March 3, 2026 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Irene Graciela Aranguiz of Lititz

Irene Graciela Aranguiz, 89, of Lititz, died Tuesday, Feb. 24, at her home in Brethren Village.

Born in Rancagua, Chile, she was the daughter of the late Manuel Aranguiz and the late Graciela Gac Ovalle.

She is survived by two sons, John Patrick Seyler and Oliver G. Gfell; three daughters, Irene Vivian Seyler, Claudia Alexandria Seyler, and Stephanie S. Sullivan; two sisters, Iba D. Aranguiz and Violeta Cale Gac; one brother, Jose Cale Gac; 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by one sister, Maruca Cale Gac, and one brother, Manola Aranguiz.

Funeral services and interment will be held privately. Contributions in her memory may be made to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware https://secure.qgiv.com/event/nmaglp/page/tributegifts

Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square. Condolences may be shared at www.griecofunerals.com

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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Opinion: Ensure stormwater permits match plan

Opinion

In land development debates, we often focus on traffic, architecture, or retail tenants. But the most important issue is usually the least visible: stormwater.

The proposed Shoppes at Concord development, currently under review in Concord Township — with a portion of the parcel extending into Chadds Ford Township — recently experienced a quiet but significant change. On Feb. 24, the developer withdrew a proposed amendment to its permit coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). That may sound technical. It isn’t.

An NPDES permit governs how stormwater runoff is collected, detained, routed, and discharged. It determines how much land can be disturbed, how large detention basins must be, and how peak runoff rates are controlled. In short, it governs how rainwater will move across and beyond the site — affecting downstream properties, local roads, and shared waterways.

When a developer withdraws a proposed amendment to that permit, it raises an important question: Does the stormwater design currently being reviewed by Concord Township still match what the state of Pennsylvania authorized?

If the grading plan, basin sizing, discharge points, or disturbance acreage have changed — even modestly — the state permit may no longer reflect the configuration depicted in the submitted plan set. This matters because municipal land development approval does not substitute for state environmental authorization. Local officials can approve a plan, but if the state permit does not align with that plan, it cannot legally proceed.

This project also carries an additional layer of complexity: it spans two municipalities within a shared watershed. Stormwater does not respect township boundaries. A change in discharge routing or detention design in Concord township can directly affect residents and infrastructure Chadds Ford.

Before municipal approvals advance further, the simplest solution is transparency: obtain written confirmation from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that the stormwater plan currently under review is fully authorized under active NPDES and Chapter 105 permits. If the plans match, the public gains reassurance. If they do not, the discrepancy must be corrected before any further approvals.

Stormwater management is not paperwork. It is engineering that determines how water moves across land. As a community, we owe it to ourselves to ensure that local approvals and state environmental permits are in complete alignment.

The question is not whether development should occur. The question is whether it should proceed with clarity, consistency, and full regulatory transparency.

That is a standard that benefits everyone — residents, municipalities, and developers alike.

By Ellen Spoehr
Chadds Ford Township

About Rich Schwartzman

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Birmingham getting fence bids

Local News Birmingham

Birmingham-low — Birmingham getting fence bids

It was a short meeting in Birmingham Township on Monday evening.

Brian Bonkoski, the current acting president of the RPOS, gave the supervisors a basic idea of how the Recreation, Parks, and Open Space Committee wants to apply for a grant for partial fence replacement at Birmingham Hill. The section is along the Meeting House Road to the end of Birmingham Trail.

“The current fence is more than 30 years old and needs a lot of maintenance,” Bonkoski said.

The grant would be from the Greenway Trails and Recreation Program.

He said they need to get several bids for the project before they can actually apply for the grant, which calls for the township to pay 15 percent of the award. There’s been one tentative bid so far from J&A Fence for a little more than $38,000, which would mean the township would need to put in a little less than $6,000. But more bids are needed. He said they need at least two or three more bids, but need to advertise for them first.

Scott Boorse, the supervisors’ chairman, speaking for the board, said they were in favor of the project and told Bonkoski to spec out the project, then go ahead to advertise for the bids. Bonkoski hopes to have the specs done by the next Board of Supervisors meeting. Boorse said the board could accept a bid, contingent on the RPOS getting the grant.

Other business

The board accepted a bid of $18,195 from Magic Landscaping for landscaping at Sandy Hollow, Birmingham Hill, and the embankment at the township building along Route 926.
Supervisors also accepted a bid of $460,841 from MOR Construction for replacing stormwater piping in the Knolls of Birmingham and Birmingham Hunt. MOR was the lowest bidder.

Boorse said this has been several years in the making. He said the township received a grant around the time of the COVID pandemic, but then there were some engineering issues. The township then transferred to another engineering company and is just now getting back to the project.

“We received a total of nine bids,” Boorse said. “It’s an extensive amount of work to be done. This has to do with the replacement of corrugated metal storm sewer piping anywhere from 6 inches to 36 inches.”
There will also be some replacement of manholes and inlets.

He added that there’s also been some deterioration that has led to sinkholes.