January 4, 2023 - ChaddsFordLive.com

January Art Roundup

Unabashed, Theresa Groff at the Chester County Art Association

Ring in 2023 by celebrating art in all its forms! Galleries are gearing up for fantastic exhibitions all year long. We can’t wait to see what this year brings for art in the Brandywine Valley!

Art by Ghana, Ebenezer Ali at the Media Arts Council

Cool off at the Oxford Arts Alliance at the Opening Reception for Floating Blue from artist Thomas Pickarski on Friday, January 6^th from 5 to 8 pm. The evening will feature ceramic work by Jill Beech as well as poetry readings from various writers. The show will be on view through January 27^th. The Opening Reception will also introduce Allie Gibson from the Oxford Arts Alliance Art Academy in the Emerging Artist Gallery. The Oxford Arts Alliance is at 38 S. Third Street, Oxford, PA. More information can be found at OxfordArt.org.

The Media Arts Council opens 2023 with two new shows. An Opening Reception will be held Friday, January 6^th from 5 to 7 pm for Selected Works: Carolyn Pyfrom and Peter Van Dyck and Art by Ghana – Ebenezer Ali. The shows are on view through January 29^th. The MAC Arts Center is located at 11 E. State Street, Media, PA. More information can be found at MediaArtsCouncil.org.

Biolalia, Dave Yasenchak at The Jeweled Warrior

There are a few more days to see The Magic of Ferns, a solo exhibition by Emie Hughes at The Jeweled Warrior through January 8^th. Then Terraform, art by Dave Yasenchak, takes over with an Opening Night Reception Friday, January 13^th from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The Jeweled Warrior is located at 110 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs, PA. More information can be found at TheJeweledWarrior.com.

The final days of Gifted at The Art Trust is on view through January 6^th. Then get Inspired with work by respected sculptor Stan Smokler as well as select artists inspired by Stan’s teachings, creativity, originality, and process. An Artists’ Reception will be held Friday, January 13^th from 5 to 8:30 pm, and an Artists’ Talk on Thursday, February 2^nd from 7 to 8 pm. The Art Trust is located at 16 West Market Street, West Chester, PA. More information can be found at TheArtTrust.org.

The Wilmington Art Loop is held every First Friday in Downtown Wilmington. This month, it will be held on Friday, January 6^th, featuring galleries throughout the city. Some highlights include The Art of Kara Hinson at Christina Cultural Arts Center, Expressive Creative Soul at the City of Wilmington’s Redding Gallery, Wit, Humor, Despair: Amos Lemon Burkhard at the Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD), and the JaQuanne Leroy solo exhibit The Anthology: Trust The Process at the Chris White Gallery. A complimentary shuttle will run between the stops from The Delaware Contemporary, 200 South Madison Street, Wilmington, DE, DEContemporary.org. More information, including all the stops and featured artists and shows on the Loop, can be found at ArtLoopWilmington.org.

he Home of Frolic Weymouth, Annette Alessi at Strodes Mill Gallery

New pieces are arriving daily at the Strodes Mill Gallery, including from local artists Annette Alessi, Karl Kuerner, and others. The Strodes Mill Gallery is located at 1000 Lenape Road, West Chester, PA. More information can be found at Facebook.com/StrodesMill.

Check out the Closing Night Reception and Gallery Talk for Robert Bohné’s solo show Appreciations at the Church Street Gallery on Thursday, January 5^th at 7 pm. Then come back for the Opening Reception of Introducing the Paintings of Mary Kane on Friday, January 13^th at 5 pm. Explore this gallery and others during First Friday in West Chester. The Church Street Gallery is at 12 S. Church Street, West Chester, PA. More information can be found at ChurchStreetGalleryWC.com.

The Chester County Art Association brings back the CCAA Members Show from January 12^th through February 1^st, as well as Unabashed by Theresa Groff. An Opening Reception will be held Thursday, January 12^th from 5 to 7 pm. The CCAA is located at 100 North Bradford Avenue, West Chester, PA. More information can be found at ChesterCountyArts.org.

Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art is on view at the Brandywine River Museum of Art in two galleries through January 8th. This exhibition examines the fragility of the environment and our relationship with it through works by Mark Dion, Courtney Mattison, and others. It includes a site-specific installation and a commissioned mural that relates to the native flora and fauna of the Brandywine Valley. The Brandywine River Museum is located at 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA. More information can be found online at Brandywine.org/Museum.

Drop by the David Katz Gallery during First Friday in Downtown West Chester from 5 to 9 pm to see new works, including from their popular Cloud Formations series. The David Katz Gallery is located at 128 East Gay Street, West Chester, PA. More information can be found at DavidKatzGallery.com.

Looking for more events happening through the month? Check out @BrandywineArtGuide on Instagram and Facebook!

