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 Nov. 21 through Nov. 28. Motorists are urged to allow extra time if they are traveling through one of the construction zones.
Route 162 in Newlin Township between Brandywine Creek Drive and Route 82 will be subject to lane restrictions for road widening from 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24. A section between Brandywine Creek Drive and Stargazers Road will be closed and detoured from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23
Burnt Mill Road in Kennett Township remains 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 Birmingham Road bridge in Birmingham Township is also closed indefinitely to repair structural damage. Posted detours will be in effect between Lambourne Road and Stoney Run Drive.
Drivers on the Route 322 Bypass in West Goshen and East Bradford townships will experience lane restrictions for patching on Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24. The work will be done between Routes 322 and 202 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Price Street in West Chester Borough will be subject to lane closures for utility installation that will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and continue through Tuesday, Dec. 8. The work between Brandywine Street and South Wayne Avenue will be done from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The road-widening project continues on Route 100 in Uwchlan and West Whiteland townships. Lane closures will be in effect between Swedesford Road and Route 113 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Work is also continuing on the project to widen Route 202, which is scheduled for completion in August 2016. Motorists will experience traffic pattern shifts and lane closures in both directions in East Whiteland Township between the Routes 30 and 401 interchanges.
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.”
Jennersville Regional Hospital announced today that it has been recognized as a 2014 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States.
Jennersville Regional Hospital was recognized as part of The Joint Commission’s 2015 annual report “America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety,” for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for Surgical Care, Pneumonia Care and Immunizations. Jennersville Regional Hospital is one of only 1,043 hospitals out of more than 3,300 eligible hospitals in the United States to achieve the 2014 Top Performer distinction.
The Top Performer program recognizes hospitals for improving performance on evidence-based interventions that increase the chances of healthy outcomes for patients with certain conditions. To be a 2014 Top Performer, hospitals had to meet three performance criteria based on 2014 accountability measure data, including:
Achieve cumulative performance of 95 percent or above across all reported accountability measures;
Achieve performance of 95 percent or above on each and every reported accountability measure with at least 30 denominator cases; and
Have at least one core measure set that had a composite rate of 95 percent or above, and within that measure set, achieve a performance rate of 95 percent or above on all applicable individual accountability measures.
“Delivering the right treatment in the right way at the right time is a cornerstone of high-quality health care. I commend the efforts of Jennersville Regional Hospital for their excellent performance on the use of evidence-based interventions,” said Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, president and CEO, The Joint Commission.
“We understand what matters most to patients at Jennersville Regional Hospital is the quality and safety of the care they receive. That is why we have made it a top priority to improve positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes,” said CEO Andy Guz. “Jennersville Regional Hospital is proud to be named a Top Performer as it recognizes the knowledge, teamwork and dedication of our entire hospital staff.”
Located in Penn Township on West Baltimore Pike, Jennersville Regional Hospital is an acute-care facility that is proudly accredited by the Joint Commission. Featuring all private rooms, the Hospital serves southern Chester County, northwestern Delaware and northern Maryland with compassionate, patient-centered care. Jennersville Regional Hospital is poised to meet the healthcare needs of its community having completed a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion project. With more than 100 medical staff members, Jennersville Regional Hospital offers inpatient and outpatient services including 24-hour emergency care, orthopedics, cancer care, surgical services and obstetrics. The 63-bed facility is a member of the Jefferson Kimmel Cancer Center Network and the Jefferson Neuroscience Network. For more information, visit jennersville.com or call 610-869-1000.
Caption: Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan (left) congratulates Chief County Detective James Vito on an illustrious career that began in the District Attorney’s Office in 1979.
Unlike many of his colleagues in law enforcement, Chester County Chief County Detective James Vito had no precipitating event, family history, or trusted mentor that lured him into police work: It was just something he had wanted to do for a long time.
Decades later, the longest-serving member of the District Attorney’s Office is retiring, effective Dec. 31, said a press release from Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
Vito began his career with the Chester County Detectives in 1979 when the murderous Johnston gang had just been rounded up after terrorizing southern Chester County. Popularized in the Hollywood film “At Close Range,” the gang continued to occupy investigators during a protracted prosecution.
