December 31, 2017

Letter: Board did it the right way

First, I want to thank Chadds Ford Live for their coverage of Township meetings and events. The vast majority of the articles are informative, fair, and accurate. However, as in any endeavor, sometimes there are missteps and I believe the recent article about the Board of Supervisors’ approval of the development plans for the final leg of the Loop Road project presents such an instance. I thought it best that I present the board’s view on the recent meeting.

The Loop Road project has been discussed and worked on for decades, well before any of the current Supervisors were in place. It is a project with may pros and cons and strong feelings have surrounded the proposal. A major landowner in the township and good corporate neighbor the Henderson Group wanted the loop road complete and was funding its construction. This provided an opportunity for more public input and design adjustments then might otherwise have been available. However, two major neighborhoods abut the Loop Road — Painters Crossing Condominiums and the Estates of Chadds Ford and so a number of residents’ daily lives will be impacted. Many businesses will use the road which will impact their employees and customers as well. Diverting traffic from Route 1 and 202 onto such a loop road brings with it challenges not presented by the other three legs of the loop road. It is for those reasons that Ms. Reiner, Ms. Barbone, and I moved deliberately with this project to try to foresee the impacts that such a major construction project will have on the Township.

The aforementioned deliberateness in approach was not “bureaucratic back and forth” as the article states but design, engineering, planning, and relationship building to get to the point where the project had, if not widespread support, at least general acceptance. The discussions, meetings, plan review, and detailed analysis by many people including the Planning Commission, and the HOA’s of the Estates and Painters brought many good ideas into focus and helped lessen negative impacts while increasing acceptance. Ms. Reiner, Ms. Barbone and I believe that such a deliberate approach results in a better product for the future of Chadds Ford and we will continue to work through issues to try to achieve the best solution. We do not consider this to be “bureaucratic back and forth” – we call it good government and transparency.

There was also a comment made in the article that I apologized to the developer for the time and money they spent to obtain approval. I did not apologize – in fact, I said just the opposite – that I would not apologize for the time and money it took to obtain approval. I said this because this Board of Supervisors works to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all of our residents and we will take the time we need to be as sure as we can about any project before we approve it. We do not do this to penalize a developer but because we recognize that such developments have a lasting impact on the township and we should work through issues to try to minimize unforeseen consequences.

Lastly, I was impressed with the positive comments that the developer’s counsel directed towards the Board and Township staff as well as the positive feedback we received from members of the public in attendance. All in all, I believe that this process was an example of local government at its best: protecting residents’ quality of life, respecting the rights of landowners, and attempting to find common ground through deliberate analysis and hard work.

Frank Murphy, Chairman
Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors

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Travel Made Easy: Acceptance

Two places in the world that have always captured my attention: The Blarney Stone and the Taj Mahal. Yeah, I know pretty disparate interests but these my places. Everybody gets to have their own places and these are mine.

In my life, I’ve been pretty lucky to see both of these places. My way of seeing these places is not the same as what others have experienced, but that’s OK with me.

When we went to visit the Blarney Stone in Ireland and listened to the folk tales and history surrounding the stone, stared at the tower that held the stone at the top and I didn’t go to the top and kiss the stone. Nope, I stayed at the bottom of the tower and chose not to climb the winding and potentially wet, slippery steps, talking to people as they descended from the tower. Their stories and pictures of kissing the stone were delightful and I was happy they shared.

The Taj Mahal is quite literally breath-taking. The Taj itself sites in a large garden area surrounded by high brick walls. As people pass through the large openings in the wall, you are struck by the incredible beauty of the Taj. There are beautiful gardens and water features surrounding the ivory-white marble mausoleum flanked by minarets. To get to the main portion of the Mausoleum, you have to climb a set of marble stairs wearing a pair of paper booties. The climb to the mausoleum was beyond my capabilities so I sat below in the gardens admiring what must be the most beautiful building in the world.

You see, I got to the Blarney Stone and the Taj Mahal but I did it on my terms. I never thought I’d ever see these two places but because I was happy to accept seeing these places may be different than other people, but believe me, just being there was more than enough.

Your life and what you can do has changed because of age and/or mobility issues. Once you accept what you can do, a whole world of possibilities opens to you.

Travel Tip Live: Make a trip about what you want to do, not what other people say you should do. Once you figure out where you want to go, figure what you need to adjust and accept how you get there.

About Kate DeLosso

Kate DeLosso is a travel professional with over 20 years of experience traveling the world on land and by ship, visiting over 30 countries with an emphasis on travel in Asia. Kate DeLosso Travel is a home based travel agency that helps individual travelers and groups explore the US, Europe and Asia. A number of years ago, Kate had stroke and had to re-learn how to walk, type and drive a car. With a mobility handicap, she became aware that travel was “different” for people with physical challenges. One of her missions has become to share the knowledge accumulated after 20 years of traveling the world as a mobility challenged person. Kate DeLosso is a Certified Travel Counselor, Special Interest Travel Specialist and an Accredited Cruise Counselor and founder of Kate DeLosso Travel. She has lived and worked in Chadds Ford since 1999.