•The Board of Directors of PAWS for People has selected Clarice Ritchie as the new Executive Director following the recent retirement of PAWS’ founder, Lynne Robinson. Now in her ninth year of employment with PAWS, Ritchie has served as interim executive director since January. Ritchie will continue to work with the staff, board of directors, and volunteers to grow and solidify PAWS. The demand for pet-assisted therapy programs has dramatically increased since the onset of Covid and PAWS has become an important driving force in the battle to improve mental wellness in the community.
• The law firm Gawthrop Greenwood, PC is announcing a merger with renowned community association law firm Steven L. Sugarman & Associates, forming one of the largest law firms supporting homeowners’ associations (HOAs), planned communities, condominium associations and cooperatives across Pennsylvania in the residential and commercial arenas.
Image of new signs from a presentation by Susan Hamley of the Chester County tourism bureau.
Kennett Township supervisors gave the green light Wednesday to update five tourist signs in the township.
The township will enter into an agreement with Chester County Tourism to create a “signing district” within the municipal borders and to replace the existing tourist-oriented directional signs, or wayfaring signs, with newer, more uniform ones.
Susan Hamley, the executive director of Chester County Tourism (the conference and visitors bureau), told supervisors that the current signs are out of compliance with PennDOT regulations and are either faded, too low to the ground, too overcrowded, containing too many characters, or hidden by vegetation along the roads. Many were installed more than three decades ago.
Those signs in Kennett Township alert drivers to places like Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine River Museum, the visitors’ bureau, Chadds Ford Winery, museums and gardens in Delaware, downtown Kennett Square, and the Galer estate winery. Three of the signs are on Route 1; one is on Route 52; and another is on Kennett Pike.
The replacement signs will be larger on bigger roads and smaller on smaller roads, she said. They will be blue, with a heading at the top that resembles a rolling river, and text that lets people know which attractions are nearby.
“We’ve managed the program since its inception” nine years ago, Hamley said, explaining that PennDOT is requiring each municipality in which the signs appear to become a “signing district.” “We will continue to manage this.”
She said Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau wants to focus first on replacing signs along the Route 1 corridor and in West Chester. The tourist-oriented directional sign program is one the bureau has done with the greater Wilmington area. After the Delaware Department of Transportation ordered Wilmington to remove their signs, they have already been replaced, Hamley added.
The sign replacement program will cost nothing for Kennett Township. The goal is to continue to grow tourism in the area.
According to a presentation Hamley made to the supervisors, the tourist attractions will be “requested to sign an agreement to pay a nominal annual maintenance fee.”
“These are the kinds of places that serve the tourism world,” Hamley said. “We’re trying to get people to come here, enjoy our county, treasure it, stay overnight, and return.”
PennDOT is expected to review the final design of the signs in the fall. Between fall and March, Chester County Tourism is expected to seek quotes for the signs, have them made, notify the municipalities, and have them installed.
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.
Due to a water leak that occurred today in connection with the commencement of the E. South Street water main replacement project, some residents may experience low water pressure.
Borough personnel are on-site and actively working to address this issue and the low water pressure should be resolved this afternoon.
In addition, the eastbound lane of W. South Street will be closed at Broad Street over the weekend.
For any questions or concerns, you can contact the Borough at 610-444-6020 or via email at help@kennettsq.org.
PennDOT has announced the following weather-dependent road projects that could affect drivers in the greater Chadds Ford area from Aug 5 through Aug 11. Motorists are urged to allow extra time traveling through one of the construction zones. Work schedules are subject to change.
•Kennett Square Borough will be performing utility improvements in the area of Route 82 and South Street during the next few weeks. On Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 16, and 17, work will be performed between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The intersection will be closed during that time. During the closure, motorists will be directed to use Cypress Street, Broad Street, Mulberry Street, Center Street, Route 82 (South Street), Lafayette Street, and Scarlett Avenue. Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 30 and 31, the intersection of South and Walnut streets will be closed from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. During that closure, motorists will be directed to use Birch Street, Broad Street, Route 82, Taylor Street, Chestnut Street, and Hornblende Avenue.
•Through Aug. 31, vegetation management will cause lane closures on Creek Road between Lenape Unionville Road and Route 926 in Birmingham Township, and on Lenape Unionville Road between Wawaset and Creek roads in Pocopson and Birmingham townships. Vegetation management will also cause lane closures on Burnt Mill and Spring Mill roads in Kennett Township, Parkersville and Pocopson roads in Pennsbury Township, and Route 52 in Kennett and Pennsbury townships.
•Vegetation management will last through Sept. 22 on Lenape Unionville Road in Pocopson Township, Route 926 in Pennsbury and East Marlborough townships, Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township and Pennsbury, and on Route 842 in Pocopson and Newlin Townships.
•Through Sept. 30, vegetation management will also close lanes on Burnt Mill Road, Old Kennett Pike, and Spring Mill Road in Kennett Township, Pocopson Road, and Routes 1 and 52 in Pennsbury and Kennett Townships,
•Smithbridge Road over Webb Creek in Concord Township remains closed due to recent bridge inspection findings. The findings indicate that there is advanced superstructure and substructure deterioration that warrants immediate closure. Smithbridge Road is closed with a detour west of Fox Hill Farms, between Arbor Circle and Palmer Drive. PennDOT will be posting detour signs to assist with travel through the area. The structure will remain closed until PennDOT bridge engineers can determine the full extent of the damage and develop a plan to repair and reopen the bridge. No dates were given.
•Water main extensions will cause daytime lane restrictions with flagging on High. Street between Nields Street and Rosendale Avenue in West Chester through Aug. 31.
•Roadway reconstruction will cause daytime lane closures on Route 202 between Smithbridge Road and Watkin Avenue, and on Naamans Creek Road between Route 202 and Graystone Drive through Sept. 1.
•Motorists should expect lane restrictions with a detour for trucks on Route 162 at its intersection with Route 82 in Newlin Township because of bridge repair. There is currently no date for completion.
