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October 23, 2013

Prabel named CF Citizen of the Year

Local News
Prabel named CF Citizen of the Year

The Chadds Ford Civic Association honored resident Bruce Prabel with the organization’s first-ever Outstanding Chadds Ford Citizen of the Year award during its annual membership meeting on Oct. 22.

Also during the meeting — held at the Brandywine River Museum — association members elected five board members and heard a talk from noted architect John Milner.

Prabel, a former roadmaster and tax collector, has been active in the township for more than 30 years. Association President Mary Kot said Prabel has been involved in every roadside cleanup since the association re-instated the program in 1993.

“Bruce has volunteered hundreds and hundreds of hours on township special projects over the years including increasing collections of tax revenues, proposal of a burning ordinance…and detailed needed revisions of Local Service Tax law to bring it into compliance with Pennsylvania state law,” Kot said during her presentation of the award.

Prabel, with a chemistry degree from the University of Utah, said the award was an unexpected honor that will rank high on his list of memories.

During a brief speech, he said that volunteers are what help make Chadds Ford great and hailed those who serve on the Civic Association, the Chadds Ford Historical Society as well as government committees, boards and even the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board.

Architect John Mi,ner tells members of the Chadds Ford Civic Association that they live in an area with excellent examples of 18th century architecture.
Architect John Mi,ner tells members of the Chadds Ford Civic Association that they live in an area with excellent examples of 18th century architecture.

“It’s astounding how many people devote their time,” Prabel said.

Milner spoke about historic renovation, showing photos of a variety of centuries-old structures and what he can learn from them. He also said that the Chadds Ford area is home to best examples of 18th century architecture. He specifically named the John Chad House and the Barns-Brinton House, both owned by the Chadds Ford Historical Association.

Milner said the Chad House architecture shows how environmentally tuned in builders were in the early 1700s. It has a south-facing front to take advantage of heat and light from the sun and that the ground level kitchen, with its beehive oven, is in the northwest corner of the house, which is the coldest corner.

The Barns-Brinton House also has a south facing front, has large windows of leaded glass and has the “most exceptional” 18th century woodwork, he said. He said the current woodwork is almost all original, a blend of poplar, cedar, and white and yellow pine.

Milner also showed before and after photos of Turner’s Mill, the current municipal building. He was the architect who renovated the building in what many people have said is an excellent example of adaptive reuse. The old building at Ring Road and Route 1 was once a gristmill and an art studio that Howard Pyle used as a school. One of Pyle’s students was N.C. Wyeth.

Association members Kot, Bill Delaney, Pat Foell, Colleen McFadden and Paul Reussille were elected to the Board of Directors by acclamation.

Lead photo: Bruce Prabel receives plaque from Mary Kot.

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.

Prabel named CF Citizen of the Year Read More »

No Q&A at candidates’ night in Chadds Ford

Local News
No Q&A at candidates’ night in Chadds Ford

Chadds Ford voters had a chance to hear from candidates for supervisor during a candidates’ night at Turner’s Mill last week. Candidates for various offices introduced themselves briefly, but the major focus was on Rhona Klein and Frank Murphy, the Democratic and Republican Party candidates to replace Deborah Love as supervisor.

Klein and Murphy each gave a brief speech outlining their backgrounds and their reasons for running. There was no debate, nor was there any formal question and answer session with the audience. Klein said that was at her request because she wanted to keep the evening informal.

However, Chadds Ford Live did have the opportunity to ask them each one question in a one-on-one interview. Both candidates were asked the same question — What would you need to know in order to make a decision on the YMCA and K. Hovnanian Homes requests for zoning changes?

Klein, who has a background in environmental issues and township management, said she needs to see the actual plans.

“I’d have to really understand the schematics,” she said, “the egress, how the traffic flow is going. I don’t have enough information now. I want an engineer to review those plans, to tell me the good, the bad and the ugly about the traffic patterns. I want traffic studies to be done. I don’t want old traffic studies. I feel that if they put in a plan, and they want to come in, the onus is on them to do what we request, which are the traffic studies. Can they really stop trucks coming through? Is there a safety issue? All these things have to be addressed by professionals, by engineers before I make any decisions.”

