‘Share the cost of fixing our sinkhole’
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
For the last year, the sinkhole between Lake Shore Lane and North Shore Lane Buttonwood Road in the Somerset Lake development in Landenberg has been Topic A for the residents who drive along the road.
The sinkhole started off small but has in the last several months grown to a sizable girth of four-feet deep and eight-feet-wide.
The frustration over the sinkhole isn’t just shared over the hedgerows; it’s also been on the agenda at several homeowners’ association
County’s efforts to reduce homelessness are showing
meetings.
At New Garden Township’s July 5 meeting, what to do with the sinkhole was on the agenda and became the latest action taken in a back-and-forth of meetings and letters.
On June 14, the Somerset Lake Service Corporation submitted to the township a list of 14 possible solutions to repair the hole in the road that involved the installation of barriers and forms meant to stabilize the area, strengthen the nearby stormwater basin and eventually reopen that portion of the road.
In a June 21 letter to township Manager Ramsey Reiner and Public Works Director Ken Reed, David L. Sibert of Brandywine Valley Properties on behalf of the Somerset Lake Service
Corporation submitted a document that outlined the steps the Corporation would be willing to undertake in the hopes of reopening the road, which has been closed to vehicular traffic for the past several weeks.
In late June, members of the Somerset Lake Service’s Board of Directors met with New Garden Township Board Chairman Steve Allaband and supervisor Dave Unger – a resident of Somerset Lake -- to see what could be done to fix the problem and restore normalcy to the quiet lakeside community.
In the board’s discussion of reasonable alternatives on July 5, however, only one option was considered – the installation of a large steel plate over the sinkhole. Fixing the problem this
way is very likely to be far more complicated than slapping a steel plate down and reopening the road.
Emphasizing a ballpark figure only, Reed estimated that the cost to purchase and install a 15-20-foot-long, 18-inch-thick steel plate would be under $20,000.
Somerset Lake resident Don McConathy, who was present at the recent meeting between the Corporation’s Board of Directors and Allaband and Unger, said that he would supply the township with updated design proposals. He then showed the supervisors three engineering concepts that would provide longterm stability of the road and the basin – all of which has gone to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for review.
United Way of Southern Chester County appoints new CEO
After a national search, the United Way of Southern Chester County announced that Terry R. Vodery has been appointed CEO-designee. She will officially take over the CEO position on Aug. 31 when longtime CEO Carrie Freeman retires. As part of careful transition planning, a twomonth overlap was designed so that Freeman could help the new CEO become acclimated with the organization.
Vodery is the former executive director of United Way of Cecil County, Maryland, where she was responsible for setting and implementing strategies which led the organization through the unprecedented challenges and demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was responsible for financial and business affairs, including the annual campaign, and worked across private, public, and corporate sectors to improve conditions for the people of
Terry Vodery
Cecil County. In her 20 years as a nonprofit advancement professional, Vodery has worked for United Way of Delaware, the University of Delaware, and the Music School of Delaware. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of New
Horizon Now, a multi-service agency serving needy families in Camden County, New Jersey.
Vodery has past roots in southern Chester County. She is a proud graduate of Lincoln University. She is a native of Delaware and is the mother of one son.
Whose road is it?
The upshot of the Corporation’s proposal, however, submits that the township is responsible for not only the repair of the pipes beneath Buttonwood Road but for the surface of the road. Subsequently, the proposal calls for a cost-sharing between the Somerset Lake community and the township to complete the repair of the sinkhole and its connecting pipes beneath Buttonwood Road.
McConathy did not provide firm cost estimates to
the board.
“The homeowner association’s position is the road [surface] belongs to the township [and] the pipes under the road belong to the township,” McConathy said. “We kind of feel that there is some responsibility on the part of the township. We looked at this and said, ‘If the township were to help us, what’s the best way to do that?’
“If you provide some of the material costs to us, we can do the rest of the construction work. If the township then would deal
AROUND THE REGION
AROUND THE REGION
Blobfest 2022: Sci-Fi film still delights
By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer
The 1950s were years dominated by the “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union, as each country tried to outdo the other in rocket technology.
Scattered reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) intensified public interest in understanding what existed far beyond our atmosphere. America was fixated on outer space- and the possibility of life on other planets.
Eager to cash in on the craze, filmmakers began producing movies which had space as their main theme, releasing dozens of
films highlighting space ships and aliens.
A 1958 Sci-Fi movie titled The Blob is the inspiration for Phoenxville's Blobfest, which took place from July 8-10. Filmed in the Downingtown and Phoenixville area and featuring a young Steve McQueen, the plot revolves around a red gelatinous substance which escapes from a crashed meteor. Appropriately, the Blob itself has somewhat mysterious origins. The Colonial Theatre, where some scenes were filmed, mentions that the original idea for the movie came from a Philadelphia police report of an object “falling
by Gene Pisasale
Bikefest & Giveaway held in Kennett Square
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
On July 9, Kennett Trails Alliance, Bike Kennett, Trek Bicycles Newark, and Zummo Bikes teamed up to sponsor Bike Fest at Pennock Park in Kennett Square. As part of the event, 100 free refurbished adult and youth bicycles and helmets were given to members of the community.
Pictured with a new bike owner is Bike Kennett founder Josie Marsh.
with putting the road back together so it’s to their standards, we can have somewhat of a joint project that would be able to flow very nicely.”
Reiner disagreed with McConathy, saying that the pipes beneath Buttonwood Road – particularly in the vicinity of the sinkhole -- do not belong to the township.
“If the DEP permit for those pipes is held by the Somerset HOA (Homeowner’s Association) then in my eyes it belongs to the HOA,” she said. Allaband said the immediate objective is to reopen the road as soon as possible. He said that the township
will work with the Somerset Lake HOA on gathering cost estimates.
Planting and nursery project at Saint Anthony’s gets go-ahead
The su pervisors gave their support to a presentation by township resident Stan Lukoff to dedicate a 1.4-acre parcel in Saint Anthony’s in the Hills as a future home for more than 400 trees, 100 shrubs and the installation of a live stake nursery. The plantings will be located in the southeastern portion of the property, near the site of the former soccer fields.
The project was proposed and is being developed by Meagan Hopkins-Doerr,
the 2022 Penn State Master Watershed Stewardship Coordinator of Chester County; Shane Morgan of the White Clay Watershed Association; and Lukoff.
The project is being done in conjunction with the Keystone Tree Fund, which was signed into law in November of 2019 by Gov. Wolf. With funding raised through $3 voluntary donations by Pennsylvania residents, the fund supports the efforts of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to eventually plant 86,000 acres of stream buffers statewide to improve rivers, streams and water quality in the commonwealth.
The development of the
Township Board of Supervisors meeting.
Phase
III of renovations at Flying Field
project is scheduled for late October-early November of this year. It will include site clearing, invasive plant removal, the removal of dead trees and branches, the mowing and clearing of the area, the installation of an eight-foot-high metal deer fencing around a live stake nursery, and the installation of 400 trees and 100 shrubs, many of which will be donated by the Keystone Tree Fund.
*
The project – budgeted at $67,000 -- is seeking a $33,000 grant from Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts to pay for materials, labor and maintenance and administrative fees. The project is also expected to receive $34,000 in in-kind contributions from several local conservation agencies, New Garden Township, and Penn State Master Watershed Stewardship volunteers.
As of now, the project’s planting and maintenance plans have been completed and signed off by the Chester County Conservation District, and once approved will be entering a request for proposal process for a portion of the project.
