September 22, 2016 - ChaddsFordLive.com

In Kennett Twp., appetite for sustainability

Sustainability pervaded a three-hour Kennett Township Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

Kennett Township Supervisors Whitney S. Hoffman (from left), Richard L. Leff, and Scudder G. Stevens, check their notes prior to the start of their Sept. 21 meeting.

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, the board heard feedback from members of the Kennett Township Planning Commission on a proposed large development ordinance, presentations from members of the township’s Sustainable Development Office, and suggestions for business zoning changes. The latter segment also responded to an unspoken question about the sustainability of the audience with the distribution of healthful snacks.

Township Manager Lisa M. Moore said that since the township started its Sustainable Development Office earlier this year, it has been busy. Moore said she invited members of the office, which was conceived to look at development proactively and assist in the coordination of grants, to give the board an update.

Michael Guttman, the township’s environmental sustainability director, and M. Patricia Muller, who heads the economic development office, both elaborated on the need for Kennett Township to continue to capitalize on expanding its trail network to connect bicyclists and pedestrians to its scenic landscapes and encouraging holistic economic development.

Both suggested that indoor agricultural uses, such as greens, herbs and fruits, would represent a logical extension of the mushroom industry since the infrastructure already exists.

“We have the largest indoor agricultural base in the country,” Guttman said.

He added that township representatives will be attending a conference in New York this fall where they will tout Kennett’s offerings.

The presentations can be viewed on the township’s website at http://www.kennett.pa.us/272/Environmental-Sustainability.

A large board helps Kennett Township officials take their sustainability message on the road.

The supervisors also heard a presentation from Thomas J. Comitta Associates, Inc., the township’s landscape architect consultant, about the possibility of creating a Business Innovation Land Development District (BILD) in the township.

Thomas Comitta, the purveyor of pretzels and popcorn, suggested that such a district would be designed to support the recommendations of the recently released study done by 4ward Planning Inc. for the Kennett area.

Noting that business parks no longer work, he said the township should continue working with the borough to improve the commercial environment. Some of his recommendations included streamlining the approval process for development in the BILD district to 90 days, adaptively reusing vacant buildings, and creating incentives to encourage sustainable practices.

Moore noted that the presentation aimed to give the supervisors an overview so that they could eventually determine whether to pursue that approach. The cost was not discussed.

In other business, Supervisors’ Chairman Scudder G. Stevens expressed thanks to the members of the Planning Commission for their input on several issues, including the development ordinance, the possibility of adding alternates to the commission, and a demolition permit request.

The permit request, made by Glenn Bauer in behalf of Chatham Financial, involved a small building known as the Cox tenant house. “It’s in disrepair; we have no use for it,” Bauer explained.

But James A. Guthrie, chairman of the Planning Commission, said that a recent site visit revealed that the 15-foot-square stone building might date back to the late 18^th-century and could have existed during the Revolutionary War.

“We need more information,” he said. “It’s worth spending a little time to get it right.”

Guthrie also noted that Chatham Financial has been a good environmental steward, reusing one historic building and turning some ruins into a picnic park.

Bauer said his company was agreeable to a delay so that more research could be done.

Finally, Moore announced that a grand opening is scheduled on Sunday, Oct. 23, for Barkingfield Park. But because not all sections will be finished by then, she described the event as a “soft opening,” beginning at 3 p.m. Among the incomplete sections will be the dog parks, but man’s best friend is still welcome at the festivities, Moore said.

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Crackdown on global scammers announced

Police

To combat a global network of mass-mailing fraud schemes that have cost millions of vulnerable U.S. victims hundreds of millions, the U.S. Justice Department announced wide-ranging enforcement actions – including criminal charges, sanctions, seizure of criminal proceeds and civil injunction lawsuits.

The Justice Department, in coordination with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and other law enforcement partners, made the announcement in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 22.

Simultaneously, a consortium of government agencies and nonprofit groups led by the department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Elder Justice Initiative announced a public education campaign to heighten public awareness and educate potential victims and their families about these schemes.

