Dorothy M. Bridges Magnacott, 92, of Kennett Square, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Kendal At Longwood in Kennett Square.
Born in Flushing, N.Y., she was a daughter of the late George and the late Mabel Bridges.
Dorothy was an educator at Cold Spring Harbor Central School District for many years before retiring and moving to Kendal Community.
Survivors include one son.
Services and interment will be held privately. Arrangements are by Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square. To view her online tribute, please visit www.griecocares.com
David Douglas Mooberry, 88, of Kennett Square, died Sunday, Jan. 1 at his home in Kendal at Longwood. He was born in 1928 in Denver but moved to Chicago in 1932. He was unfortunate in growing up almost in the shadow of Wrigley field and thus becoming a Cubs fan suffered decades of disappointment. But now!
David Douglas Mooberry
Dave graduated from Grinnell College in 1950 and from Purdue University, with a doctorate in organic chemistry, in 1954. In 1953 he married FM Gilpin and they enjoyed 62 years of life together before she died in 2015. FM and Dave moved east in 1954 where Dave joined the DuPont Company. A 34-year career at DuPont provided unlimited opportunities leading away from the laboratory to such activities as running the “Prettiest Legs at the 1964 Worlds Fair” contest and exploring for oil and gas in a joint venture with Conoco. His career provided the chance to share life with a host of wonderful companions.
After retirement, Dave from DuPont and FM from The Brandywine Conservancy, they traveled the world. FM also continued her commitment to native plants and Dave expanded his sailing adventures amassing some 25,000 off-shore-miles spanning from Nova Scotia to Bermuda and south to the Caribbean and Honduras. A mostly constant crew of dedicated, fun and capable friends often included his son Doug. They did win their share of races.
FM and Dave were among the founders of Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research in 1976 and Dave was on the Board of Directors and president for many years. There was also fun with sailplanes. The arts were not to be missed and he enjoyed and served on the Boards of The Kennett Symphony and People’s Light & Theatre Company. Somewhere in there was time for trips to Alaska fly-fishing for rainbows and silver salmon.
A daughter Susan, now a respected cancer researcher, and son Douglas, you may have some Kinloch furniture, made for a fun and loving family that was joined by daughter-in-law Pat Pusey and son-in-law Greg Paterson and soon two handsome granddaughters and two brilliant grandsons; or is it the other way around.
A memorial service will be held in the spring at Kendal at Longwood. Memorial contributions in his memory may be sent to Kendal at Longwood for The Natural Areas Fund or the Reserve Fund, PO Box 100 Kennett Square, PA 19348. Please take time to enjoy life! He did! Arrangements are by Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
The third of five Westtown Township Planning Commission meetings regarding the proposed development of Crebilly Farm centered on sewers and traffic.
At least 200 people sat in the auditorium of Rustin High School Tuesday night to listen to the township’s sewer and traffic consultants offer whatever recommendations they currently have on the proposal from Toll Bros. that, if approved, would result in at least 317 new homes built on the 322-acre family farm bounded by Routes 202 and 926, New Street and West Pleasant Grove Road.
Sewer consultant Bill Malin, from Carrol Engineering, said he didn’t yet have enough information to give a strong recommendation, but he did review two possibilities.
The first is an on-site, drip irrigation system that’s part of Toll’s proposal. That type of system, Malin said, discharges treated water into the ground where it’s naturally filtered before recharging the water table.
But Malin said there is a financial advantage for the township if public sewers are used. The 317 new homes would generate 80,000 gallons per day of waste water, but the township has sufficient capacity at the West Goshen treatment plant and that by sending waste water there, the township gets a greater rate of return on its investment, and generates more money through tapping and user fees.
Westtown Township residents stand in line to ask questions during the Planning Commission meeting regarding the proposed development of Crebilly farm.
He added, however, that he won’t know what the ultimate requirements will be until the sewer system is formalized. When asked whether an on-site system was feasible for that large a development, Malin said, “I haven’t really looked at that, yet.”
He did say, though, that there’s no doubt that the system would meet township and Department of Environmental Protection requirements.
Malin also said there would be a difference in open space depending on whether public sewers or an on-site drip system is used. He said the on-site system would mean the area used for the irrigation would be passive open space, but that area could become active open space if the public system is chosen.
According to Toll President Andrew Semon, the developer proposed the on-site system because that was a zoning ordinance requirement.
Following a brief recess after Malin’s presentation, and before traffic engineer Al Federico began his, Planning Commissioner Kristin Camp said the applicant must demonstrate that the development won’t create or add to any existing hazard or road congestion. She also said the township can’t reject the application just because of traffic. “That won’t fly, she said.