“Once completed, it will be used as a demonstration area to teach visitors about the impact a riparian buffer and the live-stake nursery has on rivers and streams,” Lukoff said. “Assuming that the park opens up in the next several years, these plantings will get a good head start in terms of their growth. This will be a great win for the township and for the next generations of its stewards.”
Stormwater ordinance updates
In other township business, Beth Uhler of
Cedarville Engineering gave the supervisors an overview of the key changes to the newly revised Chester County stormwater ordinance. She reviewed updated provisions, language and definitions related to redevelopment; green infrastructure management; riparian buffers; inspection and best management practices; authorized discharges and the disposal of pet waste.
These changes for 2022, Uhler said, are being driven by the DEP because of the increasing need for stormwater management, intensified storm events and the continued growth and development in the county.
The township is expected to adopt the county’s revised stormwater ordinance at the Board of Supervisors’ Aug. 15 meeting.
The board then gave approval to Cedarville Engineering’s $34,620 proposal to conduct a stormwater assessment of the “downtown” vicinity of Toughkenamon. In her broad overview, Uhler said the village is suffering from severely outdated and limited stormwater infrastructure that is leading to road erosion and ponding along roads, and tat there are large stretches of roads with no stormwater infrastructure at all.
Uhler said that the assessment will identify outdated infrastructure, create a proposal for the entire vicinity that will include recommendations and cost estimates, seek methods to fund the project, and incorporate them into the Streetscape & Transportation Improvement Plan currently being developed by McMahon Associates, and the eventual redevelopment of the Baltimore PikeNewark Road intersection
The board approved a $7,000 contribution from the township to Phase III of the New Garden Flying Field’s continuing renovation that will include electrical installation upgrades, the demolition of a structure near the runway and the installation of runway lighting. New Garden Flying Field Aviation Director Jon Martin said that the U.S. Bureau of Aviation will provide $820, 975 in funding toward the electrical service installation project to Global Electrical Services, Inc. that will be tacked on to the $680,000 these projects will receive from federal funding.
Martin said that 55 campers attended the first session of the Future Aviators camp from June 20-24, and that 85 campers are anticipated to attend the camp’s next session that will be held from July 11-15.
The Flying Field’s “Evening of Aviation” will be held on Aug. 30 beginning at 4 p.m. and will include food vendors, classic aircraft and vehicles on display, aerobatic performances and conclude with a fireworks display. The rain date for the event will be on Aug. 31. To learn more and obtain tickets to the event, visit www. newgardenflyingfield.com/ events.
Reiner proposed that the township schedule a public meeting in August in order to share the master plan for the future of the Saint Anthony’s in the Woods property. The exact date of the meeting will soon be shared with residents.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Determining solutions for the repair of a sinkhole on Buttonwood Road in the Somerset Lake development became a key topic during the July 5 New Garden
Blobfest...
Continued from Page 1A from space to the corner of Vare and 26th Streets. Investigating officers encountered a jelly-like mass that, they claimed, moved on its own.” Other sources maintain that the idea was inspired by a substance called Star Jelly, once thought to come from meteor showers. Regardless of the actual origin, the idea of a strange-looking substance from outer space was a perfect theme for 1950s moviegoers.
In the film, the Blob makes its way across the landscape, enveloping all the people in its path. It grows with each human meal, eventually reaching a size large enough to surround the Downingtown Diner, where it flows in and around the building. One scene shows the Blob at the Colonial Theatre, with screaming teenagers running out the front doors in horror as the Blob oozes out from the projection booth.
Phoenixville and the Colonial Theatre have been celebrating the B-rated movie, which has gained a cult following over the decades. Since its beginning in 1999, Blobfest has seen increasing popularity in the region. Thousands attend the open-air street festival each year, enjoying the weird, wacky costumes and science fiction themes.
People find the street fair a great chance to experience what it was like decades ago, as outer space hysteria swept the nation.
The Colonial Theatre provided virtual editions of the festival for the past two years. It is estimated that this year people traveled from more than 23 states -- and some as far away as California -- to experience Blobfest. This year’s theme was The Uninvited, inspired “by contemporary circumstances.” Films from the 1950s were screened, including the classic The
War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide Planets Destroy Earth and The Man from Planet X. Emily Simmons, marketing director for the Colonial Theatre and Bob Trate, director of programming, were gracious to provide a “behind the scenes” look at Blobfest’s history. Trate gave a private tour of the projection room- the same one where The Blob was filmed at the Theatre in 1958. Standing beside the actual projection machines and looking out the small glass windows toward the audience gives you a unique “feel” for the impact the film had more than 60 years ago.
Being in the same spot where Steve McQueen stood begging his friends in the audience to leave and help capture the monster roaming the countryside was a special treat. It is interesting to think that films today cost mil-
lions of dollars to make, contrasting strongly with yesteryear. The producer of The Blob paid the owner of the Colonial Theatre $75 to allow filming over three days, and total production costs were just $110,000.
On Friday night, theater attendees enjoyed a live stage show featuring ghoul Aurora Gorealis of Shocktail Hour and music by Beach Creeper. Afterward, they reenacted the movie scene, screaming and running out the front doors of the Colonial Theatre.
Saturday featured a street fair, costume and store front decorations contest –all with a Sci-Fi theme. Strange, eerily dressed characters were roaming downtown Phoenixville, energized for the event. The costume contest was the highlight of Saturday’s program, with both youngsters and adults competing. In the evening there was
a Blobfest© party at Soundband and the Punk Rock Flea Market. Root Down Brewing and Rebel Hill Brewing offered “Blob-themed” craft beers. Various retailers had similarly wacky items for sale.
Lulu Boutique & Gifterie hosted a Blob Ball in the lobby of the Theatre. Limited edition artwork and other merchandise designed by the Theatre and artists from Monsterologist and Nashville’s Hatch Show Print were available for purchase. The Theatre even offered their own “Blob beer” for thirsty attendees. The Colonial Theatre is
a wonderful place offering a wide variety of activities, movie screenings and concerts for people of all ages. This three-day festival drew thousands of eager sci-fi fans, who were ready after a long ‘lockdown’ for a great time outdoors amidst weird, but fun surroundings. Judging from the attendance, next year’s festival will be equally memorable.
For more information about their events, visit www.thecolonialtheatre. com.
Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. He has written ten books which focus mostly on the history of the Chester County/mid-Atlantic region. His latest book is Forgotten Founding Fathers: Pennsylvania and Delaware in the American Revolution. His books are available on his website at www.GenePIsasale. com and on www.Amazon. com. Gene can be reached via e-mail at Gene@ GenePisasale.com.
The Kids' Costume contest at Blobfest.
The Costume Contest's secondplace winner went to The Fly.
A man at Blobfest with an eerie substance on his shoulder.
Blobfest Costume Contest 1st Place winner: Halloween.
The Blobfest included this Sci-Fi family.
The Colonial Theatre Projection Room with original 1958 projectors.
Blobfest 2022 Poster courtesy of the Colonial Theatre.
Gene
Chester County’s focused efforts to reduce homelessness are showing results
Latest Point in Time count shows a 23-percent reduction since last measurement two years ago
Chester County’s concerted effort to place more homeless individuals and families into permanent homes is paying off. The latest Point in Time count by the Chester County Department of Community Development shows a decrease in homelessness in the county of 23 percent.
The count, mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was taken in the late evening on Jan. 26 to the early morning hours of Jan. 27. It
showed that 402 people were experiencing homelessness, meaning they were living in a temporary shelter or sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation such as a car, park, abandoned building, bus station or camping ground.
The last survey in January of 2020 tallied 522 people as homeless in the county.