The actions are part of a broader effort by the department and its international law enforcement partners to attack fraud schemes targeting older Americans and other vulnerable populations that involve individuals and entities across the globe, including Canada, France, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey and the U.S., the release said.

“Every year, fraudulent mail schemes target millions of Americans with false promises of wealth and riches, swindling hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in the release. “Today’s actions send a clear message that the Department of Justice is determined to hold the perpetrators of these harmful schemes accountable.”

The mail schemes involve a complicated web of actors located across the world and each scheme follows a similar pattern. Fraudulent “direct mailers” create letters falsely claiming that the recipient has won, or will soon win, cash or valuable prizes, or otherwise will come into good fortune. In order to collect these benefits, the letters say that the recipients need only send in a small amount of money for a processing fee or taxes.

The letters appear to come from legitimate sources, typically on official-looking letterhead, and – even though they are in reality identical form letters – the letters appear to be personally addressed. Some solicitations even use fonts that appear to be handwritten, the release said.

“In the 21st century, the scam in your mailbox just as likely comes from the other side of the world as from the other side of town,” Director Jessica Rich of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection said in the release. “The FTC’s efforts to protect consumers don’t stop at our borders; we work with partners around the world against the perpetrators of mass mailing fraud.”

The recent actions include labeling PacNet Services Ltd., an international payments processor and money services business based in Vancouver, Canada, as a significant transnational criminal organization that is prohibited from engaging in U.S. transactions; and charging Ercan Barka, 34, a resident of Turkey who operated True Vision LLC, a Delaware-based corporation, with conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Separate civil actions were brought against BDK Mailing GmbH, Mailing Force Pte. Ltd. and Only Three Pte. Ltd. (collectively BDK), based in Switzerland and Singapore; Macromark Inc., a Connecticut-based list broker that has marketed BDK’s lead lists to third-party direct mailers; Mary Ellen Meyer, 45, of Mahopac, New York, a Macromark client service manager; and Mail Order Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. (MOSI), an India-based printer and distributor, and its principals, Dharti Desai, 49, of New York County and Mumbai, India, and Mehul Desai, also of Mumbai, who allegedly served as BDK printer/distributors.

In a separate civil injunction action, the department alleged that DMCS Inc., Direct Marketing Consulting Services Inc., Horizon Marketing Services Inc., Quantum Marketing Inc., and their principals, Sean Novis, 46; Gary Denkberg, 53; and Cathy Johnson, 34, all of Nassau County, N.Y., for disseminating fraudulent solicitations styled as notifications of a big prize win, a scheme that grossed roughly $30.4 million since 2012, the release said.

Other enforcement actions were taken against two Dutch businesses, Kommunikatie Service Buitenland B.V. and Trends Service in Kommunikatie B.V.; Glen Burke, 56, and a co-defendant, Michael Rossi, 51, both of Las Vegas, Nev., for a telemarketing scam; Terry Somenzi, 74, of Los Angeles, who did business through a company called International Advisory Services Inc.; David Raff, 54, of Weston, Fla., and his company, Millennium Direct Inc., also doing business as MDI Lists; and Ian Gamberg, 37, also of Weston, doing business through Printmail Corporate Solutions Inc.; Waverly Direct Inc., and its owner, Gordon Shearer, a New York-based direct mailer; and Nicholas Valenti of Nevada.

More information on fraud against the elderly is available at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

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A spiritually positive time, place for business

Business

_1JF9189-Ribbon-cutting — Terry Bruno cuts the ribbon at One True Heart Healing Center on Station Way Road in Chadds Ford Township..

It’s been a positive four months for Terry Bruno and One True Heart Healing Center. Bruno opened the center on Station Way Road in late May and said opening in the township was definitely the right decision.

“Chadds Ford is an amazing location,” she said. “It’s a place where people come and feel good to begin with. It’s got all the right feeling.”