Klein added that she wants more information from the YMCA about how many people would be members of a possible Chadds Ford branch.

She also stressed she wants to see a plan before deciding on a possible zoning change.

“Absolutely because the whole zoning change is to allow them. Who else is going to go there? Why would I say ‘yeah, you can go there’ and then find the plan that has all these issues?”

Murphy, an attorney with two engineering degrees, also referenced details.

“First, there is a difference in the requests being made. The YMCA is seeking a text amendment allowing a nonprofit community center, K. Hovnanian Homes is seeking a zoning change,” Murphy said.

“What I would need on both of them, first off is the precedent. What would happen if it was [sic] decided that each of these projects was good to have a zoning change? What precedent would that set for the rest of the township, for other properties? What would the text amendment allow for other sites in the township? What other variances or special exceptions would have to be granted and what is the impact on the neighbors and the community as a whole? I’m very concerned about traffic issues and very concerned about noise issues. We have to analyze those things and go from there,” Murphy said.

During the opening remarks, done publicly, both candidates reviewed their backgrounds and goals.

Klein said she’s well versed in environmental, budgeting, recycling and stormwater management issues.

“You name it, I’ve done,” she told the packed house.

Chadds Ford’s Recycling Task Force and annual recycling event were some of her initiatives.

“I’m passionate about environmental issues. I drank the green Kool-Aid before it was cool to be green,” she said.

Klein said the area is besieged by development and that supervisors should be critical in determining which plans could be detrimental. She also said that she would listen to all points of view, but that special interest should not take priority.

Of special concern to her is that township hires — both employees and volunteer committee people — should be based on qualification. She said for too long have the same people been appointed to various committees.

“Real progress will only come through openness and transparency…We need a government free of cronyism,” Klein said.

Murphy, too, said he wants to listen to everyone and that improving communication is one of his key goals. Supervisors need to ask, and get answers for the question, “what do you think,” he said.

He reiterated previous comments that there should be an e-mail newsletter where people can discuss issues and that podcasts of township meetings would also be a good idea.

He also wants to bring back the Financial Advisory Board. He said that if that board had been active, it might have caught the fact that many businesses in the township had not been billed Business Privilege Taxes for a seven-year period.

His primary concern is with development and said the board of supervisors needs to make sure developments are responsibly done.

“Supervisors must be able to dig into the details of a development and view the township from 10,000 feet in the air,” he said.

Murphy used that theme previously, explaining that supervisors need to plan with foresight, seeing the effects of all potential developments together, not just one at a time.

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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Business blooms at Longwood

Business
Business blooms at Longwood

The business of tourism is blooming at Longwood Gardens and Longwood’s Executive Director Paul Redman wants to spread the seeds of that success.

Redman was the guest speaker at the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Mendenhall Inn on Oct. 23. He said attendance at the gardens has exceeded 1 million for two years running, but there’s no reason that can’t get to 1.5 million and that will bode well for other businesses in the Brandywine Valley, bringing people to coffee shops, restaurants and other local attractions.

He attributed Longwood’s current success to an excellent product and a drive to deliver the best possible customer experience.

“Longwood is about beauty and we’re not bashful about the beauty we’re creating at Longwood,” Redman told an audience of almost 200. “Just as art museums collect great works of art, we collect great works of horticulture.”

But it’s the great customer experience that builds loyalty and brings in more people through the front gate.

“Every guest should feel special, like they’re the only guest,” he said.

To that end, Longwood’s guest services director developed a new best practice idea, a guest service academy that can act as a role model for other businesses. For Longwood, it develops a philosophy of how they will deliver that quality experience.

“We actually drive this through the entire institution…Every staff person at Longwood, including myself, is required to participate in,” the executive director said. “We have ongoing continuing education programs that we have to participate in.”

