December 9, 2014 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Shirl Lynn Grabenstein Sotak of Avondale

Shirl Lynn Grabenstein Sotak, 49, of Avondale, died Friday, Dec. 5, at Seasons Hospice at Christiana Hospital after a two-year battle with cancer. Born in Ridley Park, she was a daughter of Robert C. Grabenstein of Wilmington, and the late Joan Willett Grabenstein.

Shirl graduated from Padua Academy in 1983 and the University of Delaware in 1989 with a bachelor of art degree in both textiles and in interior design. She was a diversely experienced interior designer that worked as an aircraft interior designer for Atlantic Aviation and other commercial interior design firms: Knoll, Mitchell Associates and Siegfied Group. Her excellent reputation with her clients and employers was well deserved. She enjoyed spending time outdoors gardening, hiking, bike riding and going to the beach. She was passionate about motherhood and practicing yoga, which brought her joy, as did her time with friends and family, especially her daughters Elyse and Mia. She was a member of St. Catherine’s of Siena in Wilmington.

Survivors include in addition to her father, her beloved daughters Mia Lynn and Elyse Marie; two sisters, Dawn (Michael) Hamill and Joan (Lawrence) DeVaney; nephews Daniel, Sean, and Charlie and niece Lindsay.

You are invited to visit with Shirl’s family and friends from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday Dec. 13, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 2503 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. Mass will be at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon, also held at the church. Burial will be a private in Union Hill Cemetery, Kennett Square. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Children of Shirl Sotak scholarship fund, which is being established. Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com

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A gift of art lasts

Arts & Entertainment

“A new TV will quickly lose its luster, and the new iPad will be out of date next year. The gift of art is something that transcends the decades of ownership, providing joy to its owner many years after the TV has been discarded by the curb” asserts to Zvezdana Scott, owner of downtown Kennett Square’s Mala Galleria. Though you may prefer to invest in a large new work of art for your home from a local gallery, this is a unique time of year to find the more portable and affordable works of art available at holiday shows. For all of this month, Mala Galleria is donating a turkey to the Kennett Food Cupboard for every art purchase – what a thoughtful way of giving back and encouraging the arts.

In downtown West Chester, at the Meridian Bank, The Art Trust is showing “Gifted” through January 23rd. Sixteen local artists are exhibiting reasonably priced art. The reception is this Wednesday the 10th from 5-8:30 pm. Carlino’s is catering so what could be better?!

Opening reception for the uber-talented Luo Hong at the Chester County Art Association is Friday, December 11th from 5-8 pm. She has a solo show in the Huston Gallery at the art center. Her realist works are full of beauty and light. Having competed with her in plein air shows, let’s just face it, she almost always wins. It is just ridiculous she is so good at what she does. Check it out and leave humbled, or better yet own one of her marvelous paintings, which gives back a percentage to support the good works at Chester County Art Association.

In Kennett Square, The Woodlands at Phillips Mushroom Farm at 1020 Kaolin Road has started to do Pop up Art Shows. Such a great idea, why didn’t I think of that? This month Woodlands is featuring the glass fused art work of local artist Patsy Keller, and the opening is this Friday from 11 am -4 pm. Patsy’s work makes great gifts, especially her pendants and bowls.

Friday through Sunday Susan Bankert’s pottery is for sale at Barking Tree Pottery’s Annual Holiday Open House. Friday from 3-10 pm, she is serving homemade soup, Victory Beer. Her beautiful ceramics works that are perfect gifts. She is located at 2991 Lincoln Highway in Sadsburyville. You could get all your holiday shopping done here. Its worth the trip.

Also this Friday, in Wilmington, Art is After Dark at the Delaware Museum of Art is showcasing its Winter Arts Festival from 6-10pm with food, music and art for 16 local artisans. The show continues Saturday, just without the party.

