October 6, 2015

The citizens’ group that hoped to change Concord Township from a township of the second class to a township of the first class has lost.

Concord First member Dan Levin said in an email on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that the state Supreme Court denied the group’s petition for relief.

“I guess this is the end. I’m not even sure our latest filing was considered on the merits or not,” Levin said in the email.

Concord First filed the petition after Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge James Proud denied the group’s request for a referendum a second time.

Proud first denied the request for the ballot question last year despite Concord First’s getting more than enough signatures during a petition drive. Concord First appealed to Commonwealth Court, which upheld the lower court decision. Concord First then went to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which remanded the matter to Common Pleas.

Proud again denied the referendum and Concord First filed the petition for relief. However, that second pitch to SCOPA was denied.

According to Levin, “Judge Proud’s order and reasoning were ridiculous. Never before had a petition for first class been denied in the courts, and never for this reason, and it’s been around for 65 years. It just shows how corrupt Delco is.”

Proud’s second denial came on Sept. 15. He reasoned at the time that the petition for the referendum should be denied because Concord First had failed to meet the requirements for obtaining a proper ascertainment of Concord’s population density, despite the fact that the township’s own website shows a population with more than 300 people per square mile, the size required for a township of the first class.

The judge also said the November election is too soon for the election board to get the question on the ballot for this year. However, he added that his decision does not preclude Concord First from trying again.

Concord First began its petition drive last summer. It needed 553 signatures and gathered 990. When the group filed the petition to get the question on the ballot — should Concord Township become a township of the first class — two supervisors, Dominic Pileggi and Kevin O’Donoghue, as private citizens — and the Delaware County Board of Elections, challenged the petition to keep the question off the ballot.

Concord First wanted the change in order to remove members of the board of supervisors from office. When supervisors learned of that, they decided to head that off with their own measure.

In its place, the Concord Township Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance for its own question: Should there be a Government Study Commission formed to look at changing the type of government structure? That measure passed and a commission is in place and is working on writing a home rule charter for the township.

As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Kennett Square is about to turn purple.

In an effort to raise consciousness, purple ribbons will adorn multiple county municipalities, representatives of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County told members of Kennett Square Borough Council at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 5.

Mayor Matt Fetick read a proclamation expressing the borough’s support for the vigilance and dedication needed to eradicate this escalating problem. He also presented a plaque to Terry Moody, the Domestic Violence Center’s development director, and Clara Vasquez, the center’s liaison for southern Chester County.

Vasquez said she counseled about 400 victims in the greater Kennett area this past year. “It’s a huge problem,” she said.

Responding to a question from Borough Council Chairman Leon R. Spencer Jr., Moody said dating violence is a growing concern that affects one in three teens.

“Community outreach is a huge part of what we do,” she explained, She said that the center gave about 50 presentations last year to schools and community groups, and she urged anyone interested in scheduling a program to contact the center. She said she routinely tells people: “Domestic violence is not their problem, it’s our problem.”

Moody urged participation in the Chester County Rally to End Domestic Violence. It will be held Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. at Kerr Park in Downingtown.

On a lighter note, council members heard from Rich Lyons, who heads the Kennett Area Park Authority. Lyons deemed the eight-week summer concert series at Anson B. Nixon Park a huge success and reported that the Sept. 27 Rock the Park fundraiser there attracted more than 700 people, who each paid $10 to attend.

Lyons said that the crowd, which was not expected to be so large, overwhelmed some of the services, a situation that would be corrected next year. In fact, the Delaware-based band, Love Seed Mama Jump, has already offered to return, he said.

Claire Finfrock, recreation coordinator for the Kennett Area Park and Recreation Board, also provided an upbeat report. She said grants have helped to fund improvements at Herb Pennock Park, which hosted five, well-received sports clinics this summer. A summer camp at New Garden Elementary served more than 120 children, she said.

Finfrock said the board is continuing to pursue grants and hopes to replace the aging playground in 2016 with an ADA-compliant structure. She said the group is also in the preliminary stages of exploring the possibility of paving the parking lot.

Mary Hutchins, executive director of Historic Kennett Square, requested that the borough approve limited, free parking downtown for the holiday season, as it did last year. The board agreed, and shoppers will be able to park up to three hours for free on Nov. 28, Small Business Saturday, as well as from Dec. 17 through Jan. 3.

Hutchins also sought approval to repeat the borough’s “Christmas in Kennett” arrangement with Longwood Gardens. She said Longwood would provide shuttles so that its guests can take a break from the gardens and travel to the borough for dining and shopping.

About 800 people took advantage of the program last year, she said, adding that some of them might not have visited Kennett Square otherwise. This year, Longwood has also offered to decorate the drop-off area around the Genesis building

“It’s pretty difficult to find any kind of a drawback to this,” Danilo P. Maffei, the board’s vice chairman, said before the unanimous vote to approve it.

In other business, the board unanimously approved an application for the borough’s 10^th Annual Halloween Parade, which will be held on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m.

Spencer said two vacancies exist on the Shade Tree Commission, which “performs a very vital function” and can’t operate until the positions are filled, since it doesn’t have a quorum. He urged residents to consider volunteering.

Finally, Kennett Fire Company Chief Chris Plumley reported that the company would be participating in a pilot program to improve communication with non-English speaking patients through the Christiana Care Health System. The system will allow emergency medical services providers to connect patients with an interpreter, using an iPad, so that the patient can see the person giving them information.

Applauding the improved communication, Spencer added: “We’re proud of the fire company for being in the pilot.”