October 31, 2012 - ChaddsFordLive.com

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Hotel-sign — In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

The cleanup has begun in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. While there were some power outages, road flooding and downed trees, the greater Chadds Ford area faired fairly well.

“We dodged a bullet,” said Kathy Howley, township manager in Pennsbury Township.

She said one portion of Cossart Road was closed because a tree fell, and Fairville Road was closed in two places. The east side of the road was closed because the Brandywine Creek flooded and the west side, near Kennett Township, was closed because a power line was down.

Scattered power outages were reported in Chadds Ford Township and Route 1 southbound was closed at Creek Road because of flooding. The roadway was reopened Tuesday afternoon. However, as of Wednesday morning, roughly 475 homes in Chadds Ford were still without power, according to Joe Barakat, Chadds Ford Township manager.

Barakat added that, also as of early Wednesday morning, the 200 block of Heyburn Road, between Ridge and Smithbridge, was closed because of downed trees on power lines.

Barakat, who is also the emergency management coordinator, thinks the flooding was less severe than anticipated because the storm came from the south. The Brandywine Creek could have flooded more if the storm had been to the north, filling the east and west branches of the creek before they join and flow south to Chadds Ford.

In Birmingham Township, an estimated 175 homes were without power late Wednesday morning.

PECO is working around the clock to restore power to all its customers, said Martha Phan, a PECO spokeswoman. More than 2,000 employees are on street working to get power back up, but that could take up to a week, she said.

More than 850,000 PECO customers in the five-county Philadelphia region lost power, with Chester and Delaware counties fairing the best.

“It was the most dangerous storm in PECO history,” she said.

Roughly 30,000 customers in Chester County and 29,000 in Delaware County are still without power, Phan said.

She advised that customers should continue calling to report outages or to find out an estimated time of restoration. The number to call is 800-841-4141.

Phan also reminded people to stay away from down power lines.

Sandy forced the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District to close schools for two days. Also, the planned community conversation on bullying scheduled for Oct. 29 was rescheduled for Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

A planned zoning hearing for the Woodlawn Trustees property in Concord Township was also rescheduled to 7 p.m. on Nov. 13.

Photo above: The old sign for the Brandywine River Hotel is knocked over from the high winds of Hurricane Sandy. (Photo by Rich Schwartzman)

Creek-Road — Creek Road South, one of the usual flood prone areas was flooded again in the hurricane.

Heyburn-Road — A downed tree hangs on power lines in the 200 block of Heyburn Road.

About 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.

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Multi-level marketing gets retail front for weight loss

Business

Jen Moore had to lose weight. Her eating habits were bad. Working as an operating room nurse, she too often ate what was available in the break room — cookies and pastries— and she gained 100 pounds.

So Moore returned to a program that she had been on before when she was in, what she called, “the best shape of my life.”

That program was Herbalife and she lost 31 pounds in three months, she said.

Moore is no longer in nursing. She’s an Herbalife distributor with a slant. Herbalife is one of many companies that use a multi-level marketing model where sellers get paid not only on what they sell, but also get a commission on what people they recruit sell. Products are usually sold in somebody’s home and the prospective buyer has to know a distributor. That has changed.

Moore and some other fellow distributors now operate out of a storefront called Nutrition Retreat in the new Summit Crossing shopping center, in the split on Route 202 in Concord Township.

It’s not a true retail store, as Moore is quick to point out. There are no shelves filled with products and no retail clerks scurrying about. Individual products can be bought, but only from the individual distributors private stock. Rather, she calls Nutrition Retreat a “private opportunity club” where people can become a member for a day.

People who are members buy, for $6, what Moore and the others call “a service.” The service includes an aloe drink, energy tea and a low fat, high protein meal-replacement shake that comes in any one of 35 different flavors and is roughly 250 calories. The shake is made with soy protein.

Moore lost her weight having two meal replacement shakes per day. Once she reaches her goal weight, she’ll shift to one per day.

For those who want to go a little deeper into what Nutrition Retreat has to offer, there is also a free body scan. The scan includes a weight check along with a check on percentage of body fat, skeletal muscle percentage and resting metabolic rate. The program can also be used for weight gain, she said.

Moore said the scan also shows the percentage of visceral fat as well as a true body age.

She admitted that she was initially embarrassed to have the body scan done on herself, but felt better for having done it.

“I knew I was in the right place and I knew those numbers were going to turn around — and they have.”

In addition to the service and body scans, Nutrition Retreat also has some group projects. Moore said there is a group weight loss challenge for adults and fit camps for youngsters, teaching them to eat better.