There are also surveys from guests, tens of thousands, he said, and staff members read each and every one. They also reach the senior staff who analyze them, then that is shared with all the staff and volunteers.

Redman said it’s important for chamber members to understand because “As a region, when we have guests coming to this area, it’s not just Longwood being nice, we all have to deliver this extraordinary guest service.”

“We’re always asking for feedback, we’re measuring and sharing because we have this goal of achieving 100 percent extraordinary satisfaction by all of our guests,” he said. “I’m proud to say we actually come in around 92 percent. But we’re overachievers. We want to hit 100 percent.”

He said the way to reach that goal is to remember that first impressions are everything. Longwood wants to make that impression memorable. Then it’s a matter of engaging the guests.

The primary way Longwood does that is through the plants and the skills of the docents and staff. There are other means, other events such as Longwood’s Wine and Jazz Festival.

“It’s a way of immersing people in a beautiful setting with great music and great food. And then we want to exceed expectations” said Redman. “Whether it’s an event we’re hosting or an event you’re having at Longwood, or whatever it may be on a daily basis, we want to make sure we’ve gone beyond the call of duty of what we’ve promised to deliver.”

Looking to the future, Redman said Longwood again listened to its guests. People want to know how it continues to provide the beauty for 365 days every year. So what Longwood did was to take people behind the scenes. There is something called Longwood underground in which people get to see some of the tunnels and the underside of Longwood that shows the mechanical and engineering side.

But, naturally, Redman and the staff are looking at the gardens.

“They’re beautiful. We’re proud of them. But one thing we know…is the one constant is change,” he said. “No garden is ever static.”

Accepting that, Longwood is “scouring the globe looking for new inspiration, looking to amplify our horticultural talent. Over the course of the next several years, you’re going to see new applications and new creative horticultural ideas,” he said.

There will be a new 90-acre meadow garden with three miles of walking trails late next year. Redman is calling it Longwood’s largest garden and said that was made possible by the relocation of Route 52 that allowed Longwood to join two pieces of property that had been disconnected.

Longwood also plans to restore the famed fountains and Redman said that by the time that’s done, “We will have a new summer spectacular, not only for Longwood, but for our entire region. I promise you there will be nothing else like this in North America.”

He said the final work on the fountain and garden will bring to mind places such as Versailles.

Redman got a laugh when he said Longwood is the most attended public garden in North America, having 1.2 million and 1.1 million visitors in the last two years, adding, “I understand that Montreal may have hit 1.3 million but, since they’re in Canada, I won’t count that.”

There are 20 million people within a two-hour drive from Longwood, so Redman said there’s a strong opportunity to grow the attendance to 1.5 million within the next several years. He added that he thinks that 1.5 million is a conservative number.

He called the Philadelphia area the “garden capital of America” because it has 30 public gardens within 30 miles of the city.

“This is the horticulture epicenter of North America. Think of the Kent countryside in England, that is a known garden destination. This area should be the same,” he said.

Of course, Redman wants Longwood to continue being the leader.

“We want people to have an experience they can’t get anywhere else in the world.”

Photo: Longwood Gardens Executive Director addresses the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce.

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.

Business blooms at Longwood Read More »

Living History: Two historic perspectives on the Brandywine Valley

Along the Ford
Living History: Two historic perspectives on the Brandywine Valley

When Red Hamer started working for The Evening Bulletin, Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House, Mickey Mantle hit 42 home runs for the Yankees and Ken Rosewall was dominating tennis courts around the world. Rosewall’s pursuit happened to be Red’s favorite sport. Hamer became a full-time professional sports writer in 1958 after having been a local tennis star himself.

