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Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 153, No. 30
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
$1.00
Supervisors interviewed in fraud investigation By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
It was announced at the July 17 Kennett Township Board of Supervisors meeting that the township’s three supervisors – Chairman Scudder Stevens, Dr. Richard Leff and Whitney Hoffman – were recently interviewed by officials investigating the unfolding allegation of fraud in the township, which led to the dismissal of its former township manager. It was confirmed that Stevens and Leff met separately with authorities on June 25, and that Hoffman was interviewed on June 27, but on the advice of solicitor David Sander and Police Chief Lydell Nolt, the specific individuals and agencies were not disclosed. The township is working with the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and Marcum, LLP – a forensic auditor hired by the township. The findings of both agencies are due in early September. The announcement on July 17 served as the latest update the board has shared with the public related to an ongoing investigation that began on The Oxford parking garage April 25, when Stevens, is taking shape...5A Leff and Hoffman were notified by the fraud department at the township’s bank that its officers had found a number of
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suspicious transactions on township accounts. From the time the public first received the news of the investigation, a flurry of statements have been issued from the township, and action has been done on the part of the supervisors. In a release sent on May 11, the supervisors wrote that they carefully reviewed the findings with the bank, legal and law enforcement representatives and immediately referred the matter to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. Also, steps were taken to make sure no further unauthorized transactions took place. On May 14, township manager Lisa Moore was placed on paid administrative leave, and in an official release issued on May 20, the supervisors announced that they dismissed Moore from her job. On June 5, Stevens read a brief joint statement that said that the investigation was in the final stages of securing records and documents from both internal and external sources, and that the DA’s Office and forensic auditor were in the process of analyzing and qualifying those documents, a process which will continue for a period of some months. Stevens also said on June 5 that Nolt had
recently received a joint memo from the investigators explaining that they were in the final stages of securing records and documents, both from internal and external sources.
“As you would expect, the investigators are being thorough, objective and professional,” Stevens said at the July 17 meeting. “I regret that I cannot provide any more details
than that. I also cannot speculate or discuss who else is being interviewed, the subjects covered, or how long the interview phase may take. Continued on Page 6A
Science in the Summer delights and challenges young minds Libraries throughout the area host the popular program for elementary students
Photo by Chris Barber
From left: Brady, Sophie, Ella and Maddox probe the chambers of the sheep heart with chopsticks.
By Chris Barber Correspondent There’s no homework and there are no tests for the week-long Science in the Summer program that returns each sum-
mer. Still, kids in grades two through five get an increased appreciation and knowledge of the world from this course sponsored by Glaxo-Smith Kline and the Franklin Institute. The programs take place
in activity rooms of libraries throughout the region, and are staffed by teachers who have a knack of drawing kids into the subject matter through hands-on lessons. Continued on Page 2A
New Garden approves $250K grant to construct township trail By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The New Garden Township Board of Supervisors Meet Marty, the clean-up gave a 5-0 approval at their robot...1B July 15 meeting to authorize the township to apply for a Greenways Trails and Recreation Program grant
for $250,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority. That funding will be used to construct the New Garden Corridor Trail, that will eventually link to an existing trail in Kennett Township. In total, the cost of the $500,000 project will be
split evenly with Kennett Township. Township manager Tony Scheivert said that about 60 percent of the trail will be located in New Garden. In other business, the board gave approval to begin advertising the request for proposal to the
Kemblesville UMC, facing financial crisis, is looking for options By John Chambless Staff Writer Get ready for a mystery in Kennett Square...1B
INDEX
Faced with a drastic decline in membership, the Kemblesville United Methodist Church is exploring options for its future use, and two rep-
resentatives of the church asked the Franklin Township Board of Supervisors about the issue on July 17. During public comment at the conclusion of the regular meeting, Tom Veasey and Dan Mahala from the church said they have had a 75
percent drop in membership and cannot pay their debts. In three months, they said, the church will likely not be able to pay its bills. Several options were introduced. They could Continued on Page 3A
Opinion.......................7A Obituaries...................2B Calendar of Events.....3B Classifieds.................4B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Photo by John Chambless
The Kemblesville United Methodist Church is facing closure, and several uses for the large property are being considered.
St. Anthony in the Hills master site plan that, when approved, will serve as the future design blueprint for the 137.5-acre property that the township purchased from St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington in 2018. Scheivert said that the
immediate plans for the site plan are to have township solicitor Vince Pompo review the request for proposal, subsequently forward it the board for further review, and advertise it before the board’s next meeting on Aug. Continued on Page 3A
Oxford Borough Council discusses regulations regarding commercial use of sidewalks By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Oxford Borough officials heard the concerns of several business owners and decided to stop enforcing the regulations regarding the commercial use of sidewalks in the C-3 District in the downtown while the ordinances are being revised. During the July 15 meeting, council members were very much conflicted about how to address the concerns that were being raised. Several merchants in town want to set up a table and chairs outside on the sidewalk so that customers can enjoy the summer weather. Borough officials want to have more people in the downtown enjoying them-
selves—the outdoor activity enhances the vibrancy of the downtown. However, borough officials have to consider the needs of residents who live in apartments in the business district, as well as pedestrians who might be affected by the commercial activity on the sidewalks. Some businesses, such as the Wholly Grounds coffee shop, are perfect for an outdoor table and a few chairs. But the borough would not want other businesses to take their commercial activities out on the sidewalk. The owners of two of the borough’s newer businesses, the hookah lounge and the cigar shop, appealed to Oxford Borough Council to Continued on Page 6A