While the Point in Time data shows only a snapshot of homelessness in the county, the count serves as a valuable
tool for measuring the depth of the problem and shows the need for more affordable housing.
“The results of this year’s Point in Time count are extremely encouraging and a direct result of the dedicated work by the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness,” said County Commissioners’ Chair Marian Moskowitz. “At the same time, we must recognize in a county with our means, having 400 people still home-
less is tragic and entirely too many. A lot of work remains to be done, and I believe we have shown our commitment to doing it.”
Children account for nearly one-fourth of the 402 people experiencing homelessness, while people of color make up almost half of the total.
“The fact that 100 children in our county remain homeless is heartbreaking. Not having a stable home places them at a severe disadvantage at the earliest points in their lives,” said County Commissioner Josh Maxwell.
“Fortunately, we have taken actions to prevent these numbers from increasing, such as appointing street outreach coordinators, establishing the 211 call system, and developing an eviction prevention court program, which helps to keep families in their homes.”
Chester County’s Street Outreach Coordinators work on the front lines, building relationships as they conduct homeless verification for people living in places not meant for human habitation, or who are in a shelter, transitional housing, or are exiting a place where they may temporarily reside.
Chester County’s Eviction Prevention Court, a program developed with Friends Association for Care & Protection of Children, the Chester County Clerk of Courts Office and Chester County Courts, provides a combination of legal representation, financial assistance and social services for individuals or families facing eviction. It currently operates in district courts in
Downingtown, Coatesville, South Coatesville, and Valley Township.
For perspective on how progress has accelerated, during the four-year period from 2017 to 2020, the homeless count decreased by only 48 people, from 570 to 522. This latest report shows a decrease of 120 people over the last two years.
“It is reassuring to see the correlation between the steps the county has taken and the results,” noted Commissioner Michelle Kichline.
“But we also know that the pandemic impacted practices and procedures that needed to be changed to support those experiencing homelessness, or who were on the verge of homelessness,” she added.
Using federal funds, the County created the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), making money available for low-income households unable to pay rent or utilities.
Chester County’s Partnership to End Homelessness, the
only community-based collaborative, brings together community agencies, local government, private and public organizations, nonprofits, foundations, faith communities and people who have lived experience of homelessness.
Rob Henry, Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness’ administrator, said the collaborative’s commitment to ending and preventing homelessness is stronger than ever.
“Programs like ERAP certainly helped to keep people who are renting, and who need help with utilities, in their homes, which was crucial throughout the pandemic.
“Our mission is to ensure that homelessness is a rare, brief, and one-time only experience for any resident of Chester County,” he said.
“We know the formula. We see that it is working. And we hope that every resident of Chester County is proud of their contribution to bring dignity and compassion to our neighbors who need it most.”
Courtesy photo
Members of the team conducting Chester County’s Point in Time count, the annual count mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which took place in January. Results of the County’s Point in Time count showed a 23-percent reduction in people experiencing homelessness over a two-year period.
The right investment at the right time
Avon Grove, Kennett, Oxford, and UnionvilleChadds Ford school districts will see significant increases in state funding for the 2022-2023 school year. The new state budget boosts education funding at all levels by about $1.8 billion combined, and it’s a good time for the increased investment in students, especially those in K-12 public schools.
Chester County’s 12 school districts and approximately 70,017 students will benefit greatly from the collective increase of $13,455,309 in basic education subsidies for 2022-2023. Special education funding for those 12 school districts is increasing by about $2,484,814 in total.
In addition to receiving year-to-year increases in the basic education subsidy, the school districts in southern Chester County will receive the following Ready to Learn Block Grants:
• Avon Grove School District $754,726
• Oxford Area School District $572,695
• Kennett Consolidated School District $400,617
• Unionville-Chadds Ford School District $127,325
A fair funding formula used by the state helps direct additional funding to school districts—Oxford Area School District is one of them—that have a higher percentage of students who live in low-income households.
The additional funding comes at a time when school districts are working to make up for the unprecedented challenges presented during the pandemic.
Gov. Tom Wolf has prioritized education funding during his two terms in office. The Wolf Administration has increased education funding by more than $3.7 billion since 2015, but Pennsylvania still has a long way to go to match the investments in education made by other states. Many states fund 50 percent or more of total education costs. Pennsylvania ranked 45th lowest in the nation for state investment in education per student in public schools. This leaves local taxpayers to shoulder the burden of funding public schools. It also creates a situation where large gaps exist between wealthy school districts and low-income school districts.
The additional $1.8 billion in funding for 2022-2023 provides increased funds to support a wide range of educational or community initiatives, including the following:
• $525 million increase through the fair funding formula. On average Pennsylvania schools will see their funding increase by 8 percent.
• $225 million increase for Level Up to provide targeted support to the 100 most in-need school districts.
• $100 million increase for special education.
• $79 million increase for early education through Pre-K Counts and Head Start.
• $220 million for public higher education.
• $100 million for adult mental health services, and the creation of a dedicated Behavioral Health Commission to make recommendations for allocating the funds.
• $100 million for student mental health support to ensure Pennsylvania’s youth have all the resources they need to overcome challenges and succeed through Ready to Learn Block Grants.
• $100 million increase for school safety grants to ensure children learn and grow in safe, healthy environments.
• $50 million for gun violence intervention and prevention programs to promote grassroots efforts for safer communities.
With gun violence on the rise, and with mental health issues at crisis levels, the investments to keep schools safe and help school officials to identify and address mental health problems come at a critical moment. The state’s increased funding for education is the right investment at the right time.
Are you in fear of failure? A
shift in mindset can lead to change
As a teenager, Steven Spielberg longed to attend one of the prestigious film schools at UCLA or USC, where he hoped to create the foundation for a future career as a movie director.
Unfortunately for Spielberg, these top-flight universities saw only poor high school grades and no potential, so they rejected him – multiple times. As a backup plan, he enrolled at California State University at Long Beach, but eventually dropped out.
That’s quite a bit of failure in a short time. Of course, things worked out for Spielberg, whose story can serve as inspiration for others who fail, which is pretty much everyone, said Dr. Akintoye Akindele, the Forbes Books co-author with Olakunle Soriyan of A Love Affair with Failure: When Hitting Bottom Becomes a Launchpad to Success.
“Failure is the birthplace of success,” Akindele said. “If there is anything we should be learning, it is how to fail, and how to fail as often as needed.”
Or, as the Rev. T.D. Jakes wrote in the foreword to Akindele and Soriyan’s book, “Failures and fallouts, setbacks and detours are par for the course.”
Par for the course or not, people tend to fear failure, and often let that fear stifle their ambitions, Akindele and Soriyan say.
“Tough, turbulent moments make us want to take a step back permanently,” Soriyan said. “They are hard to deal with because they contradict our expectations and make us doubt ourselves and question our prospects.”
That’s why people should change their mindset about failure, Akindele and Soriyan say. Here are four ways of looking at failure to help do that:
• Accept that failure is common. As life progresses, most people will lose more times than they think they can bear, Akindele says. A coveted job offer won’t materialize. Partners will walk away. A product won’t sell as well as envisioned. “You will find yourself questioning everything you have believed, even yourself,” he said. “You will make mistakes. All of these things matter, and none of it does – not as much as how you react when everything crumbles, not as much as what you learn when it does and how you use it.” Akindele and Soriyan point out in their book that Bill Gates’ first startup, a company called Traf-O-Data, flopped. But one of Gates’ partners termed the doomed venture a “favorite mistake because it confirmed to me that every failure contains the seeds of your next success.”
• Embrace the opportunity for self discovery.