Covering other sports at the newspaper from 1958- 1974, Hamer was the main reporter following University of Pennsylvania football and the Penn Relays. This author has had several opportunities to meet Red over the past few years and was thrilled to hear of his experiences with some of the best known celebrities of the modern era. Hamer met Rosewall, Rod Laver and later Arthur Ashe in 1968, the year Ashe became the first black player to win the U.S. Tennis Open. Hamer even played Laver — the only man to win the Grand Slam twice — in a friendly match at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

Hamer’s exposure to sports over the years often brought him into interesting situations. In 1971 he participated in the Boston Marathon, taking notes while running so he could write a story about it. Along the course, a blind runner passed him. Humbled by the experience, Hamer later announced that he completed the race “in only 2 hours and 171 minutes.”

Naturally athletic, he used his abilities and connections to meet many of the local sports figures of the 1960’s and 1970’s, catching up with Villanova track star Marty Liquori, chatting with former Phillies “Whiz Kid” center-fielder Ritchie Ashburn and hitting balls with tennis pro Bobby Riggs. Hamer met Luciano Pavarotti, capturing a splendid moment on film as the tenor great rode in the 1991 Philadelphia Columbus Day Parade.

When Hamer decided to focus his talents on photography, it was partially due to the natural beauty of the place he called home — the Chesapeake Bay. Living along the bay for 20 years, he depicted landscapes rather than leaping sports figures. Utilizing his roots in the Philadelphia area for material, in 1979 Red released his first coffee-table book titled “The Four Seasons of Chester County”, which was so popular, it made it into the time capsule buried in front of the Chester County Courthouse.

He went on to write “The Four Seasons of Chester County,” Volumes II, III and IV as well as two volumes of “The Four Seasons of the Chesapeake Bay,” Volume II of which was the best-selling book in the eastern U.S. in 1982.  Hamer’s focus on scenic local countryside is also highlighted in his book “A Chester County Christmas.”

Artist Karl Kuerner, another local icon, grew up admiring his bucolic surroundings in Delaware and Chester counties. His grandfather with the same name emigrated from Germany in 1926, renting the historic Ring Farm in Chadds Ford and later purchasing the property which had ties to the Battle of the Brandywine, stray cannonballs and grapeshot buried in the soil. A sense of history was important to several people in the area, including artist Howard Pyle — considered the father of The Brandywine School of artists — and one of his students, N.C. Wyeth.

N.C.’s son Andrew focused his talent conveying a natural sense of the beauty of the region and later gained national recognition. In hundreds of his paintings, Andrew showcased the Kuerner Farm. By the early 1970’s, the young Karl Kuerner had been actively painting on his own. Showing one of his works to Andrew’s sister Carolyn, Karl began a lifelong infatuation with the serenity and rustic elegance of the Brandywine Valley.

Pursuing his work assiduously for many years, Karl released his book “All In A Day’s Work” in 2007. “This is the Kuerner Farm from the Kuerner’s perspective,” Karl said after its release. In the introduction to the book, Andrew said, “I have watched him grow… with his own vision. His work is inspiring and deeply introspective.” The book captures whimsical scenes from Karl’s childhood and includes a portrait titled “Andy At Work,” — done while the old master wasn’t watching.

Karl Kuerner’s books illustrate less heralded aspects of life along the Brandywine. “Ike At Night” is a capricious look at his 6-year old cat who goes on adventures prowling the countryside, toasting “mousemellows” around the campfire. “Ike Takes Flight” follows suit, depicting feline pursuits with a different twist. Karl says his paintings are “abstracts disguised by realism.”Commenting on the many people drawn to the region to capture the lovely scenery on canvas, Karl said, “There are many local painters, but few artists.” He is clearly one of those few.

Karl Kuerner will be signing copies of his books at the Chadds Ford Historical Society, 1736 Creek Road in Chadds Ford on Saturday, Nov. 2. On Sunday, Nov. 3, Red Hamer will be at the society signing copies of his books and photographs. Both events run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and the historic John Chads House (1725) will be open for tours. The public is invited. For more information, visit the Society website at www.chaddsfordhistory.org or call 610-388-7376.