While she had an opening reception in the spring, Bruno did a formal ribbon cutting Wednesday night with several of her healing partners, colleagues who teach various spiritual healing modalities.

Bruno said her first two months in business were strong. She was able to build a solid base of clients, with most interested in her practice of reiki and spiritual healing. But then summer vacations took over and things slowed.

She took that less active period to build a base of those healing partners, people who come to her business to hold classes on such practices as meditation, ESP development, astrology, numerology and other practices. She now has 15 healing partners.

Mel Brake is a “metaphysical counselor,” which he says is really another term for spiritual psychologist.

Terry Bruno, seated, is surrounded by four of her 15 healing partners. Clockwise , from left, are Carolyn Gelone, Mel Brake, Michael Meehan and Amy Parris.

The people he can help are much the same as those a psychologist would help, those who are undergoing emotional issues, such as relationship breakups, job loss, anxieties and worries.

“A metaphysical counselor is someone who uses spirituality to help people with everyday problems…I teach people how they can use basic principles to better their lives,” Brake said.

He doesn’t consider himself a healer, rather as a facilitator of healing.

“People heal themselves, but they have to want to heal…I’m not here to help them, they have to be willing to do it themselves. I just assist with my expertise in spirituality,” he said.

Carolyn Gelone is another healing partner. She teaches ESP development, but also works with people on past-life recall to solve current problems.

Gelone was an elementary school teacher who became a researcher and a past-life counselor. As with Brake, Gelone acknowledges the idea of spiritual psychology.

She accepts the concept of reincarnation and said many people have fears today because of traumatic experiences they had in a previous life. A fear of water can be traced to a drowning incident in a previous life, or maybe a fear of heights today stems from being stuck in the Tower of London hundreds of years ago.

“I take them through an exercise that puts them into a relaxed state and then they go to a past life. What they’re looking for is help with today’s life,” she said.

She traces a person’s problem in a relationship to how they might have known that person in another lifetime.

“If they’re having trouble with a mother-on-law, they might find that in a past life they were the mother-in-law and that they weren’t very nice,” she said.

Gelone admits there is no scientific proof that would satisfy a skeptic but, nonetheless, people who have experienced such an “awakening” understand.

As for the skeptics, “What one person might consider evidence, another would not. It’s difficult to prove. [The skeptic] wants definite proof. They want something concrete like this desk. But there is nothing exact like that.”

For information about One True heart Healing Center, reiki, or any of the other programs at the center, phone Bruno at 484-254-6974, or visit www.TerryBruno.us

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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Adopt-a-Pet Sept. 22

Home and Leisure

Samson---Horizontal — Adopt-a-Pet Sept. 22

Come meet all the wonderful animals available now for adoption at the Brandywine Valley SPCA. All featured pets are “Name Your Price” adoption fee until Monday, Sept. 26. Not ready to adopt? Then sponsor a pet and provide a safe place for our companions to rest until they find their forever homes. Help us give them a second chance at a fresh start.

SAMSON

Hi, my name is Samson and I arrived at the Brandywine Valley SPCA as a stray. I’m a total cutie who makes the funniest faces and I have the best doggie smile around. I’m silly and sweet, lively and loving and can’t wait to find a family to call my own. I’m very dog friendly so if you already have a four-legged friend, please bring them in to meet me. I’m neutered, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations. Okay, new friends, see you soon.

KEYSHA

Hi, my name is Keysha and I am a 2-and-a-half-year-old terrier mix who arrived at the shelter after my family surrendered me. Well, everyone at the shelter has fallen head over heals for me. I’m a complete and total love. I am smart as a whip. I know sit, down, stay, paw, rollover and so much more. I adore everyone and dream of the day I will have a family of my own. I am spayed, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations. Consider meeting me- it might just be the best decision you could ever make.

BRUNO

Hi, my name is Bruno and my tough name can’t hide my baby face and sweet personality! I’m adorable of course, but also as friendly and nice as can be. My cute, scrunchy snout will make you just want to give me lots of kisses, and I won’t complain, because I will give them right back. I’m 2 years old and arrived at the Brandywine Valley SPCA as a stray. I’m neutered, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations. Please come meet me.

