Chadds Ford – ChaddsFordLive.com

Residents balk at proposed developments

A standing room only crowd at the Chadds Ford Township municipal building spoke almost unanimously with one voice and one word: No.

No to the YMCA, no to a K. Hovnanian Homes development and no to the southwest leg of the loop road around the intersection of Routes 1 and 202.

A special informational meeting of the Chadds Ford Planning Commission drew a larger attendance than almost a year’s worth of supervisors’ meetings. The crowd was made up mostly of residents from Painters Crossing Condominiums and from the Estates at Chadds Ford, the communities most directly affected if the proposals go through.

Hovnanian and the Y want to build in the township, but current zoning prevents that. Both have requested changes in the zoning code. Hovnanian is asking that the Brandywine Drive site be rezoned from Planned Business Center to Residential-Multifamily, while the YMCA wants a text change to allow for non-commercial recreational use in the LI, Light Industrial District.

While all speakers spoke against at least two or three planned developments, commission member Mike Ashmore reminded people later in the session that the township can’t prevent development. He said the Comprehensive Plan, last updated in 2008, is what guides current planning, including the focus on building up the Route 202 corridor with both commercial and residential development. He suggested that maybe the comp plan should be re-examined before there are any zoning changes.

Commission Chairman Craig Huffman opened the session with a quick rundown of 13 proposals under consideration in Chadds Ford and Concord Townships, but the primary concerns for the residents centered on three.

Margaret Faia, from the Estates at Chadds Ford and the Chadds Ford Preservation Society, said she and her group oppose the YMCA being built in the Light Industrial District at Hillman and Dickinson drives across from the entrance to the estates. She said the area is already too congested.

The loop road would also run along Hillman Drive and that will add to the problem, she said. According to her research, 90,000 vehicles go through the intersection of Routes 1 and 202 everyday.

“How many will use the loop road,” she asked.

Faia added that she opposes another possible business development along Dickinson Drive — one not yet before the commission. That, too, she said, would add to traffic congestion.

She added that doing business is a privilege, but safe residential areas are a right.

Richard Kaser, also from the Estates at Chadds Ford, said that since Evergreen Drive is the only access point — in and out — for the development, traffic from the YMCA would pose a serious problem.

“It’s a serious safety concern for us…Our children will be put in danger,” he said.

Another estates’ resident said the K. Hovnanian-proposed 120-townhouse development along Brandywine Drive would create an undue burden on the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.

Harvey Lane resident Eric Goodman cautioned against the Hovnanian project because it would just increase traffic along Brandywine Drive and possibly bring unwanted people onto neighboring properties.

Only one person, another estates’ resident, spoke out in favor of the loop road, saying it was needed.

Three property owners from the Painters Crossing Condominiums — including township tax collector Valerie Hoxter — expressed concerns over the loop road proposal. As currently planned, the road would run within 100 feet of the 1500 building, Hoxter said.

That proximity of traffic noise and headlights shining into windows would adversely affect the owners and ultimately reduce property values for every owner of every unit in the entire complex, she said.

Hoxter added that the township did a good job in listening to homeowners on Summit Drive and Heyburn Road when it prevented those streets from being used for ingress and egress to and from Chadds Ford Estates. She wants the same consideration for condo residents.

Also taking aim at the loop road was Republican Party candidate for supervisor, Frank Murphy, who said truckers would wind up using the loop even if it’s marked for residential traffic only and they’ll drive at 55 mph even if marked for 35 mph.

“The loop road is a real problem and must be thought through,” he said.

Murphy added that he grew up in Upper Darby and lived in Aston, but “I don’t want Chadds Ford to be Upper Darby or Aston.”

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Kids and parents love PJ Yoga

Local News

lady-bug-handstand — Kids and parents love PJ Yoga

As the old commercial used to say, “Trix are for kids.” For Disha Mattive, so is yoga. Kids and their parents think so, too.

