.
• Road master Dave Rathbun said an issue on Radley Drive was resolved. A swale between two houses had been constantly wet for months. An inspection revealed a broken water pipe. The pipe was repaired and the area dried out within two days, he said.
• Chadds Ford resident Cmdr. William Mock was installed as the commanding officer of Naval Construction Battalion 21 (Seabees) at the Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst, N.J. on Oct. 13.
• The Brandywine Battlefield Park is running a Halloween event from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20. Catch a witch and put her on trial in front of a jury made up of visitors to the Ring House. There will be an 18th century dance after the trial. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for kids 5-12.
•Darlington Arts Center will present a public exhibition of watercolor paintings by Glen Mills artist Florence Stiefeld. Stiefeld has exhibited throughout the area, including solo exhibits at the Concord Township Municipal Building and Taylor Hospital. The free opening reception is Sunday, Nov. 4 from 2-4 p.m. and will provide an opportunity for visitors to meet the artist, and discuss her inspiration while enjoying complimentary wine and snacks. The show will be open to the public through Nov. 27. For more information visit www.darlingtonarts.org or call 610-358-3632.
• Summit Crossing, the newest shopping center in the split on Route 202 between Smithbridge and Ridge roads, held it’s official grand opening on Oct. 13. There were antique cars on display, free food samples from some of the restaurants in the strip and an official ribbon cutting ceremony. Owner Andy Varriale, of Pescatore’s and Enzo’s fame, cut the ribbon. Among the shops in the new center are Jake’s Wayback Hamburgers, La Spada’s Steaks and Hoagies, Nutrition Retreat, a nail and day spa, yoga studio, a Sherwin Williams paint store and a Main Line Health office.
• The Pennsbury Inn will join hundreds of inns and B&Bs throughout the U.S. and Canada in honoring active and retired veterans with free rooms in recognition of Veteran’s Day. In a campaign called B&Bs for Vets, The Pennsbury Inn will join inns and B&Bs in opening their doors with complimentary stays for vets on Nov. 11. The Pennsbury Inn will offer four rooms completely free of charge as well as other offers from area merchants. Veterans interested in this offer are asked to call the inn at 610-388-1435 to get on a waiting list for possible cancellations, as all four rooms were booked, the day the announcement was made.