STELLA

“Stella!” Hey, that’s me, a young, gorgeous domestic short hair cat who arrived at the Brandywine Valley SPCA with kittens in tow. I’m a star soccer player; my foster mom taught me how to play and I enjoy it so much. I’m a little shy at first, but I quickly come around and want to be your friend. I enjoy sitting next to you and cuddling against your leg so you can pet me. I also love sitting by the window and watching the world go ‘round. I arrived at the shelter with a partially formed eye but that hasn’t slowed me down; I even have a cute head tilt to get better all-around vision. Some people might pass me by because of that one eye, but I know the right family is out there waiting for me to come into their lives. I am spayed, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations, so I am ready to go.

UMA

Hi, my name is Uma, and I am a 1-year-old female cat surrendered in early August. I’m a pretty, shorthaired grey tabby who has quickly grown into a staff and volunteer favorite because of my quiet disposition and love for attention. I have a loud, gentle purr that signifies my happiness and contentment. I had an unfortunate allergic reaction to my flea treatment that cause some hair loss on my back, but it is growing back and I am becoming more fabulous than ever! I am spayed, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations, so please come meet me.

CAYA

Hi, Caya here. I am a gorgeous green-eyed tabby who is very sweet and a big cuddle bug. I like to lounge around and relax in your lap for hours on a lazy afternoon. Laying by the window is one of my favorite spots because I can observe my wonderful surroundings. I’d love to be the only pet in your home so we can spoil each other. I am spayed, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations, so come on over to meet me.

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Around Town Sept. 22

Along the Ford

• Concord Township’s Home Rule Transition meeting scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 29, has been postponed until Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.

• State Rep. Dan Truitt, R-156, will once again host a Senior Expo on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at West Chester East High School, located at 450 Ellis Lane in West Chester. The expo will feature flu vaccines, an opportunity to receive a SEPTA transit card and more, including many organizations with information and programs for seniors. While this event is aimed at the 55-plus community, anyone is welcome to attend. The event will include light lunch and snacks so an RSVP is requested by emailing Eric Smith at eric.smith@pahousegop.com or calling Truitt’s office at 610-6969-4990.

WWII veteran William J. Fili twill be discussing his book at the Kennett Library this Saturday at 2 p.m.

• The Kennett Library invites the public to welcome WWII veteran William J. Fili for an hour-long lecture and discussion of his book, “Passage to Valhalla,” on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 2 p.m. Fili is a veteran of 34 combat missions flown over Europe in a B-24 Liberator. For more information about this program and others, go here.

• State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, will hold a special event to honor veterans on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m. at the Medal of Honor Grove, located just off Route 23 outside Valley Forge park. The event will feature remarks from retired Army Colonel Walter J. Marm, Pennsylvania’s only living Medal of Honor recipient, as well as Lt. Gov. Mike Stack and Pennsylvania Adjutant General, Brigadier General Tony Carrelli. “As Chester Countians, we are honored to have this historic memorial site call our region home,” Dinniman said in a press release. “If you haven’t visited, I encourage you to join us on Sept. 24 and see it for yourself.” Tours will be available immediately following the ceremony. For more information, call 610-692-2112, or e-mail acirucci@pasenate.com

• The Brandywine River Museum of Art is holding a gallery talk, Andrew Wyeth: Beyond the Obvious on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 2 p.m. The session is free with museum admission. Explore the creative impulses and enigmatic qualities often underlying Andrew Wyeth’s work with curator Audrey Lewis in the Andrew Wyeth Gallery.