Difficulties teach people about themselves, Soriyan says.
“Hardships are portals of self discovery,” he said. “You are the most important element in your journey; not your parents, not your partners or investors. You. It matters who you are. It matters why you want to succeed. To understand your motivations, limitations, and strengths is to be truly resilient. “
• Remember that failure is not permanent. It’s easy for someone to view failure as an impenetrable wall blocking them from their goals. But it’s actually more like a detour that momentarily forces you off your desired route.
“The difficult periods on the road to your destination are not markers signifying the end,” Akindele said. “They might give you a bit of pause and make you reevaluate your position, but if you hold steady, you will make it through.”
He offers as an example Abraham Lincoln, whose early political career was “defined by relentless failing and difficulty.”
• Realize that perseverance really does make a difference. Everyone knows the importance of perseverance, at least in theory. But knowing it and doing it are two different things.
“Don’t let the challenges of the present moment
deter you,” Soriyan said. “Keep going and keep going strong.” This doesn’t mean to plow ahead alone, ignoring your fatigue.
“Reach out for help where you need to,” he said. “Sit down and rest for a while if you need to. Take stock. Reassess. Learn about yourself. Understand your mistakes. But get up again and keep going.” Finally, it’s important to remember that, although people would like it to be otherwise, life was not designed for uninterrupted stretches of ease, Akindele said.
“You will have a lot more ordinary and bad days than good ones,” he said. “You will have days where you are scrapping and fighting to survive, and days when nothing good or bad happens – just plain, simple, regular days. So when the glory days come, enjoy them.”
Dr. Akintoye Akindele, co-author of A Love Affair with Failure: When Hitting Bottom Becomes a Launchpad to Success is the chairman and CEO of Platform Capital Group. Olakunle Soriyan, coauthor of A Love Affair with Failure: When Hitting Bottom Becomes a Launchpad to Success, is the chief knowledge officer and lead strategist at Kenneth Soriyan Research and Ideas LLC.
Bruce Munro’s Fantasia of Light Forms for Special Effects into the Centerfold of Night
(as Experienced by a Poet)
By Marie-Louise Meyers
In the ever-changing Face of Longwood Gardens yet another long-anticipated surprise after ten years, Bruce Munro is back again to lend an air of the exotic with his installations while seemingly alien forces are at work simulating and activating the imagination with its outreach.
In the twilight, we saw a spectacle from the striated sky like a preview of what
was to come: how the centerfold of night breathes Lights, a surreal experience at Longwood which takes us from the borders of the mundane, from the lush gardens and the Conservatory into the air of strangeness and delight via the progression of the night lights of infinity, satellite dishes with their shiny surfaces, movements and markings as if space ships have reigned down on us. It encapsulates our every movement
as we genuflect among the familiar scenes into exotic dreams where strange forms and figures pop up here and there which transfigure.
How imagination thrives under the Watchful Eye of the tantalizing meadow where multicolor boxes glow as though occupied by aliens, and stream with multicolored dreams where music flows and the people became entranced and start to dance as the tunes throb and lighten the load of Life. Where children find their own means to become captured and enraptured by the glow of the beams of the Light show where they can play their wildly exotic games. Where the ordinary becomes extraordinary disavowed of any mortal strings attached.
It is here where the heart truly sings, where Flamingos gather steam in the shallows underneath the Bell Tower, their piercing pronouncements heard above the roar of the Fountain show as it goes on till it telegraphs Beyond the Beyond!
Hypnotizing, tantalizing, as though a spell were cast among the hushed audience as though waiting for the surreal to turn real through the touch of an orchestrator of the novel entrants to the night cast.
No one really knows the limitations of the Eye to behold what is there and what may escape our finger holds, to name, and the brain to internalize and identify.
To go where Night encapsulates and holds sway, when to genuflect among the familiar is the new way soon to turn hypnotic as though a spell were cast lasting through the length and breath of the Gardens transforming into a Fairy Land of Lights where Blackness no longer prevails though we may not see what others are privy to, and have our own take on it, it is still an escape into the world of the imagination with only an admission charge which takes us away from the bleakness and despair which has governed and been witnessed by so many lives.
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In the
‘Horses
have
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2022
taught me everything that is important’
Myofascial release therapist practices equine healing arts
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Rory, a 19-year-old Irish Sport horse, occupies the far end stall of a stable on a Chadds Ford farm, and until he received a visit from his equine therapist on a recent Thursday afternoon, he had spent a portion of his day flirting with Pepper, the year-old filly one stall over. As barn swallows swoop and soar around the barn, the therapist slowly runs her hands over the shiny brown mane of the former show horse’s chest, its hindquarters, its flank, its ribs and its throatlatch. It is a session of subtle signals; at first, the patient is tentative, but over time, he surrenders to his therapist’s soothing voice. In the stillness of what happens when mutual trust between patient and therapist is achieved, the therapist leans tight into the horse’s face, closes her eyes and listens.
“I always ask permission of the horse to come into their space,” said Kennett Square-based Myofascial Release Therapist Erin Bobo, B.S., L.M.T., who has been healing both people and horses for the past 23 years.
“Horses are used to people
coming into their spaces with an agenda – whether it’s to clean the stall or a vet coming for an appointment. I take a different energy and ask for permission from them.
“I am there to keep them safe and I want them to keep me safe, which creates an energetic exchange that is one of respect, which allows me to enter that space and become helpful to them. There is something that happens to their body language that tells me that they know that I am extremely aware of them. The truth is then established and they reveal themselves on a whole other level about what they need.”
For Bobo, her career as a myofascial therapist is in
Courtesy photos
In her healing work with horses, Bobo focuses on improving the animal’s movement, posture, structure and balance.
many ways the result of a dovetailing kaleidoscope of moments, transformation and healing that began when she was nine years old, riding her first horses at Pony Island Stable in Kennett Square. From the start, the barn, the stables and the riding circle became for the young rider a sanctuary, a home-away-from home.
Suddenly and without warning, however, Bobo’s idyllic childhood was brought to an abrupt and painful end. When she was a senior at Kennett High School, her beloved horse Jammer was killed at Pony Island Stable as a result of a suspected attack by a wild animal. Soon after, she suffered multiple injuries from a severe car accident. Her head hit the windshield. Her knees smashed into the dashboard. She dislocated several bones.
As she entered Lynchburg College to study Biology with the intention to go to vet school, Bobo’s pain –both physical and emotional – had become an albatross that was just beginning to take up a lifetime residence.
“That started me on my long journey on understanding the mind-body connection,” she said. “I had all of this emotion that I was stuffing down and it all had to do with this profound grief experience and debilitating pain.”
For the next six years, Bobo lived in a cocoon of pain, pushed along by a medical philosophy that focused on “fixing” and not “healing.”
‘The big picture of my pain’
At 24, Bobo had graduated from college and was living and working in Atlanta, where she suffered a second car accident. One holiday, she returned home to visit her family, and on the advice of her mother Linda Brackin, made an appointment with Tom Taylor, a myofascial therapy expert in Chester County, who helped treat her mother’s fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease.
Generally defined, myofascial release therapy
addresses the trauma and holding patterns that are developed over a lifetime. It is a hands-on technique focused on a sustained stretch into the system that communicates with everything in the body – including its connective tissue (fascia) – in order to release pain and imbalance over the long term.
At first, Bobo was skeptical, and had resigned herself to a life of medication, prescriptions and doctors visits.