Mattive, of Chadds Ford, teaches yoga to adults, but also has a special PJ Yoga class on the second floor of Transcend Yoga in the Barn Shops at Chadds Ford. She said kids benefit from the ancient practice as well as adults. They like it, she said, and it can help them as they grow.

Kristyn Smith, of Wilmington agrees. Her 4-year-old daughter has been taking the class with Mattive for a year and Smith can see the results.

“She loves it,” Smith said of her daughter. “It’s taught her concentration, how to focus on one thing and there’s a change in how she looks at nature.”

Brett Clancy, of Chadds Ford, has twins who take the class.

“They love it. They’re obsessed. When we drive by in the car they shout, ‘That’s where yoga is.’ At home they teach me the poses.”

Another parent said her daughter needed emergency surgery after being hit by a golf ball and the yoga class taught her breathing techniques to calm herself.

Mattive said the poses strengthen and improve balance, and can also help with other activities. She said her own daughter plays soccer and yoga helps her get over sprains and bruises much more quickly than other girls who don’t do yoga.

“It complements everything they do, helping them be safer in other activities and sports.”

The class also teaches confidence.

“Here they can all do this,” Mattive said.

Specifically she was referring to the “ladybug handstand” where kids do a handstand while supporting themselves with their feet against a wall.

In general, she said, yoga can benefit kids because “it can help counter the stress they experience in their busy world filled with school, sports, and extra-curricular activities. And it is non-competitive so it encourages cooperation and compassion which is such a wonderful gift to give our children.”

Class begins with a welcome song, followed by the kids picking small stuffed animals known as yoga buddies. The buddies stay on the yoga mats except for when the wind up on the kids heads or tummies during some of the poses.

All of the kids said they love the animal poses, whether it’s downward dog, cat, snake, frog or crab. They also do a crab walk that ends with them high-fiving each other with their feet.

They also use their feet to pick up small, fuzzy pompoms. Mattive said that helps them develop muscles in their feet and toes that would otherwise be constricted in shoes.

Kids also blow the pompoms along the floor, a practice that teaches breath control.

What else do the kids like? Snack time.

Parents get a break from their kids during class. It’s held at dinnertime and the parents go out to eat. They get as gift certificate to Brandywine Prime. Parents like their snacks, too.

Featured photo: Disha Mattive helps students with their ladybug handstand.

For more information on summer classes and camps, visit www.kindredspiritsyoga.com or contact Mattive at disha13@hotmail.com

Also on Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/#!/pages/Childrens-Yoga-with-Disha/264887476864389?id=264887476864389&_rdr

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Chadds Ford supervisors disagree on monument

Local News

Chadds Ford Township supervisors aren’t unified over what to do about the Vietnam monument along Route 202. Supervisors Deborah Love and Keith Klaver are fully behind keeping it in Chadds Ford, but George Thorpe is not enthusiastic.

The monument — situated on Hineman family property in the parking area of the former Sovereign Bank — was dedicated in November 1966 and may be the first Vietnam memorial in the country.

It was dedicated to the men of Delaware County who served in the war, but has been neglected for years. The property itself may be sold and, if so, the monument would likely have to be moved.

Thorpe is not convinced that Chadds Ford is the proper venue. He said in a telephone interview that he’s first concerned because there’s been no offer from the Hineman family for the township to take the monument.

But Thorpe remained noncommittal even when asked directly if he’d be willing for the township to take ownership if it were offered.

“I don’t know,” Thorpe said. “I would like it to be where it is more prominently displayed, which can be almost anywhere other than where it is.”

He said he would “acquiesce” to Delaware County if council wanted ownership.

Thorpe also said having the memorial in Chadds Ford would be confusing to some.

“I’m just afraid that putting it on our site, wherever it might go, will confuse people because of the battlefield. They’ll go to the battlefield thinking that’s where it is and that will be a criticism.”

However, Klaver was emphatic about keeping the monument in Chadds Ford.

“I cannot think of a better use for township property than honoring our veterans of any war. I would be extremely pleased if we could accept it from the Hineman family and have the veterans’ group assist us in placing a monument of that type on township property.”

