The site for Chadds Ford Live is going through some changes, some planned, some unplanned. It’s the unplanned changes that are a problem. Those changes make it difficult to impossible for me to lay out stories as I would like and as you readers have come to expect. These unplanned changes have also caused a great deal of frustration for our tech people. The latest word is that this should be corrected in about two weeks. I apologize for any inconvenience.
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.
Chadds Ford Township supervisors have reversed an earlier ordinance and gone back to instituting a Business Privilege Tax. The board voted to drop the $225 per year Business Registration Fee from last year and return to the BPT.
The fee applies to “all resident and non-resident persons and entities conducting business or maintaining a place of business within Chadds Ford Township,” read Supervisors’ Vice Chair Kathleen Goodier.
Businesspeople are required to file with the tax collector and file annual returns, then make proper payment based on codified deadlines. The board did not announce what the BPT would be, but the previous tax was $100 per year. Penalties for failure to comply will be enforced.
With the resignation of former Finance Director Laura Lim, supervisors voted to appoint Helen Smith as Bookkeeper and Facilities Coordinator. Goodier said Smith would oversee the day-to-day financial operations and provide oversight of township facilities.
“Ms. Smith brings extensive in office management, accounting and finance, human resources, and insurance administration,” Goodier said. “This position enhances internal financial controls and operational efficiency, while ensuring consistent oversight of township facilities.”
In conjunction with the Open Space Committee, the board accepted a proposal from North American Land Trust to provide professional services for long-term preservation strategies for Painter’s Folly. There will be permanent conservation and façade easements on the property. NALT will be the perpetual holder and steward of the easements.
Supervisors’ Chairman Timotha Trigg said she feels fortunate to have an entity such as NALT to work with on this.
The board has decided to retain the services of Bingham Engineering to prepare the Sunset Hill Trail Project. The firm has been involved with the trail project from the beginning, said Goodier.
Bingham’s proposal includes preparation of construction plans, contract documents, and informal contractor quotations with possible public bidding, if required.
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.
The Chester County History Center presents a virtual talk: A Real and Rare Genius: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 7-8 p.m. Whether discussing his art or his life, Horace Pippin defies definition. Born in West Chester in 1888 before growing up in New York, Horace Pippin returned to the town of his birth when he married Jennie Wade Giles in 1920. The course of his life was deeply influenced by grievous emotional and physical wounds he received during service in WW I, which inspired him to express his pain through his self-taught art. Between 1938 and his death in 1946, Pippin earned worldwide recognition for his folk art style and powerful use of color, leading art critic Alain Locke to describe this Chester County artist as “a real and rare genius.” This is a pay-as-you-wish event, but registration is required. Register here.
• The Barn Shops will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with an Artisan Pop-up on Feb. 14. The event lasts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a variety of workshops. Also included are Mandala Journal making from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., for $35; Sensory-Attunement Chocolate Tasting, from 2-4 p.m. for $45; and Personalized Self-Love Sets from 3-5 p.m., for $40. The Barn Shops are at 1609 Baltimore Pike in Chadds Ford Township.
• The Downingtown Country Club is the site for this year’s Sweet Charity to be held on Tuesday, March 3, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Sweet Charity is a fundraiser supporting Chester County Community Foundation. The Downingtown Country Club is located at 93 Country Club Drive, Downingtown, PA 19335.
• The Women’s Auxiliary to Chester County Hospital is hosting Tacos & Trivia Night, Saturday, March 7, from 5-8 p.m. at the Hershey’s Mill Golf Club, 401 Chandler Drive, West Chester. Enjoy a taco bar buffet (cash bar) and then trivia with the funniest master of ceremonies you’ve ever experienced. Buy a 50/50 ticket and take a chance on great raffle baskets. Admission is $50 per person (tables of 8 and individual players welcomed. Tables must be reserved and paid for in advance.) No tickets will be available at the door. RSVP and payment by Feb. 25. This fundraiser benefits the Women’s Auxiliary’s $2 million pledge toward an expanded cancer care program at Chester County Hospital. Tickets are available here.
• The Grand Opera House in Wilmington presents bluegrass legend and banjo player Tony Trischka on Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m. In presenting his ever-changing Americana-flavored solo performances, banjoist Tony Trischka draws on his 54-year career to create a masterful mix of bluegrass, jazz, old-time, popular, classical, Celtic, and original music. Though often thought of as a one-trick pony, the banjo, in Tony’s hands, becomes a vehicle of kaleidoscopic expression. Of course, there are the searingly virtuosic, rapid-fire bluegrass instrumentals to ignite any audience. In addition, though, there are more poignant pieces (many of them original compositions) that plumb deeper emotional depths. In conjunction with his newly released album, Earl Jam, Tony will perform previously unheard arrangements by Earl Scruggs. Tickets, available here, start at $54.
• Praised for her “rare musicality” and “lovely lyrical grandeur,” Chelsea Chen is one of America’s leading concert organists. She will be performing at Longwood Gardens on Wednesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom, Longwood Gardens. =Reserved seating starts at $40. Tickets may be purchased here.
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.
and insurance administration,” Goodier said. “This position enhances internal financial controls and operational efficiency, while ensuring consistent oversight of township facilities.”