“I was in a dark place and had pretty much given up and resigned to spending the rest of my life in pain,” she said, “but as I began exploring myofascial release with Tom, it became really clear that my body was responding to this therapy, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that I learned that my back was just a symptom and held the ‘big picture,’ which was the pain I had been holding for years, and on top of that the anger of what I was not able to do.
“Everyone else was simply working on my back, but myofascial therapy taught me what is needed for true and long-term healing.”
Eventually, the plan to enter veterinary school detoured. While still living in Atlanta and inspired by the work done by myofascial release therapy founder John Barnes, Bobo began taking classes taught by Barnes –as well as equine therapy classes, which were taught by Barnes’ son, Mark. After completing her initial level of education in 1998, she established her first practice in Atlanta as a licensed massage therapist and equine sports massage therapist specializing in myofascial release.
“My plan for the beginning was that I would help horses with the same work that helped me,” she said. “As part of practice, I also became passionate about teaching riders about how the imbalances found in their bodies are reflected in the imbalances found in their horse’s bodies.”
Since moving back to Chester County in 2002, Bobo has intensified and expanded her education
and skills in the healing arts as the owner of Hands on Therapy – for both twoand four-legged patients. In her sessions with people, Bobo focuses on empowering her clients to gain a deeper sense of body awareness to achieve long-lasting pain relief and wellness. In her work with horses, she is often called upon by her clients to address several issues.
“They are noticing something when they ride the horse that is affecting the horse’s performance, such as movement, posture and structure indicating signs of discomfort, pain or imbalance,” she said. “They can also show signs of behavioral issues that highlight that something is amiss.”
Bobo said that whether she is working on people or horses, the most crucial component in her toolkit is the ability to listen.
“It is about tuning in, looking and watching them show you the roadmap, and following it,” she said.
“Healing is not an event that has a logical conclusion. To use an overused term, it’s a journey or a process. Healing — whether we are four or two legged — is something we have to con-
tinue to show up for.”
‘They have taught me to trust what I feel’
When she was a child at Pony Island Stable, Bobo spoke with the horses she rode. It was the start of a conversation that has never ended.
“Horses have taught me everything that is important,” she said. “They have taught me about the power of listening. They have taught me that I am a nurturer. They have taught me about compassion. They have taught me about trusting my intuition. They have taught me about honoring their power and their wisdom.
“In the experience of them teaching me, they have also taught me about my wisdom and my power. It was imperative, because of my connection with animals, for horses to be my primary teaches as I stepped into this commitment to be a therapist. Though them, they have taught me to trust what I feel.”
To learn more about Erin Bobo and Hands On Therapy, visit www.erinbobo.com.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.
Butler family celebrates 80th reunion in Nottingham
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Soon after the death of their father William Henry Butler in the early 1940s, his 10 children made a decision that they would celebrate their mother Emma’s upcoming birthday by bringing the entire extended family together in Concord, Pa.
Nine decades later, in a bond formed by tradition, 67 siblings, sons and daughters, cousins, aunts and uncles enjoyed the 80th Butler family reunion at Nottingham Park on July 10. Beneath sunny skies, they arrived at Pavilion #7 from Chester County and Delaware, as well as from New Jersey, California, Tennessee, Virginia and Arizona for
a long day of food, conversation and a cornhole tournament.
Two of the three surviving Butler children – 99-year-old Lillian Weeks and 84-yearold Henrietta Coulborn – were in attendance, while their 97-year-old sister Irene celebrated from her extended care facility in nearby Elkton, Md.
For the first several years of the reunion, events were held at family homes and at Clayton Park in Glen Mills, but Nottingham Park has played host to the family for the past 30 years. The reunion has a nearly perfect record; they have held the event every year except for 2020, which was postponed due to COVID-19.
“The day after this reunion,
I will reserve this pavilion for next year,” said Irene Ferguson, who reunited with her sister Emily Boulden, who traveled 10 hours from Tennessee. “Everybody knows that the reunion is always the second Sunday in July.”
Ferguson said that the strength of what has become a yearly ritual was first formed by the unbreakable bond of the 10 Butler children.
“There were seven girls and three boys in the family, and after they left my grandparents’ home, they all raised their families nearby and remained very close,” she said. “Eventually, there were 31 cousins, and at some of the earlier reunions, we as kids would play as many as 10 traditional games, and we
all loved it.”
In retrospect, the logistics of both organizing and attending a large-scale event such as a family reunion –one that has reached as many as 120 in attendance in past years and drawn relatives from around the country –seem relatively simple when measured against the common denominator of family, Ferguson said.
“We all love each other a lot, and we have done this for so long that it has become a part of our lives,” she said. “Soon, we’re hoping that the next generation is going to take over and keep our family tradition alive.”
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestrcounty.com.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw Equine myofascial therapist Erin Bobo with one of her “clients,” Rory.
Photos by Richard L. Gaw
The Butler family celebrated its 80th family reunion on July 10 at Nottingham Park, a tradition that dates back to the early 1940s.
Lillian Weeks, left, and Henrietta Coulburn are two of the three surviving Butler siblings.
ANN NELSON
Ann Eckenroth Nelson passed away on Monday, June 27, 2022 at her home in Oxford while surrounded by her loving family. She was 88.
She was the wife of the late Lawrence F. Nelson, with whom she shared 56 years of marriage. Born in Birdsboro, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Howard L. and Olivia H. Eckenroth. Ann graduated from Dickinson College.
Ann served the Oxford Area School District as an English teacher, yearbook advisor and drama club leader for 32 years. She was instrumental in sharing her passion for the fine arts through directing the high school plays during her tenure.
A 60-year member of the Oxford Presbyterian Church, Ann served as an elder and worked on numerous committees.
Ann loved to travel with Larry and also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. She hosted the Morning Breakfast Club, Pancake Friday, and Tuesday night cousin dinners.
Ann is survived by her two daughters, Victoria Neidigh and Laura King (Peter), all of Oxford, and six grandchildren, Lawrence Benjamin Neidigh, Luke Neidigh (Ciearra), Julia Neidigh, Victoria Hostetter (Phillip), Elizabeth Tacey (Phil), and Catherine King. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Porter Robert, Jane Elizabeth, Hailey Allison and William Frederick.
A memorial service was held on July 8 at the Oxford Presbyterian Church in Oxford.
The interment will be held in Oxford Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to: The Oxford Theater, c/o Oxford Mainstreet, Inc., PO Box 315, Oxford, Pa. 19363 or The Oxford Presbyterian Church Children’s Education Ministry, 6 Pine Street, Oxford, Pa. 19363.
The family’s heartfelt thanks go to her care team, Luke and Ciearra Neidigh, Dawn Charlton and Gina Lisinski.
Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.
Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.
Alleluia
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GEORGE C. WALLS, JR.
George C. “Pete” Walls, Jr. entered into rest on June 28, 2022 at the Southeastern Veterans Center of Spring City, Pa. He was an 87-yearold resident of West Grove.
Born in West Grove, he was the son of the late George C. Walls, Sr. and Mary (Bond) Walls. He was the loving husband of Betty (Whyte) Walls for 62 years.
Pete attended school in the Avon Grove School District and served in the U.S. Air Force.
He was a press operator at Lukens Steel Company in Coatesville, and NVF of Kennett Square. He also was a nursing assistant at the Coatesville Veterans Hospital. He was a member of the Rod, Reel and Rifle Club of Chester County, and of the Lancaster County Bowling Association.
