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Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 153, No. 31
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Sale of Oxford Area Sewer Authority on hold for now The Oxford Area Sewer Authority recently rescinded an asset purchase agreement as the buyer, DELCORA, enters merger talks with Aqua America
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer The sale of the Oxford Area Sewer Authority is on hold for now after the potential buyer formally entered discussions to merge with Aqua America, a privately owned water and wastewater utility company that serves more than 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana, and Virginia. The Oxford Area Sewer Authority was deep into negotiations to sell its assets, including the state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system,
to DELCORA when the merger talks between that public municipal authority and Aqua America were announced more than two weeks ago. DELCORA, the Delaware County Regional Water Control Authority, owns, operates, and maintains wastewater systems in 42 municipalities in greater Philadelphia, mostly in Delaware County and Chester County, serving approximately 500,000 customers. The DELCORA board approved entering into a six-week, non-binding negotiation period with Aqua to discuss a potential merger. Following that decision by the DELCORA board,
Supervisors commit to increasing open space in Kennett Township Accolades for two Oxford players...6A
$1.00
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Kennett Township, one of the greenest municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania, could be on course to become even greener in the future, thanks to its Board of Supervisors. Scudder Stevens, Dr. Richard Leff and Whitney Hoffman voted unanimously at the July 17 meeting to adopt Resolution No. 201920, which sets into motion a series of open space aspirations for the township to Looking ahead at a new achieve, that are contained season of the arts at the in “Open Space, Trails & Brandywine...1B Parks Master Plan and Needs Assessment,” which was pre-
sented by land planner Tom Comitta at the meeting. By adopting the resolution, the supervisors have created a long-term plan for the township that will include expanding the township’s open space from 20 percent to 30 percent, through land acquisition, conservation easements and private partnerships with land owners. The resolution also aims to: • Create an additional 10 acres of active recreations pace and 10 more acres of passive recreation; • Increase the number of township trails, and link them to existing trails; Continued on Page 2A
the Oxford Area Sewer Authority Board voted to rescind its approval of the Asset Purchase agreement with DELCORA. The Oxford Area Sewer Authority initially pursued a sale to DELCORA
because it is a public entity, not a private one like Aqua America. By rescinding the agreement now, the Oxford Area Sewer Authority keeps its options open while DELCORA and Aqua
America discuss the possible merger. The Oxford Area Sewer Authority is operated by four member municipalities—Oxford Borough, Lower Oxford Township, East Nottingham Continued on Page 3A
Art, music, and fun in downtown Oxford The second annual Connective Art & Music Festival begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. The fun gets underway with the First Friday festivities on Friday evening By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer A celebration of music and art in downtown Oxford is now just a few days away. The second annual Connective Art & Music Festival begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, and there is a full day of fun planned. The festival features Blind Melon and family favorite Trout Fishing in America, as well as many other diverse acts that will be performing on three different stages in downtown Oxford. There will be interactive music and art activities, plus plenty of food trucks, craft beers, local wine, and more. “We want people to hear a lot of different music and to see a lot of different kinds of art,” explained Mary Lou Baily, the Main Street Manager for Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. “There will be lots of interesting things to do at the festival.”
The second annual Connective Art & Music Festival takes place in downtown Oxford this Saturday.
Baily said that the Gallery Row of artists has been expanded for the second festival, and there will be more than 40 local and regional artists showcasing their art. Attendees can also be on the lookout for artists
demonstrating their skills like wood carving, macramé, chainsaw art, and more throughout the day. Oxford shined during the first Connective Art & Music Festival in Continued on Page 3A
Not enough ‘affordable housing’ in borough and township, critics tell officials By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Audience members at the special meeting of the Council of Economic Development on July 29 criticized the results of a Book on Wyeth art theft to recently distributed Kennettbe published...1B area development map for what they felt devoted too little focus on the availability
INDEX Opinion.......................7A Obituaries...................2B Calendar of Events.....3B Classifieds.................4B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
of affordable housing in the Kennett Square Borough and in Kennett Township. The map and corresponding data was introduced before members of borough council and two Kennett Township supervisors by Nate Echeverria, the Director of Economic Development for the borough and the township. One side of the
map provided an aerial view of the borough and township that was dotted with 20 indicators that showed the locations of developments defined as “currently built,” “under construction” “approved” and “proposed.” From that list, there were 762 total residential units – 268 in the borough and 494 in the township, of which
539 are classified as “multifamily,” 138 are classified as “twin/duplex,” and 85 are indicated as being a singlefamily home. Echeverria said that the numbers coincide with the projections included in the 2015 Kennett Region Economic Development Study, which he said set a goal to create between 700
and 1,200 additional units in the borough and township by 2030. “I think what’s interesting about this map is that it tracks very closely to the Economic Development Study and the places in the study where we said we want to promote growth, and so I think this is potentially a good sign,” Continued on Page 2A
UHS students return from Costa Rica
Yearly exchange program is a valuable cultural and language immersion experience By JP Phillips Correspondent An earthquake, a teacher strike, and student protests were all part of the experiences of 24 Unionville rising juniors and seniors during their Costa Rica adventure that took place from June 25 to July 9. Nineteen students from Costa Rica visited Unionville It was part of an annual High School this past January. They stayed with student exchange program host families and took day trips to Philadelphia, organized by Unionville Washington D.C. and New York City.
High School’s world language department. Every winter, students from a partner school in France, Germany, or Costa Rica come to the United States to practice their English skills, see the sights and learn about our culture. Unionville students who host them then go to their countries to do the same. On even-numbered years, students studying German
and French participate in the program. On odd-number years, Spanish students make the trip. This year, UHS partnered with Colegio Técnico Profesional San Rafael de Poás, a magnet high school in Alajuela, Costa Rica. It’s located in the central part of the country, under the Poás volcano, visible from just about everywhere. Continued on Page 4A