On Saturday is an “Artful Event” from 1-7 pm at 27 Dillworthtown Road in Thornton- artworks from Diane Cirafesi, Ellie Byrom-Haley and the one and only Kim Z. I have so many of Kim’s necklaces it is an addiction. These three women artists are absolutely unique, passionate and fun. Make time to go to this one, and then go to Four Dogs for lunch.

Also Saturday from 2-7pm jewelry artist Lenora Dame, nationally renown as well as in Anthropologie, will have a trunk sale at Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square. I am so excited! Come and buy jewelry at a humongous discount, sip wine and have fun. I have too many of her necklaces to count, and they make terrific gifts. I remember accosting ceramic artist Rhoda Kahler so many times -asking her where did she get that necklace?! And it was always, “Lenora Dame”. Now that I have wrestled the big secret, I am happy to share the news.

Saturday the 13th and the 20th from 11 am -5 pm, there is a Christmas Artist Open House with photographer Timlyn Vaughn and other artists. The art show and sale is at the Vaughn’s studio in his 1850 Farm House at 235 Blue Rock Road in West Chester. There will be a roaring fireplace, food and wine and art of course. Sounds lovely!

Also this Saturday, The Beauty Art Gallery has the reception from 5-8 pm for its 2014 Small Treasures Exhibit which has beautiful artworks all priced at $300 and under. If you bring in a new unwrapped donation for Toys for Tots then $10 will be deducted from your purchase price. Beauty is located at 3857 Providence Road in Newtown Square.

Saturday the 13th is the last day of sculptor Jill Beech’s open studio from 10 am -4:30 pm. Jill is located at 6 Park Avenue in Coatesville. I am mad about her work! But to be honest, I would have a hard time giving it away as a gift. Check it out and be inspired. Jill carefully works each wonderful sculptural piece and only makes enough work for two shows a year – and this is one of them. Check out the Whip after you have been to her studio for a deliciously inspiring Saturday.

If you are not exhausted from holiday art shopping, or even if you are, no excuse, come to Galer Estate Winery this Sunday from 3 pm -6 pm and meet artist Robert C. Jackson. He will be there for the signing of his most recent book. I am a crazy art book person, and I am over the moon about his new book. But, even if you are just marginally a book lover, check out this book. It is beautiful.

It is the perfect art book in homage to 20 contemporary artists that this artist is inspired by. I cannot think of a better, more moving reason to create a book. In fact, the Delaware Art Museum was so moved that it is creating an entire exhibition around Bob’s new book! This is the ONLY book signing in our area of Robert Jackson’s “Behind The Easel” The Unique Voices of 20 Contemporary Representational Painters. This is the true gift of art. Robert Jackson is one of the most renown artists of our time, and he is local and will be signing his new book at the winery this Sunday.

http://www.malagalleria.com

http://www.thearttrust.com

http://www.delart.org/

http://beautyartgallery.net/

http://www.thewoodlandsatphillips.com/

http://www.dianecirafesi.com/

http://www.artthisellie.com/

http://www.galerestate.com

http://randallgraham.com/

http://www.sarasimboli.com/

http://www.dianecannonart.com/

http://www.chestercountyarts.org

http://www.robertcjackson.com/pages/book.html

http://www.lenoradame.com

http://www.rhodakahler.com

www.timlynvaughanphotos.com

About Lele Galer

Lele Galer is an artist who has chaired numerous art shows, taught art history and studio art, public art and has chaired, written and taught the Art in Action Art Appreciation series for the UCFD schools for the past 12 years. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and wrote for the Associated Press in Rome. She has been dedicated to Art History and art education for most of her adult life. Lele and her husband Brad own Galer Estate Winery in Kennett Square.

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Judges fill Chesco commissioner vacancy

Local News

After listening to six, five-minute pitches from commissioner candidates, Chester County’s Court of Common Pleas announced that a Tredyffrin lawyer would fill the vacancy created by Ryan Costello’s election to the U.S. House.