He enjoyed bowling, but most of all he dearly loved hunting and fishing. He most definitely was a die-hard fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
In addition to his wife (Betty), he leaves to mourn his passing two sons, George M. Walls of Mt. Vernon, Ohio and William V. Walls (Sherry) of Dover, Del.; a daughter, Dawn M. Walls of Avondale; three sisters, Consuello Heard of Houston,Texas, Mona Slack of Akron, Ohio, and Chestine Bowman of Coatesville; three brothers, Philip Walls of Columbus, Ohio, James Walls (Diana) of Upper Marlboro, Md., and Walter Walls (Lorraine) of Houston,Texas.
He is also survived by nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by ten sisters and one brother.
In his memory, donations can be made to: Compassus Hospice and Pallative Care, 2 Campus Road, Newtown Square, Pa. 19073 or to the Alzheimer’s Assoc., 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, Ill. 60602.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 10 a.m. with a time to greet the family from 9 to 10 a.m. at Milestone Events, 600 E. Market Street in West Chester. He will be interred at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
Uplifting life services are being arranged by DeBaptiste Funeral Homes and online condolences can be left at www.DeBaptiste.com.
PAMELA ANN CLEMONTS
sons, Brandon Garcia of Oxford and Jeremy Garcia of Quarryville.
Pamela Ann Clemonts, 55, of Oxford, passed away on July 4 at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del.
Born in West Grove, she was the daughter of Theresa Maxwell Clemonts of Oxford and the late Hodges Clemonts.
Pamela enjoyed puzzles and dancing.
She is survived by her mother and two
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.
LEONA MAGDALENA SOUSER
Leona Magdalena Souser (née Bechtold) was born December 23,1924 in Philadelphia and passed away on June 30, 2022, after a brief illness. She was 97. She graduated from Olney High School in Philadelphia in 1943 and received a bachelor of arts degree from Ursinus College in 1947. Her debate team skills served her well her entire life.
She was a founding member of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Kennett Square (now in Unionville) and was very active in the congregation for 65 years, serving as everything from Sunday school teacher to social ministry chair. She was an expert on the life and teachings of Martin Luther.
Leona followed in her Lutheran minister father‘s footsteps by choosing a career helping others. Her first job out of college was as an adoption placement social worker with Lutheran Children and Family Services. Being a city girl, she needed to learn how to drive in order to visit the families in rural towns. Her driving instructor, Richard Souser, Sr became her husband on September 9, 1950. Leona channeled her educator mother by becoming a certificated teacher after taking the necessary coursework at Millersville State College. She taught in the Manheim schools during the early 1950s. After taking some time off to raise her four children, she later became a regular substitute teacher for Kennett area schools, including Unionville and Avon Grove. But she was most proud of her 25-year career as a social worker for the Tick Tock Day Care Center.
Leona was a much loved and giving person. She lived in the same house in Kennett Square for 66 years. In addition to the Tick Tock and the church, she had a longtime involvement with the Needlework Guild, the Girl Scouts (where she was for many years a cookie sales chairperson), and other community agencies and causes such as the Kennett Square Housing Board. She enjoyed traveling, was a voracious reader, and loved keeping track of her family. She will be remembered for her sense of humor and quick wit and her love of all things chocolate. In her later years, she relished the companionship of her many caregivers, neighbors, and visitors. The family extended its gratitude for giving her the ability to remain in her home until a few months ago.
Leona was predeceased by her husband Richard Souser, Sr., her parents, Gustav and Leona (Wetmore) Bechtold, her brothers, Austin, George, and Gus Bechtold, and a sister, Esther Bonnet.
She is survived by her children, Margaret (Peggy) Woehleke (Steve) of Moraga, Calif., Richard Souser, Jr. (Dana) of Richmond, Va., Roger Souser (Linda) of West Chester, Mary Buchanan (Bill) of Clarion, Pa., and eight grandchildren, Sarah Woehleke, Leanne Woehleke, Andrew Souser, Charlotte Souser (Justin Byron), Matthew Souser, Kevin Souser, Louden Buchanan (Jordyn), Catherine Buchanan and two great-grandchildren, Harrison and Ellie Buchanan.
Services will be held at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville on Friday, July 15, at 11 a.m. Before the service there will be visitation with family and friends at the church from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with a reception following the service at the church. The service will also be live-streamed. https://www.stmichaelpa.com/video. html
Interment will be the following day, Saturday, July 16 at 10 a.m. at Philadelphia Memorial Park, 124 Phoenixville Pike, Frazer, Pa. 19355.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Tick Tock Early Learning Center, 1694 Baltimore Pike, Avondale, Pa. 19311 or St. Michael Lutheran Church, 109 E. Doe Run Rd., Unionville, Pa. 19375.
Arrangements are in the care of Kuzo Funeral Home. Please visit Leona Souser’s online memorial by going to www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.
DOREEN HOLLY
Doreen Holly, 56, of Elkton, Md. and formerly of Coatesville Pa., died on June 24. She was born on Feb. 9, 1966 in White Plains New York, the daughter of the late Erika (Müller) and Donald Holly. Doreen was the aunt of Jordan Holly, who also preceded her in death. She is survived by a brother, Don Holly Jr., and a niece, Katherine Holly, both of Charleston, IL. Doreen loved animals. She began riding horses at an early age, and in college, competed on the Penn State equestrian team. Doreen continued to ride horses after college, but her passion for animals soon turned to dogs. Doreen would come to call many dogs family in her lifetime, including Duke, Remy, Vago, Titan, Rhea, Bailey, and Rune. She trained a few of her dogs to be therapy dogs, and proudly took them to hospitals, libraries, and senior-living facilities to lift the spirits of patients, children, and the elderly. Others she showed in the ring and Doreen was very active in the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog community.
Doreen’s other love was teaching, having graduated from Penn State in 1989 with a degree in special education. For the next 29 years, she was employed as an English teacher and reading specialist at Fred S. Engle Middle School in the Avon Grove School District. Doreen had been an avid reader since she was a child, so this was the perfect job for her. Her enthusiasm for the written word and penchant for building creative lesson plans made her a very popular teacher. She was also a wonderful colleague— remembered for her willingness to assist her fellow teachers, share ideas for improving instruction, and organizing a book club.
For many years, Doreen lived on a sprawling old farm in Coatesville with her roommate, and longtime friend, Gilbert Campbell. Together they tended a garden on the property and maintained a flock of chickens. Doreen liked to watch deer and wild turkey forage on the hillsides from the corner porch of the farmhouse. She also enjoyed cheering on her alma mater and the New York Giants during the fall.
When her mother’s health started to fail, Doreen helped move her from State College to Coatesville. This was a difficult but also a happy time for Doreen, as it gave her the opportunity to spend more time with her mother. Her mother’s passing a few months later, together with the death of her niece just the year before, was hard for Doreen to bear. In 2020, she moved into a cottage overlooking the Elk River in Elkton, Maryland, where she was fond of photographing the sun setting over the water.
A private memorial will be held at a later date in State College. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Rescue foundation (www. gsmdrescue.org).
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ESTATE NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that Letters of Administration have been granted to Sharon Wardell for the Estate of Thomas Joseph Wardell, whose last address was West Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Any person having a claim to this Estate is asked to make same c/o R. Samuel McMichael, Esquire, P.O. Box 296, Oxford, PA 19363.