Klaver qualified his position saying members of the HARB would have to be comfortable with the monument being placed on township-owned property.

Where all three supervisors do agree, however, is that Love should contact property owner Ron Hineman to find out what he and the family intend to do with the monument.

State Rep. Stephen Barrar, several local businessmen and a scoutmaster also want to keep the monument in the township.

Barrar said it would be a disservice to move the monument to another part of the county.

“[Chadds Ford] is really where this monument belongs, whether it’s at the battlefield park or the township building. Because it originated in Chadds Ford, it should stay in Chadds Ford. It would be sad to take it from Chadds Ford when its history has been here even though the majority of its history has been unknown to all of us. It’s time to bring the statue into the light.”

He added that it’s incredible that a monument that could be the oldest Vietnam memorial in the United States is in “our back yard.” Moving it to another township, he said, would take away from its history.

Also supporting keeping the monument in Chadds Ford are businessmen Dave Kelleher, of David Dodge, and Andy Variale, owner of Pescatore’s restaurant.

Both men are offering to hold a fund-raiser to pay for a move, but Kelleher took it a step further.

“The cause is so proper that I’m making the commitment that I will get that done…We haven’t gotten to the point where we’ve talked about what the actual cost would be, but if we’re talking about a couple thousand dollars, I’ll take care of it. If it costs more than that and it means we need to have a fund-raiser, we’ll do that.”

Kelleher added that he thinks the township building is the perfect location.

“What better place than the serene surroundings of the Chadds Ford Township building? It’s a perfect place for that. It would look terrific there. It would enhance the property itself. More importantly, it could be taken care of properly…”

Ray Coe, scoutmaster of Troop 31 in Chadds Ford, is also supportive. Coe, a Vietnam veteran, said the scouts would take part in a fund-raiser if need be, and that maintaining the monument could become a scout project.

Another Vietnam veteran who wants the monument to stay in Chadds Ford is Dan Martin. Martin, who lives in Springhill Farm, served in ‘Nam from December ’67 to December ’68 and is still dealing with issues related to Agent Orange, a carcinogenic chemical defoliant used during the war.

“Considering it might be the oldest, it should stay in Chadds Ford,” Martin said.

Chadds Ford resident Jack Tobin was an F105 pilot who flew missions over Vietnam during the war. He’s currently in Florida, but was amazed when he learned that Chadds Ford might be home to the first Vietnam memorial in the country.

“Wow,” he said in a telephone interview, “I’m flabbergasted. Chadds Ford is such a little burgh, but I’m proud to be from there. I can’t wait to get back and see it.”

The story is getting some national interest. The editor of Vietnam Magazine is preparing a story for that publication.

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What to do with the mystery monument

Opinion

Decisions need to be made regarding the Chadds Ford mystery monument, the Vietnam memorial that may be the oldest of its kind in the country. Just what should or can be done remains at issue.

As reported, the monument, a cannon on a stone base, was dedicated in 1966, only two years after the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that committed American fighting forces to Vietnam, and four years before Tet of ‘68. It sits on private property, can’t be seen from the road and has been neglected for years. There are also signs of possible vandalism.

Some members of Rolling Thunder, a group of Vietnam veterans, now visit the site — along Route 202 in the parking lot of the former Sovereign Bank — since becoming aware of it. Some want the monument moved to a better location, possibly the township building. Another veteran wants the site turned into an historic landmark.

One township supervisor, George Thorpe, previously said that the monument might be better going to the county since the dedication plaque says it’s dedicated to the men of Delaware County who fought in Vietnam. He may or may not change now that it appears the memorial may be the country’s first.

Even that, however, may not be enough. The monument is on property belonging to the Hineman family. Ron Hineman said the family has made no decision yet, but is weighing its options. He said that it may be offered to either Chadds Ford or Concord Township, offered to the county or kept where it is.

One of the other issues is that the property in question may, or may not, be sold and turned into an entranceway to a development in Concord Township. The development would be for a Wegman’s food market. Rumor has it that Wegman’s doesn’t want the monument.