Nutrition Retreat is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It’s closed Sunday.

card — Herbalife distributor Jen Moore says ChaddsFordLive.com readers may get a free meal replacement shake at Nutrition Retreat by presenting this image. The offer is for new customers and is valid only once.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Police log Nov. 1

Police

• State Police from Troop K, Media barracks, are investigating a burglary at a home on Naaman’s Creek Road. According to a police report, an unknown suspect entered the property sometime between 4 and 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28. The resident, a 22-year-old woman, was not home at the time. The perpetrator entered the bedroom through an unlocked rear window, broke a six-foot tall dressing mirror, then moved through the house breaking an ornamental vase, unplugged a 60-inch LG flat screen TV and carried it through the front door to a vehicle. The suspect also released the victim’s two small dogs from their kennel before fleeing.

• State police and medical personnel responded to a call of underage drinking in Concord Township on Oct. 27. A 14-year-old girl was cited.

• William P. Zadinski, 46, of Boothwyn was arrested for DUI following a two-car crash on Route 202 at Springhill Drive on Oct. 30. Police said he was processed and released. The accident happened at 6:50 p.m.

About CFLive Staff

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

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Around Town Nov. 1

Along the Ford

• The zoning hearing in Concord Township for the Woodlawn Trustees property has been continued to 7 p.m., Nov. 13 in the municipal building.

• The community conversation on bullying has been postponed to Monday, Nov. 5, from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Unionville High School Auditorium.

• The November meeting of the Chadds Ford Business Association will be a luncheon at noon on Thursday, Nov. 8 at Kendal at Longwood. The topic of discussion will be Identity Security with Jason Romanoff, as guest speaker. Romanoff is the eCommerce fraud analyst for The Bryn Mawr Trust Company. Cost for the lunceon is $15 and includes lunch and gratuity. Guests welcome.

• The Delaware Museum of Natural History is featuring an exhibit of award winning photographs through Jan. 6. It’s the 2012 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. The exhibit features 20 images of unusual, magnified subjects including a zebrafish embryo, newborn lynx spiderlings, human bone cancer, a fruit fly’s eye development, minerals, and more. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for children (3-17), $8 for seniors, and free for children 2 and younger and for museum members.

About CFLive Staff

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

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DelCo SCORE and Bar Association host business planning workshops

Business

SCORE of Delaware County, in cooperation with the Delaware County Bar Association, will be conducting a series of workshops to help aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners learn how to develop a successful business plan. The workshops will be held at the Bar Association building at 335 W. Front Street in Media.

Workshop I: Business Concept & Data Collection will be held Nov. 13 from 6 – 9:30 p.m. This session introduces a personal business plan model that gives step-by-step guidance in researching and writing the business plan. There is an emphasis on the development and analysis of the idea behind the business, business structures, critical data collection, and competition analysis. Attendees will learn about the various resources available to help them estimate market potential and learn about potential competitors, including free online databases through the web portal of the Delaware County Library System.

Workshop II: Marketing Plan Development will be held on Nov. 20 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. This session begins the development of the business plan text with a focus on the Marketing Plan. There is instruction and workshops on product and service descriptions, pricing strategies, target markets, distribution channels and marketing communications.

Workshop III: Financial Plan & Projections will be held on Nov. 27 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. This session continues the business plan development with a focus on “the numbers.” Attendees will use a computer-based financial tool to estimate revenues and costs, profitability, cash flow and start-up costs. In addition, they will gain an understanding of important financial terms and learn how to interpret and use financial statements in running their business.

Workshop IV: Funding Your Business will be held on Dec. 4 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. This session completes the business plan with discussions on financing a business. Potential sources of funds are identified and the differences described. Attendees will learn how to approach a commercial bank and what it looks for in lending to a small business. The bank lending process is outlined and the information you will need in applying is illustrated. Representatives from a commercial bank, a microlender, an alternative lender, and the SBA provide insight and answers questions about their funding programs for small and start-up businesses.

Registration for these workshops is at delawarecountyscore.org/localworkshops.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, or to request free counseling from a SCORE volunteer, call 610-344-6910 or delawarecounty.score.org for Delaware County SCORE. Visit SCORE at www.score.org and www.score.org/women. Connect with SCORE at www.facebook.com/SCOREFans, www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors and www.scorecommunity.org

About Press Release

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Adopt-a-Pet: Mya

Along the Ford

Mya is a friendly and well-mannered 1–year-old terrier mix that was surrendered by her owner who had become too ill to take care of a dog. Mya is housetrained and even knows a few commands. She really loves people, but will need to be the only pet in a home. Nov. 3 thru 6 is CCSPCA’s Patriotic Pooches event, and in honor of the 45^th presidential election, all dog adoption fees are reduced to $45. Mya has been at the CCSPCA since June – what better a time to give a long-time shelter resident a new home. If you are able to provide Mya 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. Mya’s registration number is 9689200. 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 CCSPCA foster parent. Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.

