Paul-Dale Plattenburg, 62, died May 18, of Pottstown, and formerly of Chadds Ford and Appenzell. Born in East Stroudsburg, he graduated from Pocono Mountain Senior High, class of 1976.While in school he volunteered with the Central Pocono Ambulance Jr Corp.
Paul-Dale attended music camps at Mansfield State College and also attended East Stroudsburg University. He was a former sportswriter for the Morning Call Newspaper but also had worked at the Giant Food Store at the Suburbia Shopping Center and at the Chick-fil-A in Lionsville and Ash Ridge.
Paul-Dale was honored in the 2017 class Official PIAA Umpire for 30 years of Service.
In 1976 he toured Europe with the American Music Ambassadors playing Hi Trombone. He loved being a guest commentator with Bob Capasso from Blue Ridge 13 covering high school sports.
Paul-Dale was married to the late Kathryn Rollo, who died June 13. He is survived by his mother Catherine (Warner) Plattenburg of Reeders, PA, sister Jennifer (Plattenburg) Herscap of Reeders, two nieces Jessica Singer of Summerfield, Fla. and Kay Singer of Reeders, a nephew of Anthony Singer of Williamsburg, Va., two great-nephews Byrin Singer and Matej’ Burgess, both of Summerfield, and Paul-Dale’s girlfriend Debra Knepp of Lebanon. Predeceased by his father Paul Plattenburg, his maternal grandparents Howard and Emma (Weiss) Warner and paternal grandparents Clarence and Stella (Oney) Plattenburg .
A Memorial Service will be held on July 31, at 10 a.m. in the Reeders United Methodist Church, 2167 Rt 715, Reeders, PA 18352. Interment Appenzell Cemetery, Appenzell, PA. Memorial gifts may be sent in his name to the Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network, PO Box 561, Saylorsburg, PA 18353, or the Kidney Foundation, 1500 Walnut St., Suite 301, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Helen V. Stephany Connally, 95, of Garnet Valley, died on July 1, at Riddle Memorial Hospital. Born in Philadelphia, daughter of the late Joseph and Anna Kondrotas Stephany, she grew up on 80th Street in the Meadows section of Philadelphia. She lived in Chadds Ford before moving to her late residence in 2016.
Helen attended John Bartram High School. Her full work career included the Painters’ Crossing Condominiums in Chadds Ford, house mother for student nurses at Chester County H
Helen V. Stephany Connally
ospital and volunteering at Longwood Gardens.
Helen loved art, painting, music, playing the violin and traveling.
Most important was her family, especially her grand and great-grandchildren. She was wife of the late John V. Kutys, Jr. and Thomas P. Connally, grandmother of the late Elizabeth Kutys, and sister of the late Mary Stephany Lynam, Joseph Stephany, Anne Stephany Krezdorn, Albert L. Stephany and Edward F. Stephany. She is survived by her children: John V. Kutys, III (Mary Ellen), Michael Kutys (Marie), Paul Kutys, Kathleen Connally and Thomas P. Connally Jr. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Stephanie Kutys McGrath (Brian), Rebecca Kutys, Michael Kutys, Jr. (Amanda), Jennifer Kutys and Isaac Danuloff; and her great-grandchildren: Casey E. McGrath, Timothy J. McGrath, Evelyn Kutys and Norah Kutys.
Graveside Service 11 a.m., Thursday, July 15, at Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon. Memorial Gifts may be made to Providence Animal Shelter, 555 Sandy Bank Rd., Media, PA 19063. www.whiteluttrell.com
Residents and other interested parties prepare to give comment during the final session of the Toll Bros./Crebilly Farm conditional use hearing. Some want Chester County and Westtown Township to invoke eminent domain.
Crebilly II, the second conditional use hearing for Toll Bros. proposed plan to develop Crebilly Farm in Westtown Township, is over. The second round ended after 13 sessions and with some people calling for eminent domain being invoked.
The July 12 session was dominated by public comment with the resounding sentiment being a plea to supervisors to deny conditional use approval of the plan that calls for building 317 new homes on the 320-plus-acre property that’s surrounded by Routes 202 and 926, and by S. New Street and West Pleasant Grove Road. The reasons expressed were the same expressed during the last five years: concerns over traffic, open space and historic preservation, and Toll bashing.
Resident Jack Simpson asked a rhetorical question, wondering whether Toll representatives could say anything about the proposed development being of benefit to the community. He said Toll never reached out to the community to come up with any consensus, adding that “11,000 residents have standing.”
Others said the site should be preserved because of British and Hessian troop movements on the farm during the 1777 Battle of Brandywine. Still, others commented on the need to keep the space open for quality of life, that the large development would lead to flooding and pollution.
“How does this help the community, those of us who are already here,” was one of the other comments. “It will be negative,” the resident said, referencing the loss of green space with impervious coverage adding to pollution.
And most everyone commented on the anticipated increase in traffic in an already congested area around Routes 2o2 and 926.
It was concern over traffic that led to the first mention of eminent domain, the power of a government to take private property for public use without the owner’s consent. Essentially, a forced sale against the owner’s wishes.
Fronefield Crawford, the attorney representing neighboring Birmingham Township, said the township should use eminent domain to take some private property for dedicated left-turn lanes at Route 926 and S. New Street.
Part of the property that would be involved belongs to the Spackman Farm in Thornbury Township. Farm owner Randell Spackman, who was granted party status in both hearings, said later, “please don’t take my land.”
But it was Ken Hemphill, an open space advocate from Concord Township, who called for a broader application of eminent domain.