More recently, detectives’ focus has been on sexting, a predominantly teenage trend involving the electronic exchange of sexually revealing images. The problem was publicized this past month after a probe in the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, but the incidents mirrored behavior occurring throughout the county, Vito said.
Vito’s decision to retire comes after the recent election of his wife, Marian Thayer Vito, to the position of magisterial district judge in West Chester. “I feel good about the decision [to retire],” he said. “It feels like the right time.” He said he hopes to begin tackling 20 years’ worth of unfinished projects at home.
A graduate of West Chester University, Vito started his law enforcement career in 1976 with the West Goshen Police Department. He met his wife, with whom he has two sons, after he moved to the District Attorney’s Office as a county detective. She was working as an assistant district attorney.
In a recent interview, Vito said he attended college with the knowledge that he wanted to pursue police work. The criminal justice program had just been introduced at what was then West Chester college, and he ended up participating in one of its first internships, a stint that landed him in the office of the county detectives.
Hogan said Vito played a critical role in many law enforcement initiatives in Chester County, including the creation and development of the Computer Forensics Unit, the Crime Scene Forensics Unit, and the Child Abuse Unit. Vito was also one of the leaders in developing an active threat/mass casualty protocol for the entire county. He has overseen numerous high-profile murder cases, drug investigations, white-collar fraud matters, and political corruption issues.
Vito said some of the most memorable cases employed cooperative approaches. High-profile crime sprees, such as a spate of pipe bombs that put Phoenixville on edge in 2000 and the Coatesville arson scourge that terrified the city in 2008 and 2009, demonstrated the importance of teamwork, which he valued. “A lot of different agencies from the FBI to ATF collaborated with us,” he said, calling them gratifying experiences.
Vito served under District Attorneys William Lamb, James Freeman, James MacElree, Anthony Sarcione, Joseph Carroll, and Tom Hogan. He has held the position of chief county detective for the last eight years and is also is a retired veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves.
“Chester County law enforcement will miss his calm demeanor and work ethic,” said Hogan. “He has been an outstanding chief and a credit to Chester County.”
Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh agreed, calling Vito “a man of integrity who was passionate about his job.” She said he was the “go-to guy” for many when they needed information on security or other issues.
“He was the consummate professional, a logical thinker who was totally dedicated to his job – and to doing the right thing,” Welsh said. “I will miss him greatly.”
Vito said he saw the county grow from a sleepy rural region to a vibrant, economic hub. “I’m very fortunate,” Vito said. “I’ve had some terrific life experiences – good and bad – and worked with some great people. I wouldn’t trade any of it.”
After years of hands-on work, Vito said his transition to a supervisory position occurred seamlessly but brought new responsibilities. He said he felt strongly that his job required him to prepare for any – and all – eventualities.
He said the average person probably doesn’t give a lot of thought to daily safety and security, but Vito considered it a key component of his job.
“It’s not a lack of self-confidence,” he said. “It’s a desire to be ready for any kind of emergency. I think worrying is a big part of your responsibility in this job. You need to worry to keep people safe – and to keep them from worrying.”
For Vito, one of the benefits of retirement may be a reduction in those fears.
“I don’t think I’m going to wake up at 3 a.m. and worry about what color I’m going to paint the living room or what I’m going to use for bait when I go fishing,” he said. “I’m looking forward to that.”
In an ongoing effort to keep students safe, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District held a community conversation last week on school security.
The meeting included what the district has accomplished in securing buildings, what policies are in place, updates from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, and exchanges among the participants.
The school district has reviewed the input that was gathered from the community and would like to share this information with parents,students and staff. It has provided a link so that others can watch the meeting video and share your comments and ideas.
The Chester County Department of Emergency Services (DES), Fire Services Division, held graduation for the Spring 2015 Firefighter I class. Twenty-six graduates were given their certification at a ceremony that was held at the Wagontown Fire Company on Thursday, Nov. 19, a county press release said.
Chaplain Jerry Schwartz, retired captain of the Baltimore City Fire Department, addresses graduating firefighters. Photo courtesy of the DES
Family, friends and fire company officials were on hand to witness the graduation and certification recognition. Chaplain Jerry Schwartz, retired captain of the Baltimore City Fire Department and chaplain and safety officer for the West Chester Fire Department was the guest speaker for the ceremony.
