August 31, 2021

Letter to the Editor: Playground and sewer plant

Recently the Philadelphia Inquirer (Monday, Aug. 23) printed an article “An ‘environmental justice’ fighter.”

This contained the ongoing discussion of a woman who has continued to fight for her neighborhood in Chester. Her fight concerns the trash to steam and other facilities that are breaking down waste.

This brings to mind the decision by the Chadds Ford Township Board of Supervisors to locate the community playground on property contiguous with the sewer plant.

I am not an engineer and I do not know the biochemical elements of converting human waste in a sewage plant. But there is something about the optics of the board’s decision that mirrors what this concerned citizen is saying about the plants in Chester along the waterfront.

Did the board have any data presented about the health and welfare of being around a sewage plant of this kind; what effects, if any having does it have on our pediatric residents?

I would not be having my children play in that area if they were of that age. Would the Board of Supervisors have their children play there if age appropriate!?

Deborah Love, MSN, MBA, RN
former Chadds Ford Township Supervisor

About CFLive Staff

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Heavy rain and flooding possible

Along the Ford

thunderbolt-1905603_960_720 — Heavy rain and flooding possible

The National Weather Service advises there could be heavy rain and flooding possible in the region from tomorrow through Thursday in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

The service said periods of rain will begin early Wednesday morning and become the heaviest Wednesday evening, before ending on Thursday morning. There could be 3-6 inches of rain look likely to fall for Chester and Delaware counties.

The threat of strong to severe thunderstorms is elevated and the threat of flash flooding is significant.

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Mask mandates are back in school

Health

In a reversal from just last month, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has issued a new mask mandate for all K-12 schools and childcare centers. The mandate goes into effect on Sept.7.

Wolf had said that it would be up to the individual school districts. Last week he asked the state legislature to enact a law for the mandates, but legislators declined. Next, he said he asked the school districts to institute the mandates, but they too declined.

“The Delta variant has changed everything,” Wolf said during a press conference, “and medical infrastructure is crumbling. Wearing a mask in schools is the best way to keep schools open…This is necessary for our future as a commonwealth.”

He said most Pennsylvanians are in favor of mandatory masking. “Parents are asking for our help to keep their kids in school…it’s crucial to have students wear masks in the classroom…Doing nothing is not an option.”

Dr. Trude Haeckers, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, called the move to mandate masks a “critical healthcare issue. A return to in-person school is crucial for emotional health, but without masks, there would be more quarantining.”

State Secretary of Health Alison Beam also spoke during the press conference, saying there had been steep increases in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the state during the last month and a half. She cited a 10-fold increase in cases, from 300 new cases in July to 3,000 in August.

Hospitalizations have jumped from 245 to 1,850 during the same time frame, and there were 21 new fatalities versus 10 in July. She added that there had been a 300 percent jump in cases in children younger than 12.

“The Delta is extremely powerful and transmissible…As students return to school, we need to take extra steps to keep children safe.”

Wolf said there are no formal penalties in place for districts that don’t comply, but that “The real penalties will come from parents who want the districts to do what’s best for the students.”

The Unionville Chadds Ford School District did not immediately issue a statement on the mandate.

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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Lesia Moulder, formerly of Kennett Square

Obituaries

Ms. Lesia Moulder, 59, of Carneys Point, N.J., and formerly of Kennett Square, died Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia. She was the wife of Thomas C. Moulder.

Lesia was a long-time resident of the Kennett Square area and a graduate of Kennett High School class of 1980.

Born in Ashe County, N.C., she was the daughter of Ray and Mary Pierce.

Lesia was a hairstylist and business owner for close to 30 years. She enjoyed reading, music, Netflix, outdoor activities, spending time with her granddaughter Mackenzie, and her Chihuahua Tito. She loved to laugh.

In addition to her husband, Lesia is survived by her brother Dan Pierce and his wife LeeAnne of Nottingham, her sister Sonja Donovan and her husband Don of Lincoln University, her son Nicholas Crognale of Philadelphia, and her daughter Breanna Crognale of Kennett Square. Also, her stepsons Thomas Moulder Jr. of Woolwich Township, N.J. and Kevin Moulder of Mickleton, N.J.

Lesia fought a medical battle the four previous years with a great perspective on life. She will be sorely missed by many.

Please join us in honoring her life from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2, at the Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 W State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348. A time of sharing will follow at 7:30. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made in Lesia Moulder’s name to the Salem County Humane Society, North Game Creek Road, P O Box 214, Carneys Point, NJ 08069.

To view Lesia’s online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com

About CFLive Staff

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Leedom Richard Smith of West Grove

Obituaries

Leedom Richard Smith, 95, of West Grove, died Sunday, Aug. 29, at Chester County Hospital. He was the husband for 53 years of Joyce (Crossan) Smith who died on April 22, 2016. Born on Aug. 1, 1926, in West Chester, he was the son of the late Leedom V. and Clara M. (Sharp) Smith.

Leedom was a graduate of Kennett High School. He proudly served his country in the Navy during WWII and was deployed to the South Pacific, working as a helmsman and baker. He was active in the Avondale United Methodist Church for more than 50 years serving as a trustee and being involved with the Methodist Men. He spent much of his career as a truck driver, working for a variety of local fuel oil, gasoline, and propane companies, retiring at the age of 63. He loved tending his vegetable garden and fruit trees, watching the Philadelphia Phillies, hunting, and bowling. He was a member of the VFW Post 5467, Kennett Square.

Leedom is survived by his three daughters, Susan E. Smith, Linda M. Mitchell (Bruce), and Patricia J. Evans (William) all of Kennett Square, grandson Nicholas Evans, sister Ann Thompson, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his siblings, Jane E. Berube, Louise Walker, and Robert J. Smith.

All are invited to a graveside service on Friday, Sept. 3, at 11 a.m. at the Bradford Cemetery in Marshallton. Contributions may be made in Mr. Smith’s name to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 704 W Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, PA 19348, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Please visit Mr. Smith’s online memorial by going to www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com