Michelle H. Kichline, a graduate of Conestoga High, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University Law School, will succeed Costello. During last month’s election, Costello won the Sixth District congressional race and is scheduled to resign from his post as commissioners’ chairman on Dec. 15.

Members of the Chester County bench heard from all of the candidates on Monday morning in open court. President Judge James P. MacElree II asked a single question of each candidate: What is your view of the relationship between the courts and the commissioners as it relates to court funding?

Following the brief presentations from the candidates, the judges caucused for approximately half an hour, and the decision was made public two hours later. County spokeswoman Rebecca Brain said she did not yet know when Kichline would be sworn in. Kichline will join Terence Farrell, the other Republican on the board, and Democrat Kathi Cozzone. The seat will come up for election in November 2015.

Kichline told the judges that her interest in public service came from her parents, who emigrated from Hungary. She said she possesses a wide range of municipal experience. “I will be able to hit the ground running on Day One,” she said.

A former chair of the Tredyffrin Township supervisors, Kichline – who lost her bid for reelection in 2013 – has also served on the township’s zoning hearing board, the Chester County Association of Township Officials, and the Delaware River Port Authority.

Besides Kichline, the judges heard from John M. Primus of East Fallowfield, Leon R. Spencer Jr. of Kennett Square, Ann Duke of West Chester, Maureen Snook of East Bradford, and Hudson L. Voltz of East Brandywine.

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Op/Ed: Fracking poisons more than groundwater

Opinion

As Greenpeace revealed a few years ago when it published leaked internal documents from Exxon, the energy industry has for decades spent vast sums to convince the public that extracting and burning fossil fuels is safe, that global warming is a myth and that we have no alternatives to the status quo.

Industry propaganda has pervaded radio, television, print, and the Web, and their messaging is always “Trust us; we’re doing things right.” This public relations assault has polluted our air, water, media, regulatory agencies, and politics. Now they’re compromising universities and organizations that, at one time, actually fought to protect the environment.

At a recent symposium at Swarthmore College on the topic of hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — The Delaware Riverkeeper Network, The Nature Conservancy, and Consol Energy participated in a debate about this controversial energy extraction process. It seemed that only Consol Energy would be arguing the “pro,” so it was quite a surprise when Nels Johnson from the Pennsylvania chapter of The Nature Conservancy came down clearly in support of a process that even internal industry documents admit can’t be done safely.

With its policy that it should be part of our energy landscape for the foreseeable future, The Nature Conservancy joins the Environmental Defense Fund in supporting this recklessness. Instead of exposing the lies of polluters and fighting for renewable energy, TNC and EDF are now taking the position that fracking only needs “to be done right.” The extent to which they’ve lost their way is evidenced even more clearly on their Web sites where they proudly display the names of their corporate partners: BP, Shell, Monsanto, DuPont, Dow, and other corporate polluters.

TNC and EDF seem to be the latest victims of an industry determined to dominate the energy debate. It’s not a secret that regulatory agencies are frequently headed or even completely captured by former leaders and lobbyists from the energy industry. For example, in 2010, a slick of corruption coated the Minerals Management Service, the agency charged with oversight of the oil industry. Most of its top staff are former industry insiders or lobbyists when BP devastated the Gulf.

If the MMS had actually done its job, the BP disaster would have been averted, but instead it allowed industry to flout regulations and ignore safety measures. And it’s not just federal agencies that have been corrupted. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has done a pitiful job protecting our environment from energy corporations. Indeed, its recently departed administrator, Chris Abruzzo, said that he believed “global climate change to be a myth,” a not-unexpected statement considering Gov. Tom Corbett’s receipt of more than a million campaign dollars from frackers.

The industry has also co-opted universities by lavishing great sums of money on them, ensuring it gets the kinds of “scientific conclusions” it pays for. What kinds of science can the public hope to get from the “Chevron Science Center” at the University of Pittsburgh? Is it imaginable that any science critical of fracking could issue from that university?

