May 29, 2020 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Supervisors consider special dining permits

Chadds Ford Township supervisors are considering allowing a special outdoor dining permit for restaurants in anticipation of the partial reopening of Delaware County. Gov. Tom Wolf announced he would move all counties currently in the red zone for COVID-19 into yellow on June 5.

The governor’s lockdown decree in March prohibited restaurants from offering dine-in service; they were limited to takeout service only. A move to yellow will allow for outdoor seating service as long as they take certain distancing precautions.

But few restaurants in Chadds Ford have outdoor dining areas. According to Chadds Ford Supervisors’ Chairman Frank Murphy, the proposed ordinance would give more restaurants in the township a chance to return to some normalcy of business.

“All three of the supervisors, me, Samantha Reiner and Nicole Barbone, are working to help local businesses. We hope this would be a good first step,” Murphy said in a telephone interview. “It’s a new way to help facilitate business.”

Murphy said in the interview that restaurants that currently don’t have outdoor facilities could use a tent or roped off area in a parking lot as long as they follow other COVID-related guidelines.

The proposed ordinance, if approved, would allow for restaurants to apply for a special permit that would allow for outdoor service “for 120 days from the date of issuance or through Nov. 7 of the year issued, whichever is earlier but in no event shall a permit be valid prior to March 15 in the year it is issued” and they are renewable.

Applicants must provide a seating plan that shows ingress and egress to all areas, including restrooms while accommodating social distancing requirements. If the applicant wants to use sidewalks or lawns, they must show that they own the property or have the landlord’s permission.

Supervisors are expected to vote on the matter during a special meeting, conducted via Zoom, on Saturday, June 6, at 9 a.m. The June 3 meeting has been canceled.

A draft of the proposed ordinance can be found here.

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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Roadwork for May 30-June 5

Along the Ford

PennDOT has announced the following road projects, which are weather-dependent and could affect drivers in the greater Chadds Ford area during the week of Roadwork for May 30-June 5. Motorists are urged to allow extra time if they are traveling through one of the construction zones. Work schedules are subject to change.

• Beginning Monday, June 8, the Concord Road bridge over Green Creek will be closed and detoured between Valentine Drive and Foulk Road in Concord Township. Work is expected to be completed in early February 2021. During the closure, Concord Road motorists will be detoured over Valley Brook Road and SmithBridge Road. Local access will be maintained up to the construction zone.

• Bridge inspections will also cause lane restrictions on Route 52 — between Routes 1 and 926 — in Kennett Township on June 1.

• Road construction will continue to cause lane closures on Route 1 — between Route 452 and Valley Road in Middletown Township — through June 30.

• Bridge reconstruction continues to close Creek Road — between Riverbend Lane and Country Club Road from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. — in Birmingham Township. The closure is expected to continue through May.

• Barrier installation will cause lane closures on Brandywine Creek Road — between Green Valley Road and Powell Road in Newlin Township — through June.

• Lane restrictions on the Conchester Highway — between Routes 1 and Clayton Park Drive — will continue through Oct. 20, for reconstruction and widening.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Reminders on changes for June 2 primary

Along the Ford

A reminder that several polling places were changed for Tuesday’s primary election and mail-in voting was authorized because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes affect voters in both Chester and Delaware counties.

Chadds Ford Township residents will be voting at Garnet Valley Middle School at 601 Smithbridge Road in Concord Township.

In Concord Township, most polling locations remain as they have been, but four sites were changed. People from the West Precinct who usually vote at Darlington Arts Center will be voting at Garnet Valley Middle School. Voters in the South East, South Central, and South West precincts who usually would vote at Garnet Valley High School will be voting at the former Pennington School at 245 Bethel Road.

Chester County residents voting by mail should get their ballots into the county by 8 p.m. on June 2. They must be received by the county at any time before then. To drop off in person, take the completed ballots to the Chester County Government Services Center at 601 Westtown Road in West Chester by 8 p.m. on June 2.

Delaware County residents voting by mail must also get their ballots in by 8 p.m. on June 2. If dropping off completed ballots in person, take them to Delaware County Government Center at 201 W. Front St., Media. The county will accept those ballots today, Friday, May 29, or Monday or Tuesday, June 1 and 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Voters may also drop off ballots Saturday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Those ballots may also be dropped off at any polling location on election day, where there will be drop boxes while the polling locations are open. These drop boxes will be positioned just inside the polling location, where they are under observation by the poll workers. However, voters seeking to drop their mail-in ballots will not be required to check-in with the workers. Residents are asked to observe social distancing when dropping off a ballot to a polling location.

Delaware County also is planning to have a mobile dropbox visit retirement communities on election day to collect ballots that were received too late to be returned by mail for those residents who cannot leave the facility.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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