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ESTATE NOTICE
ESTATE OF JERRY WAYNE
GELSINGER, DECEASED. Late of London Grove Township, Chester County, PA
LETTERS of ADMINISTRA-
TION C.T.A. on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to ANITA M. D’AMICO, ADMINISTRATRIX
C.T.A., 65 S. Third St., Oxford, PA 19363, Or to her Attorney: ANITA M. D’AMICO, D’AMICO
LAW, P.C., 65 S. Third St., Oxford, PA 19363
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ESTATE NOTICE
Letters Testamentary in the Estate of Frank S. Pechin, Jr., deceased, late of Uwchlan Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, have been granted to the undersigned. All persons indebted to said Estate are requested to make prompt payment and those having claim to present the same, without delay to: Frank S. Pechin, III C/O Attorney: Charice D. Chait, Peckman Chait LLP, 29 Mainland Road, Harleysville, PA 19438
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ESTATE NOTICE
ESTATE OF Audra C. Shuler, also known as Audra Sue Shuler, late of Lower Oxford Township, Chester County, Deceased. Letters Testamentary on the estate of the above-named Audra C. Shuler having been granted to the undersigned, all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the said decedent are requested to make known the
same and all persons indebted to the said decedent to make payment without delay to: Laura Paige Moses, Executrix, c/o Attorney: Winifred Moran Sebastian, EsquireLamb McErlane, PC 208 E. Locust Street, P.O. Box 381, Oxford, PA 19363 6p-29-3t
NOTICE
POCOPSON TOWNSHIP ZONING HEARING BOARD
NOTICE is hereby given that the Zoning Hearing Board of Pocopson Township will hold a Public Hearing at the Pocopson Township Municipal Building, 664 South Wawaset Road, West Chester, Pennsylvania, 19382, on Monday, August 1, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. at which time the Board will hear the following matter: Appeal of Don DeNenno from the May 18, 2022 decision of the Zoning Officer, denying Applicant’s request for a permit to construct two (2) accessory dwelling units in a barn on property located at 27 Wawaset Farm Lane, West Chester, PA (UPI #63-4-1.1) without seeking conditional use approval under ordinance section 250.93.B(1) and in excess
of the one (1) accessory dwelling unit allowed under ordinance section 250.93.B(3). If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend the public meeting scheduled above and require an auxiliary aide, service or other accommodation to participate in the proceedings; or if you wish to participate remotely, please contact Susan Simone at 610-793-2151 to discuss how Pocopson Township may best accommodate your needs. Edward M. Foley, Solicitor Brutscher, Foley, Milliner, Land & Kelly, LLP, 213 East State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348
NOTICE
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PENNSBURY TOWNSHIP
ZONING HEARING BOARD
NOTICE is hereby given that the Zoning Hearing Board of Pennsbury Township will hold a Public Hearing at the Pennsbury Township Building, 702 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on Monday, July 25, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. at which time the Board will hear the following matter: Application of Richard and Heather Ratman-
sky, seeking variances from the 15% maximum lot coverage under zoning ordinance section 162-503.C.1, and from the 25’ minimum side yard, requirement under section 162-503.E.1, so as to permit the construction of a residential swimming pool, spa, surrounding paver patio and pool equipment with lot coverage of 22.12% and located just 15’ 4” from the side lot line on property located at 5 Colonial Drive, West Chester, PA (UPI #64-1-105) in the Township’s R-3 residential zoning district.
If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend the public meeting scheduled a above and require an auxiliary aide, service or other accommodation to participate in the proceedings, please contact Kathy Howley at 610-388-7323 to discuss how Pennsbury Township may best accommodate your needs. Edward M. Foley, Solicitor Brutscher, Foley, Milliner, Land & Kelly, LLP, 213 East State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 7p-6-2t
ESTATE NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Letters Testamentary on the Estate of Rick E. May, deceased, late of Cochranville, Chester County, PA, have been granted to the undersigned Executor. All persons, therefore indebted to said Estate are requested to make immediate payment and those having just claims, will please present the same, duly authenticated, for settlement, without delay. Jesse R. May Executor, 52 School Lane, Robesonia, PA 19551 7p-6-3t
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Board of Supervisors of New Garden Township will hold a public hearing during its normal meeting on August 1, 2022, at 7:00 P.M., in the New Garden Township Municipal Building located at 299 Starr Road, Landenberg, Pennsylvania, to consider the following application for conditional use: Application Number CU-202211: Application of Kaolin RE Holdings Corporation, for conditional use approval pursuant to §200-18.C(6) of the New Garden Township Zoning Ordinance in order to construct 2 additional indoor composting buildings on the property located at 171 Starr Road, New Garden Township, Chester County, PA. The property is the subject of 2 previous conditional use approvals dated May 5, 1997, and March 19, 2018, and the hearing may involve the amendment of those previous approvals. The property is owned by Kaolin RE Holdings Corporation, consists of approximately 59.75 acres, is located in the R-1 Low Density Residential District, and is also known as tax parcel number 60-3-210. A full copy of the conditional use application is available for public examination without charge or may be obtained for a charge not greater than the cost thereof at the Municipal Building. For further information, please contact Ramsey Reiner, Township Manager (610-268-2915). William R.
Christman III, Township Solicitor 7p-13-2t
NOTICE
PENN TOWNSHIP PUBLIC NOTICE
Key Lock / Knox Box Ordinance NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Supervisors of Penn Township, Chester County, PA, intends to consider the adoption and adopt an ordinance requiring Key Lock or Knox Boxes for certain buildings in the Township at their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 6:00 pm at the Penn Township Municipal Building located at 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA. A complete copy of this Ordinance is available at this newspaper and at the Township Building. The Following is a summary of the Ordinance: Knox Box or Key Lock Box is defined as being part of a secure rapid entry system designed to be used by fire department personnel; The Knox Boxes are required for new commercial and industrial buildings, existing commercial and industrial buildings undergoing improvements, existing commercial and industrial buildings in 6 months of the effective date of the ordinance, multi-family residential structures with restricted access through locked doors with a common corridor; nursing care and retirement facilities with a locked door and common corridors and schools of instructions. Knox Box contents are required to have phone contact lists, multiple sets of master keys to the building, including elevator keys if appropriate. The requirements of the contents of the Knox Box shall be as directed by the West Grove Fire Company. A permit is required for any building which is required by this ordinance to have a Knox Box and the penalty is an enforcement penalty of $600.00 per day for violation with an appeal procedure to Board of Supervisors. Effective date shall be 5 days after the date of enactment. This Ordinance is available for inspection at no charge at the Township Building and copies may be obtained for the charge not greater than the cost thereof to the Township. Any person with a disability requiring special accommodations to attend this meeting should notify Penn Township at 610-869-9620 prior to the meeting. Winifred Moran Sebastian, Esquire, Lamb McErlane, PC, Solicitor for Penn Township 7p-13-1t
PUBLIC NOTICE
PENN TOWNSHIP ZONING HEARING BOARD NOTICE is hereby given that the Zoning Hearing Board of Penn Township will hold a Public Hearing at the Penn Township Municipal Building, 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, Pennsylvania, on Monday, May 9, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at which time the Board will hear the following matter: Application of Khien Tran, seeking a variance from the 25% maximum impervious coverage limit under zoning ordinance Article V, section 502.G so as to allow 37.2% impervious coverage for construction of a
or
swimming pool, patio, coping and pool equipment on property located at 16 Allsmeer Drive, West Grove, PA (UPI# 58-333.97) in the Township’s RS –Residential Suburban zoning district.
If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend the public meeting scheduled above and require an auxiliary aide, service or other accommodation to participate in the proceedings, please contact the Township Secretary at (610) 869-9620 to discuss how Penn Township may best accommodate your needs. Edward M. Foley, Solicitor, Brutscher, Foley, Milliner, Land & Kelly, LLP, 213 E. State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 7p-13-2t
Sheriff Sale of Real Estate
By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Fredda L. Maddox, the hereindescribed real estate will be sold at public on-line auction via Bid4Assets, by accessing URL www.bid4assets.com/chestercopasheriffsales, on Thursday, July 21st , 2022 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, August 22nd, 2022. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.
