April 3, 2013

Chadds Ford Township now has a new fire marshal as well as a new codes officer, vacancy officer and a returning roadmaster.

Supervisors named Michael Daily, a Chester Township police officer and longtime volunteer firefighter as fire marshal. The township had been using Fred Field, Concord Township’s fire marshal until late last year.

The fire marshal reviews developers’ plans, inspects public buildings, advises residents of hazards, enforces burning ordinances and investigates the cause of fires in coordination with the state police fire marshal or county district attorney’s office.

Daily has been a police officer for 28 years, currently serving as patrol supervisor in Chester Township. He’s been involved with the fire service for more than 25 years, mostly in investigation.

“I look forward to serving the residents of Chadds Ford. I see a lot of good things coming,” he said in a brief interview prior to the April 3 Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

He said he wants township residents to know that he’s available to answer questions.

“It’s a close-knit community and I’d like to be part of that,” Daily said.

Supervisors’ Cjhairman Deborah Love said Daily would be appointed to the Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Daily was sworn in at the meeting by Judge Richard Cappelli. (See photo above.)

Supervisors also appointed Barb Kearney, of BIU Inc., as the new codes officer, zoning officer, grease trap inspector and member of the Historical and Architectural Review Board. She replaces Rich Jensen.

Another replacement is Craig Huffman. He’s replacing former Supervisor Garry Paul as vacancy officer. Paul resigned from that position the last week in March.

Current Supervisor George Thorpe will be wearing an old hat once again. He will serve as roadmaster through the end of 2013. He replaces Joe Barakat who had been roadmaster and township manager until his resignation in December. Thorpe has served in that capacity before.

While Judy Lizza is serving as the interim township manager, supervisors are still looking to hire a permanent replacement. They will be advertizing the position and will take applications through May.

Other business

Several representatives from the Kennett Area Senior Center — Tom Hoehle and Ken Schreffler — addressed the supervisors, looking for volunteers and possibly members.

Hoehle said the center has more than 50 programs offered for seniors, including exercise and computer oriented programs. He added that the center also gives caregivers a break. They can take the seniors they care for to the center so they can have a few hours for themselves.

Schreffler spoke about Neighbors in Action, a program in which volunteers give their time and talents to help out with transportation needs, light home repair and providing companionship.

They left brochures at the township building for people wanting more information.

Battle plans are being made in Birmingham Township — re-enactment battle plans, that is.

Township supervisors and members of the Recreation, Parks and Open Space Committee are continuing to develop plans for a Battle of Brandywine re-enactment tentatively planned for Sandy Hollow Park in the spring of 2014.

Members of the committee told supervisors during their April 1 board meeting that they are still looking to hold the event next spring, but might push it back to 2015 if they can’t get everything planned out properly for 2014.

Still in the early planning stages, the idea is to have the re-enactment with cannon and musket fire at the bottom of the hill at the park. Re-enactor Paul Loane, of the 2^nd Pennsylvania and the 43^rd Regiment of Foot, said he has walked the property and determined that the mock gunfire should not disrupt the adjacent neighborhood.

Loane’s group, representing both sides of the War for Independence, has put on demonstrations at Brandywine Battlefield Park, Brandywine Creek State Park and at Valley Forge.

He added that it would be a regional event that would attract re-enactors — about 300 — from the Mid Atlantic region. If it catches on, he said, the event could draw national attention and bring in people even from Canada.

One of the concerns is whether or not there is ample parking for re-enactor and spectators. Committee members believe there is sufficient parking if the upper portion of the park is used for that purpose.

“It’s a big project, a lot of work,” said Committee Chairman Mike Langor. But he added that there are enough volunteers to get everything organized for an April or May 2014 event.

It’s planned as a two-day event with the British winning on Saturday and the colonials winning on Sunday, Loane said.

Supervisor John Conklin said he likes the idea and thinks it could work. He and the rest of the board will be updated monthly on the committee’s progress to get enough information for proper planning.

For years there had been an annual re-enactment of the 1771 battle at Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford Township, but that is state-owned property. The state stopped operating the park in 2009 and currently does not allow the use of gunpowder or campfires on any of its sites.

Other business

• Conklin said the first interpretive sign has been installed at Birmingham Hill. Another sign is planned for Sandy Hollow. The signs include QR codes, a form of bar code that uploads information to a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet. As previously reported, one advantage of encoded signs is that people can get more information without there being extra text on the sign. (See photo. The QR code is on the right hand side of the blue field at the top of the sign.)

• Owners of the current Comfort Inn on Route 202 will be going before the Zoning Hearing Board for a sign variance on April 24. The motel is becoming a Holiday Inn Express. Owners are looking to raise the height of the new sign from 15 feet to 20 feet. Supervisors agreed to neither support nor oppose the request.

• Supervisors voted to retain the services of lawyer Joe Rudolph in connection with police officers exploring the option of forming a bargaining unit. There is no call for unionization yet, said Conklin, but Rudolph has been retained to “protect the rights of the public.”

• Kathleen Kennedy was appointed to the Historical and Architectural Review Board. Her term expires the end of this year.