• Delaware Nature Society will hold its annual Harvest Moon Festival at Coverdale Farm Preserve, on Oct. 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members of all ages get in for free; admission for non-members ages 5 and up is $7. Non-members will have the opportunity to become members at the admissions table. The festival features plenty of seasonal fun for the whole family, from pony rides and hayrides to a straw bale maze to live music and a raffle. A farmers market and various food trucks will offer plenty of delicious treats from snacks to desserts. There will also be a Dogfish Head beer tent for the adults. While adults are enjoying artisan demonstrations, children can take turns holding a chick, getting their faces painted, watching a live raptor show, exploring the antique tractors, meeting the resident the farm animals, discovering the insect, reptile, wild animal and bird exhibits, making candles out of beeswax, and much more. Many of the activities are offered at no extra charge.

• State Rep. Steve Barrar will host a shredding and drug take-back day on Saturday, Oct. 1. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will be at Barrar’s office at One Beaver Valley Road, (at the intersection of Route 202 and Naaman’s Creek Road) in Concord Township. Call his district office at 610-358-5925 for more details.

• In celebration of the Chester County Art Association’s 85th year, Chester County Collects will present a tantalizing glimpse into the many private and personal collections of Chester County residents. Opening on Oct. 7, more than 50 unique works of art will be on display through Oct. 23, in the Allinson and Huston Galleries. Sculpture, paintings, objects, and furniture spanning 400 years will be featured, including pieces by Alexander Calder, George Cope, Wharton Esherick, Frank Gehry, and George Nakashima. Represented artists include Horace Pippin, George Whitney, and Andrew Wyeth. The exhibit runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. More information about CCAA can be found here www.chestercountyarts.org or by calling 610-696-5600.

• The Delaware County Partnership for Public Safety will hold a special public safety program on Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon entitled “Embedding a Culture of Safety in Day to Day Life: From the Workplace to Daily Activities.” Interested individuals are invited to attend and register on behalf of Delaware County Council, District Attorney Jack Whelan, Neumann University’s Center for Leadership, and the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. Speakers will discuss strategies for businesses and other organizations to foster a culture of safety and preparedness among their staff and employees on a daily basis. Registration is free and open to the public; however, space is limited to the first 300 registrants. Advanced registration is required and can be performed online on the Partnership for Public Safety website at http://www.neumannpublicsafety.com/

• To better serve the community, the Kennett Area Senior Center is lowering the price for the Assisted Senior Program. ASP gives respite to caregivers while engaging loved ones who are experiencing dementia and cognitive decline in a variety of activities. The program staff is hosting a welcome reception on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 10 to11 a.m. at the center, 427 S. Walnut Street, Kennett Square for caregivers and their families, to provide more information about the program and new pricing structure. They may also bring their elderly loved ones. Call Lizabeth Conners at 610-444-4819, ext. 106, to RSVP for the reception, for a private tour, and assessment and enrollment information.

• Run2Shine, Inc. a Kennett Square nonprofit, is gearing up for the first annual Victory KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 on Saturday, Oct. 15. The organizers are actively seeking 100 plus volunteers in order to ensure the event’s success. High school volunteers will be given volunteer credit hours, free admission into the post-race party, food tickets and a volunteer shirt. Shifts will vary from 6:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. The race, which will start and finish on the Kennett High School track, will include sections of the borough and Kennett and East Marlborough townships. Proceeds will benefit The Garage Community & Youth Center, Family Promise of Southern Chester County, the Genesis Employee Foundation, and the Weekly Fight, a veterans’ assistance agency. For more information, visit www.runksqmushroomcap.com

A wreath entitled "Fiddler on the Roof," made from sheet music, is one of Erica Pennick's creations to be sold at the Sanderson Museum. — A wreath entitled “Fiddler on the Roof,” made from sheet music, is one of Erica Pennick’s creations to be sold at the Sanderson Museum.

• Just in time for the holidays, the Sanderson Museum has announced an addition to its gift shop. Local artisan Ericka Pennick takes the memories of others and designs them into handmade wreaths. Two will be featured: “Horse Spur,” which incorporates an antique book about horses with locally acquired horse spur; and “Fiddler on the Roof,” designed using vintage music sheets from the popular Broadway show.

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