About CFLive Staff

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

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Photo of the Week: Rushing Creek

Photo of the Week

The Barndywine Creek still rushes 24 hours after Hurricane Sandy blew through.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Mind Matters: Storms in and out

Health

By the time this column goes to press, “Frankenstorm” Sandy will have done her play with us and we will be picking up the pieces from our various sandboxes. I “file this report” from a Red Cross shelter at Avon Grove High School where I am a mental health volunteer.

The night before I trekked here and I admit that I was anxious about how bad the drive would be. I wondered what the situation at the shelter portended. How many clients? Who would I be working with? Suffice it to say, I was not centered, or “grounded” and I was tired to boot. Nevertheless, I thought I was being smart to top off my gas tank and stopped to do so on the way to the shelter. But as I pulled away from the gas station, frustrated because the pump was not working, I turned my car into a curb and blew the tire, basically destroying it. A definite wakeup call.

“Kayta,” I said to self, “calm down. You’re supposed to be centered in the storm. Follow your own advice and breathe. Abdominal breath. Count. Then call AAA and husband, too.”

Fortunately, I was close to home and my spouse and tow truck guy arrived soon and simultaneously. And they were both kind and understanding. So I traded cars with my partner and do-si-do’d down the road.

My incident reminded me of a story I heard from a Federal Emergency Management Administration presenter years ago regarding disaster mental health. Diane Myers related how she, too, could get anxious working in disaster situations. She would carry a notebook with her at all times. If she misplaced the notebook, it was her sign that she needed to go sit and settle down. Once, her notebook somehow walked off just as she walked into a shelter. She walked back out and calmed herself down.

Point is, we all can get rattled. It is just a matter of recognizing the anxiety and taking time to self soothe — using our ways to emotionally regulate. Breathing, finding our feet on the ground, counting our breaths in and out slowly, having an affirmation to silently say —“calm, centered, focused,” “I can calm myself,” “I’m going to be okay.”

Anxiety is a part of life, hurricane or no. What is most important is to find our own ballast in any emotional storm. It’s amazing how we think more clearly, speak more carefully, make wiser choices, when we learn to calm ourselves. As parents, this is not only helpful in dealing with the stress of raising children, but also gives them a wonderful role model in how to cope in life. When we are anxious, our children are as well: they are our emotional barometers.

Of course, there are times when it feels nigh on impossible to soothe ourselves. Alcoholics Anonymous advises to be aware of the occasions for relapse into drinking. The acronym that AA uses is HALT—hungry, angry, lonely, tired. I would add two “S’s,” sick and stressed, transforming the acronym into SHALTS. SHALTS are the red flags, the warning signals indicating the need for some self-care.

* Kayta Curzie Gajdos holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is in private practice in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. She welcomes comments atMindMatters@DrGajdos.com or 610-388-2888. Past columns are posted towww.drgajdos.com.

About Kayta Gajdos

Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.

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Random-Lee: What I’ve learned this past year

Along the Ford

In one of my earlier columns, I wrote about retirement and all the issues, questions and decisions I was facing as a brand spanking newly retired person. I’m still there, but really enjoyed some of the replies I got that offered advice and insight into similar personal experiences. Harry Roosevelt replied on line about the fulfilling things his “active” retirement has allowed him to do, like starting a new business, serving on non-profit boards, taking classes and serving as a volunteer.

And I want to personally thank Reno Cuno for sharing her story, including some of the challenges of a spouse’s early retirement and some major decisions she is still facing as she reaches her own retirement age. Many others gave me thoughts about what to do, what not to do, and – well, let’s just say that I have come to realize it’s a complicated process, just like finding that first job and beginning your working life at the other end of the spectrum.