* Gene Pisasale is an author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His six books and lecture series focus on local history. Gene’s latest work is “The Forgotten Star,” an historical novel of the War of 1812 which highlights true mysteries surrounding an American icon- the Star-Spangled Banner. Visit his website at www.GenePisasale.com or contact him at Gene@GenePisasale.com.

 Photo: The cover of Karl Kuerner’s “Ike at Night.”

About Gene Pisasale

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square, Pa. His eight books and historic lecture series focus on the history of the mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest book is Alexander Hamilton: Architect of the American Financial System, which delves into the life and many accomplishments of this important Founding Father who almost single-handedly transformed our nation from a bankrupt entity into the most successful country in the history of mankind. Gene’s books are available on www.Amazon.com. His website is www.GenePisasale.com; he can be reached at Gene@GenePisasale.com.

Living History: Two historic perspectives on the Brandywine Valley Read More »

Around Town Oct. 25

Along the Ford
Around Town Oct. 25

• There will be a ghost walk tour at the Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford Township on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 5-8 p.m. The walk will be by lantern and will also include the visitors’ center, the park, and candlelight ghost tour of Washington’s headquarters. Wear walking shoes because of uneven ground.

• The Brandywine Conservancy and Guardians of the Brandywine are looking for volunteers to plant 1,400 trees in East Fallowfield, on property permanently preserved through conservation easement. Planting will be done at 2320 Strasburg Road in East Fallowfield Township at 9 a.m. on Oct. 26. Volunteers are advised to wear heavy clothing, heavy shoes, and gloves. Please bring a shovel or hammer if you can. To volunteer, and to get directions, contact Wes Horner, 610-388-8124 or 610-350-7605.

• Author of the new book: “Stone Houses: Traditional Homes of R. Brognard Okie,” James Garrison will lecture and sign copies at the Brandywine River Museum from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The photographer for the book, Geoffrey Gross, will also participate in the book signing. Local architect John Milner, who wrote the forward to the book, will introduce James Garrison. The museum galleries and shop open at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided from 6 to 7 p.m. Admission is $25; $20 for Brandywine Conservancy members.

• The first annual Brandywine Battlefield 5K Run is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8:30 a.m. The run benefits the Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford Township. To register and to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www. BrandywineBattlefield5K.com

• Darlington Arts Center will display a public exhibition of paintings by Wilmington artist Cindy Baker beginning with a free reception Sunday, Nov. 3 from 2 – 4 p.m. The show will be open to the public through Dec. 2. Gallery hours are Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sat 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.darlingtonarts.org or call 610-358-3632.

• Historic Sugartown will host a public open house and dinner to celebrate 30 years on Saturday, Nov. 9.  In 1983, Historic Sugartown, Inc. began its painstaking restoration of the General Store and Worrall House located on the corner of Sugartown and Boot Road in Malvern.  As a result of these efforts, the 19th century village of Sugartown endures as a vibrant part of Chester County’s historic landscape. To mark the anniversary, the community is invited to a free open house from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tickets are $110/individual or $200/couple.  For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact 610-640-2667.

• If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, “What You Didn’t Know About the Museum” on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. is your chance to find out more about the Museum’s lesser-known features. “This is a way for us to show the public parts of the Museum that they may not know about” says Jill Karlson, director of Public Programming at DMNH. For more information, visit www.delmnh.org or call 302-658-9111.

•  Reins of Life, which provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and young adults with disabilities and special needs is the beneficiary of The Mane Event at Oberod, to take place 7-11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Oberod Estate in Centreville. Cost is $65 per person with pre-registeration; $75 at the door or $120 per pre-registered couple or $130 at the door. The event raises money for the care of therapy horses and the Reins of Life Children’s Scholarship Fund. Contact Judy Hendrickson at Reins of Life 610-274-3300 or reinsoflife@verizon.net

• Ahoy maties. It’s Pirate Day at the Brandywine River Museum, Sunday, Nov. 3. Members of Hedgerow Theater will be on hand with a storytelling of Peter Pan featuring Peter, Tinkerbell and Capt. Hook. There will also be pirate-themed crafts, art treasure hunts in the museum galleries. Story time happens 10:30 a.m. and noon, and is free before noon. Afterwards, admission is $12 for adults; $8 seniors; $6, students with ID and children ages 6-12. Free for children under 6 and Brandywine Conservancy members. Aarrgh.