“Chester County should use eminent domain to take the property after the Board of Supervisors says no to Toll,” Hemphill said.
Several residents did consider the rights of the Robinson family, the legal owners, and that of Toll.
Resident Carol Weller said the proposed development would “destroy this iconic land.” She added as others said, that the impervious coverage would increase flooding and pollution. But instead of calling for no development, Weller asked for a reduction in the number of units and said townhouses would be better than single-family units.
Also considering Robinson and Toll rights was Mindy Rhodes. Addressing Toll representatives, Rhodes said:
“If Toll continues to pursue development plans for Crebilly Farm after being denied conditional use for a second time, then my hope for you is that you will do a better job by composing a thoughtful development plan, one that respects core Chester County values: open space, nature, and history. This can be done. Instead of meeting minimum requirements, my hope for you is that you will strive to far exceed them. Instead of a development plan that destroys what is so valuable and further saturates an already over-saturated infrastructure, my hope for you is that you will do a better job by working with what is already here and preserving what can never be replaced…You have an opportunity. Please do not be numb to change. It is never too late to start doing a better job.
After the hearing, Westtown’s solicitor Patrick McKenna said parties have 30 days to provide findings of facts and conclusions of law. After that, the supervisors have up to 45 days to render a decision. He estimated that it could be on or before Sept. 27.
Even if the supervisors grant conditional use approval, it’s only the first step. Toll Bros. would still have to go through the subdivision and land use process, presenting fully engineered plans to the Planning Commission, and then get final approval from the supervisors.
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.
In a recent online BBC article, Jennifer Waverek, the owner of Bklyn Clay in New York said, “Clay acts almost as an antidote to ‘the overwhelm’ of the digital world…Your mind has a single focus, so the practice can feel meditative or therapeutic. There is no way to speed up clay-drying or firing, there’s no ‘clay-microwave.’ Ceramics take as much time to make today as they did 2,000 years ago.”
Work by Eva Hozinez at WCU Knauer Gallery
Ceramic artists Sam Mae Diamond and Eva Hozinez just spent the last month focused on the dichotomy often experienced while living in the time of the digital age. Their new two woman show opens today at West Chester University (WCU) in the Knauer Gallery. They were paired to participate in an artist residency on campus which began in June. The exhibition “Consume” highlights the work made during their residency. As part of their statement, the artists shared a list of things they are consumed by: Process, Material, Technique, Technology, Culture, Research, Reflection and Identity.
Diamond shared more, “The fact that we have a near endless supply of history and knowledge that we can consume is counteracted by the crushing weight of all the external factors in life that consume us. Both of these pathways can lead to the same outcome, a feeling of emptiness, when you realize you can never learn enough about who you really are, where you are from and who you could have been. The emptiness the world leaves you in after it consumes your time, friendships, and interactions especially during the pandemic.” A Kennett Square resident, Diamond received her BFA from WCU and her MFA at Moore College of Art & Design. She uses clay to contrast her subject matter using body forms that are worn, weathered and imperfect to preserve a feeling or act that the vessel has endured. “I like to explore contrasting meanings in materials and concepts. I use a material like clay, which has a long durable history, to capture a particular moment or a subject that has such a short life expectancy.” For more information about Sam Mae Diamond, visit here.
Work by Martin Campos at Stanek Gallery
Eva Hozinez received her BFA from WCU as well. Hozinez bills herself as a potter but she’s ventured into sculpting with clay too, as evidenced by some of the works on display in the show. Adopted from Peru, she’s been exploring her heritage recently through her process and surface design. Using traditional and non-traditional forms, she creates a self-reflection of where she came from and who she is now. About the show, Hozinez said, “Although I am still getting my footing under me, I am really excited about where my work is heading from here.” For more about Hozinez, visit here. The gallery is located in the Swope Music Building. A reception will be held this Friday, July 16th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The show runs through mid-August.
Work by Katherine Stanek at Stanek Galley
In Philadelphia, the current show at Stanek Gallery, “Disrupted Realism: Reimagining the Figure,” continues along the same vein of its 2018’s exhibition “Disrupted Realism”. This new iteration includes the work of painters Martin Campos, Jacqueline Boyd and Stanka Kordic. From the press release, “Over the past year we have become more dependent on virtual experiences to maintain our connections to each other and our world. This has inevitably altered the ways in which humans communicate and consequently influenced the work of many artists.” It is certainly reminiscent of the work hung for the 2018 exhibition but there is also evidence of the artists being influenced by the events of 2020. Ghostly figures emerge quietly in Boyd’s paintings while Campos’s figures explode on his substrates with deep colors and strong gestural marks and Kordic’s paintings provide a little of both. Gallery owner Katherine Stanek shared the following, “The artworks in the realm of “Disrupted Realism” remind us that intrigue and beauty can be found in those spaces in between.” The current show also introduces sculpture to the mix with complimentary figurative works by Stanek who makes work with her own custom blend of cements and other materials and Rolf Jacobsen who works with wood. The show runs through August 14th. Visit here for more details.
“Attraction” by Robert Zurer at DVAA
Other events worth checking out: As part of the Da Vinci Art Alliance’s Fellowship Program, DVAA is presenting an exhibition titled “The Buried Life” through July 20th. Featuring paintings from DVAA fellows Robert Zurer and Kimi Pryor, these works share a love for mystery, the spiritual, and the psychological. The artists’ surreal paintings depict both dreamlike and nightmarish stories. A video walkthrough is available here.
A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.
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.