About Victoria Rose

Victoria Rose (she/her) is an editor, writer, avid reader, self-described geek, and fan of all things creative. Her passion for words has led to her current career as a freelance editor, and she is the owner of Flickering Words, an editing service. When not wielding a red pen (or cursor), she loves reading books of all genres, playing video, board, and word games, baking ridiculous creations to show off on the internet, or enjoying the gorgeous outdoors. She is a board member of the West Chester Film Festival and part of the Thirsty Monsters, a team of streamers from around the world who fundraise for various charities supporting LGBTQIA+ and accessibility rights. She can be found online @WordsFlickering or the Brandywine Art Guide @BrandywineArtGuide.

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Traffic cameras in CF?

Local News Chadds Ford, Local News

Chadds Ford Township supervisors are trying to decide whether to partner with Concord Township for a license plate reading camera system at the intersections of Routes 1 and 202. A least, that was their understanding as of a Jan. 3 request.

Shawn Petty of Platelogiq gave a brief presentation to the board during Tuesday night’s reorganization and regular monthly meeting. It was the same type of presentation Petty gave to Concord Township last spring.

Platelogiq is the largest provider of automatic license plate readers in the state, Petty said. But the cameras are not there to catch people running red lights. Instead, they record traffic through a given intersection and can — and do — help solve crimes by recording license plate numbers and vehicle color. The system does not track people, Petty said, but law enforcement loves the system.

“The technology is invaluable,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Jon Sunderlin, commander of the Media barracks. “We rely heavily on local police departments that have Platelogiq.”

Sunderlin said the system recently helped state police solve a series of armed robberies after local police departments where cameras are located were able to find and later identify a suspect vehicle, which resulted in the arrest of the robber.

“This has changed the game of criminal investigation,” he said. “I can’t say enough about this system”

But the system can also be used to help find missing people. Petty told supervisors that Platelogiq was able to help locate an elderly man with memory problems when police accessed the system looking for the man’s car.

And only police departments can access the recordings. The videos can’t even be accessed by the municipalities that pay for the equipment.

And paying for the system is an issue. As Chadds Ford Township supervisors understand the current request, it’s a matter of the township partnering with Concord to pay for a camera at Routes 1 and 202, but Supervisors’ Chairman Samantha Reiner said she needs to know how much Chadds Ford would have to pay.

She said she’s opposed to a 50/50 split since Chadds Ford has one-fourth the budget and one-fourth the population of Concord. Supervisors won’t decide without knowing what it would cost.

Petty said he wasn’t certain what the cost for Chadds Ford would be.

Other business

• The board held its state-mandated reorganization meeting before the start of the regular meeting. Reiner was reelected as chairman and Frank Murphy — not in attendance —was elected vice chair.

Also, as part of the reorganization, Mike Schneider and Mike Maddren were reappointed to their current positions as township engineer and township solicitor, respectively, and Maddren was reappointed as the Planning Commission solicitor. Tom Comitta was reappointed as the land planner.

Other reappointments include Valerie Hoxter and Kathleen Goodier to the Planning Commission, Mark Stookey to the Sewer Authority, and Paul Kock to the Zoning Hearing Board.

• Supervisors also revised part of the township’s tax ordinance to bring it in line with a new state requirement that penalties and interest for late payments be waived under certain conditions.

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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Kennett Twp. sets priorities

Local News Kennett, Local News

Strategic regionalization and a review of township committees are two of the priorities of the new chairman of the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors.

Geoffrey Gamble became the chairman at the annual reorganization meeting Tuesday, and Richard Leff the vice chairman in 2023. Supervisor Scudder Stevens was absent due to a recent surgery.

In a statement he read at the meeting, held at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Borough, Gamble said strategic regionalization could be a way to keep future budget costs in check.

“Critically, we must seek ways to contain our budget and the burden it imposes on our residents,” he said. “One way to do this is to explore, in a serious and focused way, the possibilities for strategic regionalization of the services that we are obliged to provide: sewer, fire, police, public works and finance.”

Gamble said Stevens would spearhead that focus.

In terms of committees, the supervisors reapproved those members with expiring term limits so, according to Gamble, the committees can continue operating while the board and township staff look at “all existing support and advisory entities to determine how best to fulfill our statutory obligations as a municipality.

“Over the next six months this will entail a review of all of our township committees and commissions over which we have jurisdiction.”

The annual reorganization meeting, held immediately after the new year, is a time when the board of supervisors chooses its leadership, its consultants and committees, sets meeting dates and township holidays, and identifies emergency services providers, among other things.

During the reorganization meeting, the supervisors approved the following committee reappointments:

Shawn Knudson, Building Code appeals board;
Matt Sabo, Environmental Advisory Committee chairman;
Dave Gunyuzlu, Environmental Advisory Committee;
Diane McGovern, Kennett Township Historical Commission;
Rudy Karkosak, Planning Commission;
Abbie Kessler, Trails and Sidewalk Committee;
Adam Singer, Zoning Hearing Board; and
John Haedrich, Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway.