• Top photo: Members of the Chadds Ford Civic Association prepare for the autumn road cleanup.

About CFLive Staff

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

Around Town Oct. 25 Read More »

Free Your Space: Organizing? Be prepared for what you may find

Home and Leisure
Free Your Space: Organizing? Be prepared for what you may find

“Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
 wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
 adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
 lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing…” ~William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Reaching into the cupboard for canned pumpkin, you come upon what appears to have been a bag of potatoes you’ve forgotten you bought a couple of months ago.

You go down to the basement to pull out your holiday décor and realize it will take days to even get close to the area where it is stored.

You look under a bathroom sink for the ointment you haven’t used since last year when you got that blister from raking and you discover a mass of soggy toiletries.

Just because you have not actively used an area in a while doesn’t mean that it has remained unchanged.  Storage spaces like basements, spare rooms, closets and cabinets can be easily overlooked when organizing or cleaning since it is not visible clutter – not in anyone’s way. Besides, the everyday mass of new paper, gadgets and gizmos coming in that crowd our countertops are enough of a challenge!  Who has the time to deal with what’s already stored?

It’s important to be able to put away extra supplies, seasonal items, and sentimental memorabilia so that they do not impinge on our daily living.  However, as we continue to put new items in, we occasionally end up pushing older items back, back, back into the dark recesses known only to the Boogieman.  Although I doubt you’ll need worry about coming across any ingredients in Shakespeare’s brew, you may want to be prepared for the unexpected when venturing to take-on one of these areas.

Have trash bags on hand.  Trash inevitably shows up in spaces that have long been off your radar.   Be prepared for candy wrappers, leaky bottles of hand soap, broken hangers, and moth-eaten sweaters when addressing certain long-neglected areas.

Keep cleaning supplies nearby.  Unless your drawers, cabinets and closets are vacuum-sealed, you should, at the very least, expect a significant amount of dust.  Once you have purged any unwanted or unrelated items from the area, putting items back into a clean space will give you peace of mind and having the supplies on hand will allow you to get the job done in one shot.

Stay calm.  Occasionally you may encounter bigger issues; a leaky pipe or an infestation of bugs or rodents in spaces that you have not visited in a while.  Although these discoveries can be unpleasant and startling, ignoring them will only make matters worse.   Open a window to ventilate the area and check the Center for Disease Control Web site for step-by-step instructions for safe removal of messes such as mouse droppings and mold.

If you’ve seen signs of bugs or rodents, consider bringing in an exterminator first and holding off for a week or two on the organizing.  If there’s a leak that you can find or fix yourself, call a plumber sooner rather than later.  Leaks and critters can do damage to your health and your home.  Take care of them before they turn into a caldron full of trouble.

Let the witches and goblins ringing your doorbell be your only scary surprise this fall season.

* To contact Annette Reyman for organizing work, professional unpacking, productivity support, gift certificates or speaking engagements call (610) 213-9559 or email her at annette@allrightorganizing.com. Reyman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO®) and President of its Greater Philadelphia Chapter.  Visit her websites at www.allrightorganizing.com and www.allrightmoves.com. Follow All Right Organizing on Facebook and Pinterest.

About Annette Reyman

Free Your Space: Organizing? Be prepared for what you may find Read More »

Adopt-a-Pet: Oliver

Along the Ford
Adopt-a-Pet: Oliver

Oliver is a social butterfly who has been waiting since June for his forever home. Oliver was originally found as a lost dog and brought to CCSPCA. While in the shelter’s care it was determined that Oliver had a tumor in his eye, and so he had surgery to remove the tumor. Oliver went into a foster home to recover, where we learned that Oliver is very well mannered and gets along with children and other dogs. Oliver will need a home without cats. Saturday is National Pit Bull Awareness Day, and CCSPCA is celebrating this wonderful companion breed by offering a reduced adoption fee of $50 for all pit bull-type dogs, including Oliver. If you are able to provide Oliver 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. Oliver’s registration number is 96814754. 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. Kitten season is still in full swing and CCSPCA needs fosters for kittens and mother cats.  Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.

