September 10, 2014

On Saturday, Sept. 6th, Nikolas Toocheck became the youngest person in the world — according to available records — to complete a marathon on all seven continents with his final run in Asia.

True to his word, 11-year-old Nikolas ran all seven continents to raise money and awareness for Operation Warm in his campaign “Running the World for Children,” and he did

it in less than two years. Operation Warm is a national non-profit founded by Nikolas’s grandfather in 1998 which has provided over 1.4 million brand new winter coats to impoverished children living in the United States.

At age 9, Nikolas began his journey to complete all seven marathons and never imagined he would set two world records; he is also the youngest to complete a marathon on Antarctica.

“It has been an awesome experience,” Nikolas said of his accomplishment. “I have been to amazing places, met the coolest people, and seen how other kids live. I know how lucky I am, and I want to help other kids by raising money for new winter coats.”

What motivates this young dynamo?

“I get to do something I love and help kids at the same time. It feels really awesome to be able to do it,” Nikolas said.

To date, Nikolas’s “Running the World for Children” campaign has provided brand new winter coats to over 2,000 children in need, raising more than $40,000. Grateful for such incredible support, he set a steep goal to raise $1 million — a dollar for each one of his steps in his seven-marathon goal — resulting in 50,000 brand new coats for children across the country.

Nikolas hopes that his accomplishment will encourage other kids to do what they love for good. As Nikolas likes to say, “I realized early on that you don’t have to be big to make a positive difference in the world.”

With few exceptions, Newlin Township operates as tranquilly as its rolling, bucolic landscapes, part of the revered Cheshire Hunt Country.

But roiling tempers dominated the discussion of a proposed ordinance to regulate horse boarding and riding schools at Monday night’s supervisors’ meeting. In the works for more than a year, the proposal — and the attendant struggle to craft it — has been watched by neighboring townships.

More than 100 people packed the Lenfest Center in the ChesLen Preserve to voice objections to the proposal. After an hour of spirited exchanges, the supervisors recessed briefly before announcing that they would delay a vote until the next meeting on Oct. 13.

At the beginning of Monday night’s meeting, Supervisors’ Chair Janie Baird outlined the history of the conflict, which she said dated back to May 2013. She said the township fielded several complaints – and a litigation threat — from residents regarding a neighboring farm on Hilltop View Road that had changed hands and was generating more horse trailer traffic. A subsequent review of the township’s existing ordinance revealed 36 horse operations in violation of the ordinance, Baird said.

“This township does not go looking into residents’ back yards to see what they are doing,” Baird said.

John Good, the township solicitor, acknowledged that the township’s enforcement of the ordinance had been lax, “frankly because there weren’t complaints.”

However, once they occurred, they required a response, Baird said. She said the supervisors learned that unlawful uses could not be grandfathered. As a result, they opted to redo the ordinance, a process that involved 31 public meetings and input from Good, two consultants, several equine veterinarians, and numerous residents, Baird said.

Criticizing the resulting proposal, about a dozen residents addressed the board at Monday night’s meeting, comments that triggered loud applause. Many said they moved to the area because horses were part of the landscape.  They also questioned why the required pastureland had been increased from two acres for the first horse to three, and hiked from one acre to two for each additional horse.

Lisa Thomas, who said she had been asked to coordinate the opposition, said an online petition had garnered more than 1,400 signatures. She said the new regulations would create undue hardships for many horse owners, and she urged the supervisors to get more feedback from the affected residents.

Jessica Ransehousen, one of three Olympic competitors who live in the township, said: “This area is so very lucky to have so many Olympians who want to live here.” She questioned whether the supervisors were targeting the wrong animal, describing the township’s horse farms as well maintained while the cattle pastures “look like hell.”

Ben Barnett, who owns the farm that initiated the complaints, elicited a standing ovation when he asked that the record reflect that no one in the audience seemed to support the proposed ordinance.

“Open, preserved space is what makes Newlin unique,” he said, insisting that horse farms are no threat. “We need to get this right,” he said of the ordinance. “It’s what the residents deserve.”

After the supervisors decided to table the vote, Good said residents would have 30 days to apply for a special exception and/or variance so that anyone who wanted to be governed by the existing ordinance, including the two/one acreage provision, would have that opportunity. Several residents responded that the township’s $1,500 application fee made that option burdensome while others called the suggestion “extortion.”

Several residents repeated the request that the board get more feedback from landowners. Supervisor Bob Pearson said the board would consider all the comments before reaching a decision. “Hopefully by next month’s meeting, we’ll have some direction,” he said.

Once the equestrian issue ended, the crowd disappeared. The supervisors handled the remaining agenda items in less than 30 minutes before half a dozen residents.

The earlier discord prompted resident Caroline Haas to suggest that a fund-raiser planned for Saturday to support the township’s volunteer fire companies – Po-Mar-Lin, West Bradford and Modena – would provide an ideal venue for restoring some good will. She pointed out that no matter what tensions may surface, the volunteers are always ready to put out the fires that periodically threaten people as well as animals.

The supervisors agreed, unanimously voting to make a $750 donation that will cover the full cost of the firefighters’ tickets to Saturday’s event at the ChesLen Preserve. Expressing thanks, Haas said the gesture sends an important message about “how much you appreciate the firefighters.”