September 11, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Roadwork for week of Sept. 12

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 Sept. 12 through Sept. 19. The department recommends that motorists allow extra time if they are traveling through one of the construction zones.

Southbound Route 1 in Kennett and Lower Oxford townships between Route 82 and Ridge Road will be subject to shoulder closures from Monday, Sept. 14, through Thursday, Sept. 17 for vegetation removal.

Lane restrictions will be in effect on Smithbridge Road between the Delaware state line and Valley Brook Road in Chadds Ford and Concord townships and Chester Heights Borough, from Sunday, Sept. 13, through Friday, Sept. 18. Crews will be doing milling and paving from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Overnight milling and paving is scheduled for Creek Road between Sweetwater and Tanguy roads in Thornbury Township from Monday, Sept. 13, through Friday, Sept. 18. Lane restrictions will be needed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Lane closures on Route 202 in Concord and Chadds Ford townships will continue for roadwork between Applied Card Way and Route 1 in connection with the Wegmans shopping center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Oct. 1.

The Wegmans project will also necessitate lane closures on Route 1 in Concord Township in both directions between Brinton Lake Road and Route 202 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., also through Oct. 1.

Burnt Mill Road in Kennett Township is closed and detoured indefinitely between Norway and Spring Mill roads while advance work continues on repairs to the Burnt Mill Bridge, which was closed on April 24, 2014.

The road-widening project continues on Route 100 in Uwchlan and West Whiteland townships. Lane closures will be in effect between Sunrise Drive and Route 113 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday, Sept. 14, through Friday, Sept. 18.

Work is continuing on the project to widen Route 202, which is scheduled for completion in August 2016. Motorists will experience traffic pattern shifts in both directions in East Whiteland Township between the Routes 30 and 401 interchanges. A lane closure is scheduled from Sunday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 20, on Route 401 at the Route 202 interchange from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Also on Route 202, a lane closure will be needed between Routes 30 and 401 on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Lane closures are scheduled on Monday, Sept. 14, through Thursday, Sept. 17, between Route 29 and Gulph Road for debris removal.

Nighttime lane restrictions are scheduled on the I-95 north ramp to I-676 west in Philadelphia for deck repairs. The work will be done from 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Detours will be posted. On Thursday, Sept. 17, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., one lane will be closed on I-95 South between the Washington Avenue and Walt Whitman Bridge interchanges, and in the area of the Philadelphia International Airport Interchange.

I-76 in both directions will be reduced from two lanes to one between Belmont and City avenues in Lower Merion Township on Monday, Sept. 14, through Friday, Sept. 18, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the installation of protective fencing for the Manayunk Bridge Trail. I-76 eastbound will be reduced from two lanes to one between the Conshohocken and Gladwyne interchanges in Lower Merion Township on Saturday, Sept.12, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. for tree trimming.

If you want to report potholes and other roadway maintenance concerns on state roads, call 610-566-0972 in Delaware County or 484-340-3200 in Chester County, or visit www.dot.state.pa.us and click on “submit feedback.”

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Land trust: May force be with volunteers

Home and Leisure

Natural Lands Trust is now accepting applications for its Force of Nature volunteer training program. This comprehensive program teaches volunteers about tree planting, native plant gardening, habitat restoration, invasive plant identification and removal, wildlife management and more.

Program participants will learn about natural resource management from Natural Lands Trust’s nationally-recognized land stewardship experts. This education will help volunteers gain valuable skills they’ll put to use at Natural Lands Trust’s nature preserves, and as stewards of the natural world in their communities.

In addition to the training, volunteers will receive access to continuing education sessions; a Natural Lands Trust membership; a Force of Nature T-shirt, nametag, and hat; and recognition at the annual volunteer celebration. They’ll also have the opportunity to form friendships with fellow volunteers and staff members.

“More than 60 years ago, a group of volunteers who were passionate about our region’s wild places founded Natural Lands Trust,” said Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands Trust. “To honor their legacy, we established the Force of Nature volunteer program and, with more than 100 participants to date, the program is playing a vital role in continuing our founders’ work.”

Force of Nature volunteers will pledge at least 20 hours of service on Natural Lands Trust’s preserves. Volunteers can choose from a wide variety of activities based on their interests and location. The preserves are located throughout suburban Philadelphia, the Poconos, and the New Jersey bay shore.

“Being involved in Force of Nature allows me to channel my passion for the environment and help others gain a better appreciation for nature,” says program graduate Brian Delphus. “And I’ve made some great friends with fellow volunteers who share my love of the natural world.”

Training sessions for the 2016 class will begin on Saturday, Feb. 13, and continue through May 7. The registration deadline is Nov. 1. Program information, a complete training schedule, and applications are available at natlands.org/volunteer or by calling Debbie Beer, director of engagement, at 610-353-5587, ext. 266.