So what does it mean to residents of Chadds Ford to possibly have another piece of history in their township? Should it stay or go? If it goes, where should that be? And is there anyone who knows why it was dedicated in Chadds Ford in the first place? Newspaper archives and historical society records have revealed nothing.

The monument’s history is just as much a mystery as its future.

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Chadds Ford monument may be country’s oldest

Local News

Graves-plants-medallion-and-flag — Chadds Ford monument may be country’s oldest

Chadds Ford’s mystery monument may be the first memorial in the U.S. dedicated to Vietnam veterans. Yet, no one, so far, has been found with any recollection of its dedication, and public records have revealed no information.

Research is continuing, but Duery Felton, of the National Parks Service, said the Chadds Ford memorial “is still in the lead” for being the oldest.

The monument, a cannon on a stone pedestal located on private property along Route 202 across from Hillman Drive, was dedicated Nov. 11, 1966. Felton, the curator of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial collection, began researching the situation last week and said that a memorial in Wentzille, Mo., was thought to have been the oldest. That memorial was dedicated Dec. 19, 1967, a full 13 months after the Chadds Ford monument.

The dedication plaque says the memorial is in honor of Delaware County servicemen who fought in Vietnam. This pleases some Vietnam veterans, but it also brings up many emotions, both of the war and of the monument’s current condition.

Weeds are growing through the cracks of the old Sovereign Bank parking lot, and the monument itself is in poor condition. The backside of the stone pedestal is crumbling and shows signs of vandalism and water damage. There are cracks along the stone on the front, and the florets — the decorative screw heads holding the plaque in place — have been tampered with. One is missing, and another is loose.

A handful of Vietnam veterans, members of Rolling Thunder, visited the site last week. Some want the 46-year-old memorial moved to a better location. Another wants the site turned into an historic landmark.

Butch Anderson served in Vietnam from 1970-1971. He choked with emotion when asked what the monument meant to him. It took some time before he answered.

“When I go to any memorial to veterans, I actually get emotional. I’m sad. That’s how it affects me, but when I see one especially like this, this [one] has to be moved. We’ve got to get this thing in a proper place…The brush, and everything should be cut back so nobody comes in here and tries to steal it or vandalize it.”

Backside-of-pedestal — The back of the pedestal shows signs of neglect and possible vandalism.

Chuck “Graves” Roth, who had his tour in ‘Nam from ’67-’68, said seeing the Chadds Ford memorial was “almost like finding a long lost friend…like looking at a high school yearbook.”

He said it makes him feel good that the monument was erected relatively early in the war, but that it’s “time to do the right thing. Get this into an honorable place.”

Patrick Hughes, another veteran who fought in 1967 and ‘68, has a different idea since learning of the possible significance.

“This monument could become an historic landmark, possibly being the first ever honoring Vietnam veterans. So, please, just keep it where it is. The Hineman family and the other property owner giving up a small piece of land, making it a small rest area with a bench or two [and] some shrubs and flowers,” Hughes said in a follow-up email.

The monument may have to be moved. Its location is on property that could become an entrance for a Wegman’s market that’s under consideration in Concord Township.

Ron Hineman, of Delaware County Supply, owns the property, but only learned of the monument several weeks ago. He discussed the situation with other family members, but said they’ve made no decision yet.

“We’re going to look into it, decide what the best option is,” he said.

Among those options, Hineman said, are offering the memorial to Chadds Ford or Concord Township, or even to Delaware County.

Hineman added that he checked with former employees who worked at the old Tri County Supply and even they have no recollection as to why the monument came to be.

To date, no one has come forward with any definitive information on the monument’s origin, nor has any documentation been found. Checks with the Chadds Ford, Delaware County and Chester County historical societies have come up empty, as have the archives of both the Delco Daily Times and the Daily Local newspapers.

Main photo caption: Vietnam veteran Chuck “Graves” Roth plants a medallion and an American flag At the Chadds Ford Vietnam monument. (Photos by Rich Schwartzman)

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