Should the public place any trust in a study conducted by Penn State but funded by the Marcellus Shale Coalition? Universities are inordinately expensive enterprises, so it’s not surprising that they would take corporate money to endow department chairs, fund studies, or build science centers. It also isn’t surprising that universities don’t bite the hands that feed them.

There are groups like Greenpeace, NRDC, Sierra Club, and many others working to expose the danger fracking presents to our groundwater, streams, and political institutions. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few voices in the wilderness like Democracy Now, Propublica, and Rolling Stone, the media has been complicit in hiding the dangers of fracking. Even PBS airs energy corporation ads now. It also accepts millions in donations from gas tycoons like John Arnold, making it unlikely the industry will be scrutinized very closely.

While natural gas burns cleaner than coal, fugitive methane emissions escaping from wellheads, compressor stations, pipelines, trucks, and every other stage of the delivery process make natural gas no better and possibly worse than coal. It’s just too expensive for industry to capture every last cubic foot of escaping methane, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide. It is much cheaper to capture agencies, legislatures, universities, the media, and now conservation NGOs than to pay to upgrade expensive infrastructure.

The simple truth is that fracking can’t be done safely, so the money we invest now in renewable energy technologies is money we won’t have to spend later to clean up the legacy of poison the industry will be leaving behind — if it’s even possible to remediate toxic groundwater. There’s a reason why the practice was exempted from provisions of the Clean Water Act. The industry has long known that, given enough time, all wells fail, so it’s just a matter of time before the toxins pumped into the ground under high pressure find their way into groundwater.

Energy corporations might now control or heavily influence regulatory agencies, universities, the media, and conservation organizations like The Nature Conservancy and The Environmental Defense Fund but — like the poison in a high-pressure gas well — the truth about fracking is leaking out.

Ken Hemphill
Concord Township

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Seeking Rx for continued good health

Health

For many years, numerous agencies with well-intentioned members committed themselves to improving the health of Chester County residents – sometimes working at cross-purposes.

Three years ago, the Chester County Health Department embarked on an ambitious initiative to identify needs and resources through collaborative partnerships. Following hundreds of hours of planning time and a model from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of County and City Health Officials, county officials unveiled a Community Health Improvement Plan on Friday, Dec. 5.

Chester County Health Department Director Jeanne Casner explains that Chester County’s RoadMAPP to Health is a work in progress.

The plan, part of the county’s RoadMAPP to Health initiative, was presented to about 100 county workers, community and business leaders. It was based on input from Chester County’s RoadMAPP community survey, conducted to identify the health challenges facing the county, as well as input from dozens of organizations.

“All of us in this room know that Chester County is a great place to live,” Commissioner Kathi Cozzone told the group. But despite the county’s many health accolades, Cozzone said, “We recognize that we can always make improvements.”

For several years, Chester County has been named the first- or second-healthiest county in the state by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. County officials said they want to continue that record of excellence for the county’s half-million residents.

Commissioner Terence Farrell, who credited the Health Department’s Ashley Orr for spearheading the RoadMAPP project, said five strategic issues were identified and would continue to be county priorities: cultural competence and health disparities, coordinated behavioral and physical health, awareness of community resources, individual health management and disease prevention, and safe and healthy environments.

Orr explained that improving the county’s health goes well beyond disease prevention. It affects housing, transportation, jobs, parks, and air and water quality. “Not everyone has a safe place to live, work and play,” she said, explaining that the RoadMAPP initiative involves partnerships with non-health organizations, such as the county’s Department of Emergency Services and its Planning Commission.

Paul Huberty, a senior vice president at Chester County Hospital, said the county is already making inroads in reducing birth disparities, especially in the African American community. He credited a dramatic increase in prenatal care to a partnership among the hospital, ChesPenn Health Services, and the Brandywine Health Foundation.

Donna Carlson from the county’s Department of Human Services said more valuable research on improving public health has come through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Established by the Affordable Care Act in 2011, PCORI awarded 25 grants nationwide, one of which went to Chester County.