I still don’t have all the answers, but here is what I have learned so far in the year since I retired from my business of 30 years:

“Fixed” income is variable
I started out by figuring how much we could comfortably and safely take from investments and retirement accounts, and then budgeted what we needed for expenses. Not exactly rocket science, except that the math fell short by $2,000/month! It definitely worried me until I figured out that we could either find a way to earn that much, or we could save that much! Just amazing how many extra dollars we have “found” by cutting out bottled water, coffee at Starbucks (well, most days), the weekly cleaning lady, the monthly yard service, using the library instead of buying books, having just a pedicure instead of a mani/pedi, using generic drugs…and so on.
Social Security is not simple
We had originally planned to take Social Security at 62 to make up that budget shortfall, but cancelled our application on the advice of both our accountant and financial planner, who claimed we would have to return all the money based on some deferred income due to us in the next few years. Turns out they were wrong and we missed a whole year’s worth of income when in fact the deferred payment didn’t count since it was actually earned in the year before we retired.
Family dynamics change upon retirement
We have always paid for the kids, whether it be family vacations or dinners out. Worked fine when we were in our peak earning years and they were just beginning careers, marriages, families, mortgages. But now things are reversed, and it’s time to let them pick up the check more often.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat
In the past, we have enjoyed planning and hosting elaborate dinner parties for groups of friends – which means we ate all the costs for the wines and food. But recently we’ve begun doing “joint” dinners where each couple brings a course, both the food and wine, leaving us with just the main course to prepare and serve. Last week we had six guests who brought appetizers, a soup course, a pasta course, a cheese course and dessert. What a cost and time savings — and everyone loved the shared effort.
Retirement isn’t always a joint endeavor
Because our shared business life kept us on the same schedule most of the time, I expected we would automatically have the same rhythm and joint activities in retirement life. Not so. I like to sleep until 8 or 8:30 a.m., while he still likes to get up at 6 a.m. He is off early for a workout at the YMCA, while I prefer long walks in the afternoon. I have not yet taken up the volunteer causes that he is ready to embrace.

We do agree on one thing, however, that some joint activity is needed to pull our days, our lives, together. There is always dinner in the evenings, and family calls and visits but, I sense, long term there needs to be more. A good friend is taking up golf so she can play weekly with her husband. Other acquaintances have bought an RV and plan to see the USA. I’m sure the rhythm will come for us, perhaps on our bikes, or at those ballroom dancing lessons we’ve discussed, or some other new activity. We just need to find the time.

* Lee Miller welcomes responses. Please email them to leemiller229@gmail.com

About Lee Miller

Lee Miller began her writing career with four books about Pennsylvania/east coast wines and the creation of Wine East magazine. She then went on to found the Chaddsford Winery with her husband Eric, where she turned her pen to promotion, advertising, public relations and marketing of their successful business venture for 30 years. Last year Lee co-wrote the new wine book, “The Vintner’s Apprentice” with Eric, and retired from the Chaddsford Winery to pursue other interests. She is currently working on a book about her life in the wine industry and exploring the retirement life. Her goal in writing a column for Chadds Ford Live is to generate dialogue and elicit reader response.

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Get Real: The truth about radon gas

Home and Leisure

There’s a scene in “The Princess Bride” where the villainous Vizzini offers his adversary an invisible, odorless and tasteless poison. While his description is meant to conjure laughs, he could have just as easily been talking about radon gas.

You can’t see, smell or taste radon, yet exposure to the gas can make you sick. In fact, the Surgeon General’s office has warned that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today after smoking.

Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. It may sneak into the air you breathe by penetrating your home through cracks in the foundation. Radon can be discovered in all parts of the country, including here in the Brandywine Valley, and can cause a dangerous high indoor radon level in any home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, roughly one out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels.

While it’s not a requirement that you test for radon when you make an offer to buy a home in many places, it’s a good idea to ask for a Radon Inspection Contingency.

A Radon Inspection Contingency can put some structure into getting a short-term radon test done on any home to make sure the levels of radon on the lowest level of the home are below the 4.0 pCi/L level. (pCi/L stands for picocurie per liter. A picocurie is one-trillionth of a Curie, an international unit of radioactivity.) That level was a target set by the U.S. Congress for indoor air quality, and the U.S. EPA enforces that mandate.

If you are preparing to sell your home, talk with your realtor about testing for radon before you put it on the market. This can save valuable time during a real estate transaction, as long as you have all the paperwork and testing data to show the prospective buyer.

The quickest way to detect radon is with short-term tests, which remain in your home for two to 90 days, depending on the device. The most common detectors are charcoal canisters, alpha track, electret ion chamber, continuous monitors and charcoal liquid scintillation.

Test the home in the lowest level that you currently live in, or a lower level not currently used, but which a buyer could use for living space without making renovations. Elevated radon levels can be remedied with a radon-reduction system, which can reduce the gas by up to 99 percent and cost approximately less than $1,000 to buy and install.

Buyers and sellers should be smart about radon. Every new home should be tested after occupancy, even if it was built radon-resistant or with a radon reducing system installed.

* Jim DeFrank and Beth Alois can be reached at 610-388-3700. Prudential Fox & Roach is an independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity.

About Beth Alois

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