Other items that Gamble mentioned during his speech were the Chandler Mill Trail, Spar Hill, open space, and fire and EMS services.

“We are going to move forward on bringing the Chandler Mill Trail to reality,” Gamble said. “ … We are committed to this, not only because of the resources we have already expended on this project but because it is the right and visionary thing to do.”

With fire and EMS, Leff will be the township representative on the Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission, with Stevens as the alternate.

“Both have considerable experience with the commission and will be strong township representatives participating in the process of overseeing the funding,” Gamble said.

In other reorganizational news:

Eden Ratliff was reappointed as the township manager, secretary, and right-to-know officer.
Amy Heinrich was reappointed as the township treasurer, human resources director, and finance director.
The supervisors also reappointed other township staff and consultants, including planning director and codes enforcement officer Diane Hicks, police Chief Matthew Gordon, fire and deputy fire marshals Bruce Mitchell and A.J. McCarthy, solicitor Dave Sander from Kilkenny Law; and Patrick Harvey, a labor and employment attorney from Campbell Durrant. A full list can be found on the township’s website (Kennett.pa.us) in the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.
The supervisors will continue to have in-person-only meetings at different locations until the mold remediation and repair of the public meeting room are completed. Tuesday’s meeting was at the Red Clay Room. Meetings will still be on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m.
Township committees and commissions will meet virtually. Those meetings include the EAC at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month; the historical commission at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month; and the planning commission at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesdays (work session) and on the second Tuesdays (regular meeting).

About Monica Fragale

Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.

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Police Log Jan. 4: Explicit photos, thefts

Police

Pennsylvania State Police

UPDATE: State police from the Media barracks have that a suspected rape at Maris Grove, reported on Dec. 28, was unfounded. End of UPDATE.

Avondale Barracks

• Police are calling it theft by deception but a 63-year-old man from West Marlborough Township is out $3,100 after he sent the money to someone to whom he also sent explicit photos of himself. The police report said he thought he was sending the photos to a woman but then he sent the money to prevent the photos from being shared. Police are investigating.

• State police from the Avondale barracks are investigating the theft of $1,500 worth of perfume from Ulta Beauty in East Marlborough Township on Dec. 28. Suspects, reported as two black women, fled in a black GMC Terrain bearing temporary tags number XQ338845, police said.

• The Ross store in East Marlborough Township was the victim of theft on Dec. 20. Police said two unidentified men, no description given, stole $720 worth of handbags and fragrances. Police are investigating.

• A 28-year-old man from West Grove, not identified in the report, was arrested for DUI following a Dec. 27 traffic stop at W. State and N. Garfield streets. The incident happened at 1:31 a.m.

• Police said Cynthia Hernandez-Anaya, 39, of Oxford, was cited for driving too fast for conditions after her vehicle ran off Green Lawn Springdel Road and into a ditch at 9:12 a.m. on Dec. 22. No injuries were reported in the West Marlborough Township accident.

• A 40-year-old man from Kennett Square was arrested for harassment on Christmas Day. The suspect was not named, but police said he struck his wife about the head and shoulders approximately 50 times with a closed fist.

• Dania Reatiga-Castillo, 31, of Atglen, was cited for driving too fast following a one-car accident on Route 1 in Kennett Township on Dec. 22, according to police. A report said Reatiga-Castillo was driving north in the right lane but lost control of her car and struck a guide wire in the left median. She then went over the wire and the car came to rest in the median. Police reported no injuries.

• Police said Andre A. Ward Jr., 32, of Philadelphia, was cited for DUI following a two-car crash on Route 1 in East Marlborough Township on Dec. 18. According to the report, Ward was driving north when he made a sudden turn onto Bayard Road and struck another vehicle that was also turning right onto Bayard. Police said Ward showed signs of impairment, and a field sobriety test indicated impairment. No injuries were reported.

• A 70-year-old man from West Grove was hospitalized with a suspected serious injury following a two-car crash on the Route 1 bypass just south of Route 82 in Kennett Township on Dec. 16. Police identified the injured man as Robert J. Novosel. According to the report, Novosel rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped on the northbound shoulder. The other driver was not injured, police said.

Kennett Square Police Department

Police said Douglass Cafoncelli, 28, of Reading, was arrested and charged with DUI and related traffic offenses, after the vehicle he was operating was stopped due to swerving within its lane of travel and straddling the right fog line and parking space markers. The incident occurred on Nov. 28, at approximately 12:41 a.m., near East Cypress and South Broad streets. After making contact with Cafoncelli, officers said they observed indicators suggesting intoxication, and field sobriety tests showed impairment. He was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and submitted to a chemical test of his blood. The lab results were received on Dec. 14, with positive findings of alcohol and THC. Charges were filed with District Court 15-3-04.

About CFLive Staff

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

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