About CFLive Staff

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

Adopt-a-Pet: Oliver Read More »

Sanville denies Manzone’s allegations

School & Education

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville said the district does not make deals when it comes to residency violations.

Yet, just such an allegation was leveled at the district administration in Holly Mazone’s resignation letter on Oct. 21. Manzone abruptly stepped down with only one month remaining in her four-year term on the school board.

In the letter, she listed a number of board and administration actions she said were wrong, but said the biggest issue was that a deal had been struck allowing an out-of-district student to attend Unionville High School.

In a telephone interview a day after the resignation, Sanville said he would not breach confidentiality of things discussed in executive sessions, but did say the district follows the letter of the law and investigates “vigorously and aggressively” every time it hears of residency infractions, even to the point of employing private investigators, to confirm legitimate residency.

People must show various forms of proof of residency and sign an affidavit to that effect. Some of the documentation includes leases, mortgages and drivers licenses.

“Residency is complex and it’s not always what you might think. I can tell you we vigorously and aggressively pursue all residency complaints that come to us,” he said, “and we do not strike deals.”

Sanville said the district’s guide on the matter is Pennsylvania state law.

“We do not make deals with anyone,” Sanville said. “What we do is follow board policy and state law.”

He said there were 30 investigations regarding residency issues two years ago and there are about a dozen right now.

“When we know about them, we pursue. Sometimes we find that they’re unfounded and sometimes we find that folks need to register in schools where they live,” he said.

In her resignation letter, Manzone said, “[T]he district administration failed to adequately investigate and pursue a clear violation of our residency requirements, confirmed by investigative reports.”

She said the administration failed to defend the interest of district taxpayers, then dragged its feet and struck a deal without telling school board members.

That deal, she said, “includes forgoing back tuition payments for the period of non-residency and a pledge not to question district residency in the future.”

She went on to say she was denied access to reports justifying the action.

She said state law — Section 1302 of the School Code — provides that a child is considered a resident of the school district where his or her parent resides.

Manzone has represented Region B since being elected four years ago, but previously decided not to run for a second term.

To read the original story on Manzone’s resignation with her full letter of resignation, go here.

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.

Sanville denies Manzone’s allegations Read More »

Police log Oct. 24: Cash stolen; underage drinking

Police

PSP Logo• An undetermined number of people stole cash from a Concord Township home on Patricia Lane in Concord Township, according to a police report. Police said the Oct. 16 incident involved a woman who distracted the homeowner so that an accomplice could enter the residence. The female suspect is described as white, approximately 5 feet five inches tall with collar length blonde hair and acne on her chin. She approached the victim about a survey. After the theft, she departed in a dark colored compact car. Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 484-840-1000.

• Two 15-year-old girls at Garnet Valley High School were cited for underage drinking during a school dance on Oct. 19.  A report said school officials asked a state police trooper from Troop K, Media barracks, to check the girls’ large purses. The trooper found an alcoholic beverage and smelled the substance on them. Preliminary breath tests indicated the girls had been drinking alcohol.

• Someone stole parts of driveway lamps from a property in the 100 block of Pleasant Hill Drive in Concord Township sometime before Oct. 15. Police are asking anyone with information to call 484-840-1000.

• State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan reminded motorists to “steer clear” of police, emergency responders, road crews and tow-truck operators while they carry out their duties. In August, a state police trooper was injured when a motor home struck the rear of his patrol car on the shoulder of Interstate 78 in Lebanon County. Another state trooper was hurt when he was struck by an SUV while issuing a citation to a motorist along Interstate 81 in Dauphin County.

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