Schwartz asked the graduates, “Know who you are?” Then he answered: “You are a firefighter.”
Jun Oh Yoon of Fame Fire Company was chosen by his classmates as the class spokesperson. Department of Emergency Services Director Robert Kagel, Deputy Director for Fire Services George “Beau” Crowding, and Fire Training Coordinator Jeff Groves and Schwartz presented the graduates with their certificates.
Among the graduates were Gabriel Pepper and Kimberly Siegel of Longwood Fire Company and Ryan Large of Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company.
Chester County schools superintendents met with the county commissioners and Chester County Director of Emergency Services Bobby Kagel last week to receive an update on the progress and capabilities of the new emergency radio system being installed throughout the county.
At the briefing, held at the Chester County Intermediate Unit offices on Boot Road in Downingtown, the commissioners noted that the installation of the $42.1 million Harris Corporation radio system was completed earlier this year, and extensive testing of equipment and radio coverage has been fully undertaken, revealing 99.8 percent portable, on-street coverage county-wide. This exceeds the 97 percent coverage guarantee provided by Harris Corporation, a county press release said.
To ensure that all schools – public and private – have adequate radio coverage inside, as well as outside each building, the county is offering district superintendents the services of a telecom consultant to visit every school to conduct an interior signal strength test.
“This radio system upgrade is a real investment in the safety of our citizens and our emergency responders, and we’re pleased with the test results for coverage county-wide. The radio signal strength test that we’re offering will determine whether or not a school district needs to take measures to extend the radio coverage inside school buildings, should the emergency radio coverage be less than 90 percent,” said Chester County Commissioners’ Chair Terence Farrell.
Early in October, the commissioners joined administrators, township officials and first responders to tour and test the emergency radio coverage at Pickering Valley Elementary School in Upper Uwchlan Township. The “can you hear me now” test process confirmed excellent voice radio coverage throughout the interior of the school as well as the exterior.
Commissioner Kathi Cozzone pointed out that “just like the leaders of every school district, we are particularly concerned about the safety of our children, which is why our Department of Emergency Services provides a Safe Schools coordinator, and why we are offering the testing service.” Commissioner Michelle Kichline added that she hoped the districts would respond by installing “any amplifiers that may be needed in schools for interior emergency radio coverage.”
Chester County’s emergency responders will begin using the new emergency voice radio system on January 4, 2016, and by April 21, 2016 the analogue equipment that has been in use since 1995 will no longer be used.
The law firm of Lamb McErlane PC has announced that Helen J. Esbenshade and Alan P. Novak have joined the firm.
Esbenshade, who joins the West Chester-based firm as a partner, concentrates her practice in local government representation, zoning and land use, land acquisition and finance. She serves as an advisor to businesses, nonprofits, local governments, authorities and developers, advising both organizations and individuals. She serves as solicitor for numerous Chester County municipalities and municipal authorities and is the solicitor for the Chester County Economic Development Council.
She is a member of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry Government Affairs Council, the Chester County Bar Association and serves as chairman of the Advisory Council to Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon for Imagination Library Program. She annually has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for Municipal Law since 2011.
Novak, who joins the firm as of-counsel, focuses his practice on business and municipal law, including zoning, real estate transactions, business and corporate formation, litigation, and government relations.
Novak serves as solicitor for numerous townships, boroughs and municipal authorities, as well as special counsel to the County of Chester. He is also solicitor of the Chester County Industrial Development Authority. Novak was well-known as the state chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Committee and previously served as Chester County’s GOP chair for eight years.
He is president of Novak Strategic Advisors, a government and public affairs firm based in Harrisburg, which offers comprehensive, strategic government affairs and grassroots solutions to real world business needs of clients. He is also a partner at the RooneyNovak Group, which helps organizations navigate the divisions in government to end stalemates and build consensus in order to achieve their goals.
“We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our municipal law and municipal finance practices with the addition of Helen and Alan,” Lamb McErlane PC managing partner Joel L. Frank said in the release. “Their extensive municipal and financial background will expand our already robust municipal practice in Chester County and throughout the region.