To no one’s surprise, though, Federico said the development would definitely add traffic to the already congested intersection of Routes 202 and 926.
Specifically, Federico said adding 317 new homes to the two that already exist on the property would add more than 2,700 trips daily through the intersection.
“Everyone going north on 202 [from Crebilly] would access the road from 926,” he said.
According to Federico, the current plan, as is, shows no access to or from New Street on the west, two access points from West Pleasant Grove Road on the north, one on the south side of the farm at 926 and another on 202, the eastern edge of the property.
He said the West Pleasant Grove Road access points are the most appropriate, though there would need to be improvements to that road, and he wants to see the proposed Route 926 access point moved farther west so that it lines up with Bridlewood Boulevard.
Federico said he also would like the commission to consider recommending access on New Street and to totally eliminate the Route 202 access point.
He explained that traffic backups on 202 would prevent people from wanting to use it, even though it would be right in and right out only.
A Jan. 24 meeting will review the development’s planned stormwater management system and the fiscal impact on the township. A fifth meeting will be held in February so the public can learn the Planning Commission’s recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, according to Richard Pomerantz, the Planning Commission chairman.
While the basic plan calls for 317 new homes, Toll wants to increase that to 395 in exchange for making improvements to the township’s infrastructure. Such a decision would be up to the Board of Supervisors after a formal conditional use hearing.
The Planning Commission will make its recommendation to the Board after the informational meetings are concluded.
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.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has launched a video to assist Pennsylvanians in navigating roundabouts. The video instructs viewers how to use both single and multi-lane roundabouts whether in a vehicle, on a bicycle or on foot.
“Data shows that modern-day roundabouts reduce crash severity and injuries while improving traffic flow,” said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards in a press release. “This video illustrates how to navigate these intersections regardless of how you travel.”
A modern roundabout is a type of circular intersection where traffic flows continuously in a counterclockwise direction around a central island and where the entry traffic must yield to the circulating traffic. The Federal Highway Administration encourages implementing roundabouts as they have been proven to significantly improve safety and reduce traffic delays over traditional stop- or signal-controlled intersections. In tandem with the federal recommendation, the Pennsylvania State Transportation Innovation Council has prioritized implementing roundabouts as alternatives to traditional intersections when possible.
Crash rates and severity of at least three years of data from before and after installation for the state’s first 10 modern roundabouts built at previous traditional stop sign or signal-controlled intersections showed that fatal crashes were eliminated (from two to zero) and major-injury crashes were also eliminated (from four to zero). Additionally, moderate-injury crashes were reduced by 71 percent (from seven to two) and minor-injury crashes by 25 percent (from 16 to 12) as well as the total number of crashes, which dropped by 16 percent (from 63 to 53).
National studies have shown that modern roundabouts reduce fatal crashes by up to 90 percent and result in a 75 percent reduction in injury-causing crashes. Modern roundabouts also improve pedestrian safety by allowing people to cross shorter distances with slower moving one-way traffic.
Modern roundabouts have been being built in the United States for less than 30 years and in Pennsylvania for less than 15 years. In Pennsylvania, there are currently 32 completed roundabouts, 20 under construction and at least 10 more expected to go to construction over the next two years. To learn more about roundabouts, visit www.penndot.gov and enter “roundabouts” in the search bar.
• A 26-year-old woman from Cochranville faces DUI charges following a traffic stop on Route 41 in New Garden Township on Dec. 30. State police from the Avondale barracks said the driver, not identified in the report, was stopped because she was driving 62 mph in 45 mph zone. Troopers detected the smell of alcohol, she showed signs of being under the influence and a field sobriety test was performed. The stop was made at 12:45 a.m.
• An unidentified motorist was issued a warning following a one-vehicle accident on Mill Road in East Marlborough Township on Dec. 26. A state police report said the driver was failed to make a turn at Wollaston Road and struck a bridge. No injuries were reported.
• Police from the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department — which includes New Garden and West Grove township police — arrested Rachel Coy, 28, of West Grove, on Monday, Jan. 9. According to a report, there was an active bench warrant out on Coy. She saw the officer approaching, the report said, ignored commands to stop and then fled to a second floor apartment. When confronted in the apartment and told she was under arrest, Coy tried to pull away, but was subdued after a brief struggle, the report said. Police took Coy to Chester County Prison where she was incarcerated pending a court appearance. Additional charges of fleeing and resisting arrest are being considered.