Carlson said research indicates that 68 percent of U.S. residents with serious mental illness – approximately 10 million people – also have medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, resulting in death 15 to 25 years earlier than the general population. Researchers are working to determine how to serve that vulnerable population in Chester County most effectively, she said.

Joan Holliday, a Kennett-area community activist, cited the example of Activate Chester County, which consists of collaborative groups across the county representing hospitals, health and recreation organizations, school districts, municipalities, and YMCAs. Their goal is to reduce obesity rates in Chester County.

“Activate Chester County has been around for 10 years, but we needed a boost,” she said, adding that small programs don’t work as well as larger ones. “We needed a broader approach.”

Among the assets of a more broad-based program is a clearinghouse for resources, said Barbara Mancill from United Way of Chester County. She said two existing sources of information on health and human services – Refer Web (http://www.referweb.net/chesco/) and United Way’s 2-1-1 phone number – would mirror each other.

Orr said that process of updating and integrating resources has already begun.

“Everything is starting to come together,” said Jeanne Casner, who heads the county’s Health Department. “This doesn’t stop today. This is another beginning … It’s not going to be a map that lasts five years so we’re going to continually look at it, reassess it, and apply the new data.”

For more information, visit http://webapps.chesco.org/webapps/health/cha/home.html

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No tax increase in Birmingham’s budget

Local News

Birmingham Township has its budget for 2015. The good news for property owners there is that township property taxes will remain at their 2014 level of 1.6 mills.

A mill is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Supervisors held two budget meetings earlier this autumn and passed the spending plan during their Dec. 8 meeting. Anticipated revenue for the upcoming year is just less than $1.3 million while anticipated expenses are just under $1.5 million.

More than $730,000 will be carried forward into 2015, according to Township Manager Quina Nelling. She added, though, that the carry forward amount could be reduced if there’s any substantial snowfall the remainder of the month, which would cause the township to spend more of the leftover funds.

Other business

Snow removal in 2014 was a major factor in township expenses. During his quarterly report, roadmaster Dave Rathbun said the township spent more than $188,000 for snow removal this year, including removal for the small snowfall before Thanksgiving.

Rathbun also said three pothole issues on Old Wilmington Pike had grown so large and deep that they have to be addressed now instead of waiting until the 2015 road project as had been planned.

“We wanted to hold off until next year, but that would be too long,” Rathbun said.

He said the holes would get a hot patch repair within the next few weeks and then get a permanent repair after the first of the year.

Rathbun added that he expects the township to take in more than $125,000 in liquid fuels revenue in 2015. He noted a steady increase in the amount the township has gotten since 2009.

New Birmingham Township police officers John Pot, left, and Kevin Urbany, right, with Police Chief Tom Nelling.

• Birmingham Township now has two new part time police officers. The board approved the hiring of John Pot and Kevin Urbany. Their starting salary is $19.80 per hour.

• Supervisors have again postponed a decision on whether to approve Stillman Volvo’s request to use property in Thornbury Township, Chester County, as a parking facility for inventory cars.

The board deferred the decision in November to this month, but decided during the Dec. 8 meeting to hold off until two issues can be resolved.

Supervisors want to know exactly where the parking area will be in relation to the location of a septic field. Code Enforcement Officer Richard Jensen said there could be “major issues” if cars were parked on top of the septic area.

Jensen also said the area between the two townships is currently nothing more than a dirt path and making many trips per day could “turn the area into a mud hole.”

Sillman’s site on Route 202 is owned by PHP Enterprises and straddles Birmingham and Thornbury. As previously reported, both townships must approve any changes in use.

Supervisors’ Chairman John Conklin said the board wouldn’t be ready to approve the request until it can be sure there’s compliance with all ordinances.

• The board voted to retain the services of BBD, LLP for its 2014 audit at a cost of $5,000.

• Supervisors also voted to approve Infinity of West Chester’s request to move into the Route 202 property previously used by Ruggeri Cadillac.