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Letter to the Editor: Our sustainable future

Opinion

Since announcing my intention to run for Chadds Ford Supervisor, everyone has asked me the same, perfectly reasonable question: Alan, why do you want to be a supervisor?

My answer is clear and simple: I love our hometown but believe we’re at a critical tipping point. We can choose the shortsighted direction of our neighbors to the north and south and if we do, there’s no going back. Or we can fight to protect Chadds Ford and make it even better: a truly walkable, driveable and livable treasure along the Brandywine. I believe most of us would choose the latter and, based on my experience as an environmental lawyer, corporate executive and community leader believe I can help achieve that ambition. Here’s my vision:

Let’s make Chadds Ford Walkable: Bold and exciting plans are in place to convert the intersection of Routes 1 and 100 into a pedestrian and small business-friendly historic corridor that can become a destination for residents and visitors alike. Let’s finalize and execute those plans aggressively and take advantage of the enormous untapped potential of that area.

Let’s ensure that Chadds Ford remains Drivable: Route 202 is already becoming unmanageable as a result of recent development and is on the verge of deteriorating further. The corner of Ridge Road and 202 is also on the cusp of being lost forever and the Wegmans shopping area, while exciting for many, threatens to wreak havoc on an already impassible and dangerous section of road. We are literally and figuratively at a crossroads. If elected, I will push for a temporary moratorium on further Route 202 development until a new Comprehensive Plan is in place.

And, most importantly, let’s keep it Livable. Livable because we sustain and take advantage of the natural beauty that surrounds us and makes us the envy of our neighbors. Livable because we maintain a healthy balance between development and open space. Livable because we create a vibrant community that gathers frequently in a unique and historic place. And, yes, livable because we have a non-partisan, forward-thinking and inclusive township government.

I believe in my heart that a walkable, driveable and livable Chadds Ford is achievable but it will require everyone’s engagement coupled with bold leadership, pragmatic decision-making and sound judgment. That is why I want to be a Chadds Ford Supervisor.

Alan B. Horowitz
Chadds Ford Township
Alan Horowitz is the Democratic Party candidate for supervisor in Chadds Ford

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Bell’s birthday signals importance of voting

Local News

In 1915, Pennsylvania scheduled a statewide referendum on women’s suffrage, and a Chester County woman created a novel way to galvanize support for the amendment to give women the right to vote.

The Justice Bell will be celebrated on Sunday, Sept. 13 in Valley Forge National Park. — The Justice Bell will be celebrated on Sunday, Sept. 13, in Valley Forge National Park.

Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger of Strafford paid $2,000 to have a replica of the Liberty Bell cast in bronze. Dubbed the Justice Bell because its advocates believed suffrage for women was a matter of American justice, it traveled to all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, drawing crowds to see – but not hear – it. The bell’s clapper was chained to prevent tolling until women’s political voices could be heard.

Although the referendum failed, Chester County distinguished itself as the only county in southeastern Pennsylvania to support it. Five years later, with the ratification of 19th Amendment, the Justice Bell rang for the first time on Sept. 25, 1920, at a celebration at Independence Hall.

On Sunday, Sept. 13, at 2:30 p.m., the bell will celebrate its 100^th birthday, and a group of area history advocates are inviting the public to attend a program at Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Park. It will include a carillon concert, speakers, and a ceremonial re-chaining of the bell.

The keynote speaker will be Marion Roydhouse, who recently retired as director of the Center for Teaching Innovation and Nexus Learning at Philadelphia University. A former president of the Pennsylvania Historical Association, she has written extensively on American women’s history.

Roydhouse will be joined by Susan Carty, state president of the League of Women Voters; Lynn Forney Young, president general of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Alexandra Tatnall, Ruschenberger’s great niece; and Laurie Rofini, director of archives and records services at the Chester County Historical Society.

Rofini said organizers hope the event will raise awareness about the significance of voting – a right that too many Americans routinely relinquish. She said it’s important for people to be reminded that many others fought for the right to have everyone’s voice heard.

She pointed out that one of the specious arguments against enfranchising women was that they could be represented through their husbands or relatives.

“It’s important that you don’t let other people speak for you,” Rofini said. “Nobody else can speak for you.”

George Reisner of the Washington Memorial Heritage, a nonprofit whose mission is the restoration of Washington Memorial Chapel, agreed. He said he hoped the re-chaining would remind people of the long-fought battle to get voting rights for everyone.

“Abigail Adams wrote John telling him that the Articles of Confederation should give women the vote, but it took 144 years for that to happen,” Reisner said. “Yet, even today, only 56 percent of people eligible to vote register and vote. In the 2014 election. barely more than one-third of the eligible population voted.”

Rofini said she expects the Justice Bell to be involved in another celebration five years from now when the 100^th anniversary of the ratification of the 19^th Amendment is commemorated.

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