January 23, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Roadwork for week of Jan. 25

PennDOT has announced the following road projects, which are weather-dependent and could affect residents in the greater Chadds Ford area during the week of Jan. 25 through Feb. 1. The department recommends that motorists allow extra time if they are traveling through one of the construction zones.

Motorists on Route 1 in both directions between Bayard Road in Kennett Township and the Maryland state line — including, New Garden, London Grove, Penn, Upper Oxford, Lower Oxford, East Nottingham and West Nottingham townships — will experience lane closures. Crews will be working from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on pothole patching.

Traffic signal installation in Kennett Square Borough will require lane closures on Cypress Street at State, Broad and Union Streets and on State Street at Broad Street. Crews are scheduled to work from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Monday, Jan. 26, through Friday, Jan. 30. Lane restrictions are scheduled on Union Street at West State Street from 9 a.m. to 30 p.m. for utility installation from Monday, Jan. 26, through Friday, Feb. 6.

Route 202 in both directions will require intermittent lane closures between Matlack Street and the Delaware County line in West Goshen, Westtown, Thornbury, and Birmingham townships. Pothole patching is scheduled from Tuesday, Jan. 27, through Friday, Jan. 30.

Burnt Mill Road in Kennett Township is closed and detoured between Norway and Spring Mill Roads indefinitely while crews prepare for repairs to a bridge that collapsed on April 24.

Route 401 will be closed and detoured at the Route 202 interchange in East Whiteland Township on Friday, Jan. 16, and and Saturday, Jan. 17 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for overhead bridge reconstruction, part of PennDOT’s $63.3 million widening project. Detours will be posted.

Lane restrictions will be needed on High Street at Barnard Street in West Chester Borough from Monday, Jan. 26, through Wednesday, Feb. 11. Crews are scheduled for utility installation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route 100 (Pottstown Pike) in both directions will require a lane closure between Route 113 and Shoen Road in Uwchlan and West Whiteland Townships from Monday, Jan. 26, through Friday, Jan. 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for widening, part of the $17.4 million project to expand the highway from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. In addition, intermittent traffic stoppages will occur on Route 100 in both directions near the intersection of Ship Road/Marchwood Road on Sunday, Jan. 25, from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. for the relocation of electric utility lines by PECO Energy.

One lane will remain closed on Interstate 95 North at the Commodore Barry Bridge for construction through July 14.

If you want to report potholes and other roadway maintenance concerns on state roads, call 1-800-FIX ROAD.

About CFLive Staff

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

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Orchid Extravaganza to bloom at Longwood

Arts & Entertainment

ORCHIDS 2015-01-22 at 9.46.28 PM — Longwood's Orchid Extravaganza opens Saturday, Jan. 24.

As winter storms continue to threaten, Longwood Gardens is inviting the public to step inside its warm, four-acre conservatory for its annual Orchid Extravaganza, which opens on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The exhibit, which will end March 29, features nearly 5,000 vibrant orchids crafted into exquisite arrangements and forms, including the largest-ever orchid baskets, an oncidium waterfall display, and— back by popular demand—the return of the orchid meadow.

In conjunction with the exhibit, parents are encouraged to bring their children to the gardens for orKIDaceous activities on Feb. 16 and March 14. On these days, the conservatory will feature orchid discovery stations, rainforest activities, interactive storytelling with puppets, and family seek-and-finds.

For more information, visit www.longwoodgardens.org
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About Press Release

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School redistricting then and now

Local News

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board decided in December not to redistrict the elementary schools, but the idea has not gone away completely.

Superintendent John C. Sanville told members of the Pocopson Elementary School PTO that the district would keep a close eye on enrollment over the next few years.

“We’ll be all right for next year, and we’ll be all right for the next several years, but we will monitor elementary enrollment figures closely,” he said during the PTO meeting in the school library on Jan. 22.

That monitoring will involve developing what Sanville called “trigger points” for redistricting. He did not go into detail on the concept, saying the administration would first have to discuss that with the board. That’s supposed to happen during the February work session, he said.

The administration was considering redistricting because of the enrollment growth at Pocopson. According to the figures, Pocopson is currently at 89 percent of capacity while the other three elementary schools are about 70 percent, Sanville told the PTO.

The board retained the services of McKissick Associates to review the current population and make projections on future school enrollment based on housing development plans currently approved or under consideration in the seven townships covered by the school district.

McKissock’s projections show the school enrollment will hit 96 percent in 2018-2019. In raw numbers, enrollment at Pocopson for that school year could range anywhere from 665 to 742 students. The district, with the help of the consulting firm, estimates the actual number will be 704.

According to Sanville, those projections peak for the 2018-19 academic year, but then drop because development has declined. Many areas in the district are either built out or have land otherwise protected. Specifically, he cited Pennsbury Township’s purchase of more than 20 acres of property for open space, acreage that had been earmarked for residential use.

For now, families in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will soon be getting a letter from School Board President Vic Dupuis reviewing the reasons the board and administration decided against redistricting.

In the letter, Dupuis said redistricting is not warranted. While Pocopson Elementary School is currently experiencing “a bubble” in its enrollment, none of the elementary schools are over capacity and projected enrollments don’t show that happening in the near future.

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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