SALE NO. 22-7-225 Writ of Execution No. 2019-11680
DEBT $218,367.73
PROPERTY SITUATE IN TOWNSHIP OF SADSBURY
TAX PARCEL # 37-04-
0040.08B
IMPROVEMENTS thereon: a residential dwelling
PLAINTIFF: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF THE CWABS INC., ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 200624 VS DEFENDANT: GERALDINE A. HALL
SALE ADDRESS: 307 Fox Trail, Parkesburg, PA 19365-0000
PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: KML LAW GROUP, P.C. 215-6271322
N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time of the on-line sale. Payment must be made via Bid4Assets. The balance must be paid within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale via Bid4Assets. FREDDA L. MADDOX, SHERIFF 6p-29-3t Sheriff Sale of Real Estate
By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Fredda L. Maddox, the hereindescribed real estate will be sold at public on-line auction via Bid4Assets, by accessing URL www.bid4assets.com/chestercopasheriffsales, on Thursday, July 21st , 2022 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, August 22nd, 2022. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.
SALE NO. 22-7-230
Writ of Execution No. 2019-09862 DEBT $136,717.07
ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or piece of ground with the buildings
described according to a Final Subdivision Plot Plan of property owned by Elmer Reese to be conveyed to Martin W. Sumner and Edith H. Sumner, made by George E. Regester, Jr., and Sons, Inc., Registered Land Surveyors, Kennett Square, PA, dated 4/16/1973 and recorded ad Chester County Plan # 49 page 18, as follows, to wit:
BEGINNING at a point on the title line in the bed of Public Road T-355 known as Barren Road at the Southwesterly corner of this about to be described lot at the Northeasterly corner of lands now or late of Walter Reinhardt, said point being measured South 14 degrees 29 minutes 14 seconds East 863.85 feet along said title line from a point on intersection with the title line in the bed of Public Road L.R. 15162 known as Media Road, as shown on said Plan; thence crossing the ultimate right of way line of said Barren Road, extending along said Reinhardt’s land North 81 degrees 39 minutes 43 seconds West 463.60 feet to a point; thence extending still along the same South 54 degrees 31 minutes 43 seconds West, 322.17 feet to a point at the Southwesterly corner of this lot and the Southeasterly corner of land about to be conveyed unto Martin Bardley, et ux, as shown on said Plan; thence extending along the same North 09 degrees 29 minutes 54 seconds West 333.61 feet to a point at the Southwesterly corner of Lot #16, as shown on said Plan; thence extending along the same North 81 degrees 02 minutes 19 seconds East 350.00 feet to a point in line of Lot #13, as shown on said Plan; thence extending along the same and Lot # 14 the two following courses and distances: (1) South 09 degrees 29 minutes 54 seconds East 156.15 feet to a point; and (2) South 81 degrees 39 minutes 43 seconds East, recrossing said ultimate right of way line of said Barren Road, 395.24 feet to a point on the title line in the bed
of the same; thence extending South 14 degrees 29 minutes 14 seconds East 54.25 feet to the first mentioned point and place of beginning.
BEING Lot #15 as shown on said Plan.
BEING THE SAME PREMISES which Franklin L. Moyer and Monica E. Moyer, by Deed dated May 10, 1999 and recorded May 11, 1999 in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds in and for the County of Chester, Pennsylvania in Book 4561, Page 0886, as Instrument Number 38881, granted and conveyed unto Daniel Thomas Campbell and Mitzi Baron- Campbell, in fee.
AND THE SAID Mitzi BaronCampbell departed this life on or about May 3, 2011 thereby vesting title unto Daniel Thomas Campbell by operation of law.
Tax Parcel No. 69-070098.120
PLAINTIFF: Selene Finance LP VS DEFENDANT: Daniel Thomas Campbell
SALE ADDRESS: 565 Barren Road, Oxford, PA 19363
PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP 610-2786800
N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time of the on-line sale. Payment must be made via Bid4Assets. The balance must be paid within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale via Bid4Assets. FREDDA L. MADDOX, SHERIFF 6p-29-3t
Sheriff Sale of Real Estate By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Fredda L. Maddox, the hereindescribed real estate will be sold at public on-line auction via Bid4Assets, by accessing URL
www.bid4assets.com/chestercopasheriffsales, on Thursday, July 21st , 2022 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, August 22nd, 2022. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.
SALE No. 22-7-231
Writ of Execution No. 2018-01211
DEBT $323,402.30
Improvements thereon consisting of a Residential Dwelling, sold to satisfy judgment. New London Township
UPI # 71-03-0035.370
PLAINTIFF: The Bank of New York Mellon, fka, The Bank of New York, as successor in interest to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Trustee for Structured Asset Mortgage Investments II Trust 2006-AR1, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series, 2006-AR1 VS DEFENDANT: Michael Depoulter a/k/a Michael E. Depoulter
SALE ADDRESS: 404 Bobs Lane, Lincoln University, PA 19352
PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: STERN & EISENBERG, PC 215-572-8111
N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time of the on-line sale. Payment must be made via Bid4Assets. The balance must be paid within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale via Bid4Assets. FREDDA L. MADDOX, SHERIFF 6p-29-3t
Sheriff Sale of Real Estate
By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Fredda L. Maddox, the hereindescribed real estate will be sold at public on-line auction via Bid4Assets, by accessing URL www.bid4assets.com/chestercopasheriffsales, on Thursday, July 21st , 2022 at 11AM. Notice is given to all parties in interest and claimants that the Sheriff will file with the Prothonotary and in the Sheriff’s Office, both located in the Chester County Justice Center, 201 W Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, Schedules of Distribution on Monday, August 22nd, 2022. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.
SALE NO. 232 Writ of Execution No. 2015-07056 DEBT $332,403.08
Property situate in the NEW GARDEN TOWNSHIP, CHESTER County, Pennsylvania, being BLR # 60-2-93.8
IMPROVEMENTS thereon: a residential dwelling
PLAINTIFF: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR WELLS FARGO ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005AR2 VS DEFENDANT: RICHARD WANNEMACHER, JR A/K/A RICHARD WANNEMACHER & NANI WANNEMACHER A/K/A NANI SHIN-WANNEMACHER
SALE ADDRESS: 800 Sunrise Drive, Kennett Square, PA 19348
PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: BROCK & SCOTT, PLLC 844856-6646
N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time of the on-line sale. Payment must be made via Bid4Assets. The balance must be paid within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale via Bid4Assets. FREDDA L. MADDOX, SHERIFF 6p-29-3t
Classifieds
Full Time Public Works Position
London Grove Township is accepting applications to fill a full time skilled laborer/driver position in the Public Works Department. Position requires ability to perform a variety of duties involving manual labor, semi-skilled trade work, and equipment operation, as assigned by the Director of Public Works. Applicant must be able to lift 70 pounds and work at heights, in confined spaces, and adverse weather conditions. Applicants must process a PA Class “B” with Airbrake, PA Class “A” and Tanker endorsement are preferred. Applicants holding valid Class “B” or higher permit will be considered. All applicants must be a minimum of 18 years old and have clean criminal and driving records. Previous municipal, construction and/or equipment operation experience a plus. Starting salary negotiable depending experience, with benefits. London Grove Township is an equal opportunity employer. Submit applications to London Grove Township, Attn: Director of Public Works, 372 Rose Hill Road, Suite 100, West Grove, Pa 19390. Complete job description along with application is available at www. londongrove.org Applications will be accepted until positions are filled.
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