Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 152, No. 6
INSIDE
Philadelphia Eagles defeat New England Patriots, 41-33
Local leaders react to Eagles’ Super Bowl victory
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer As Tom Brady's last-second, desperate heave into the end zone fell to the turf during last Sunday's Super Bowl LII, the collective hearts of Philadelphia Eagles Mercy’s Vessel will help fans back-flipped from absothe needy...6A lute fear to jubilation. David had just defeated Goliath.
After a 57-year wait – a period when they watched their division rivals take home a total of 12 Lombardi trophies – Eagles fans were finally at the top of the professional football world, as a Nick Foles-led team beat the New England Patriots, 41-33, to earn their first Super Bowl championship. From Chadds Ford to Oxford, celebrations flowed
through developments and on streets and in homes and watering holes, the culmination of which will take place this Thursday along Broad Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, when an expected 3 million people will attend the Eagles' victory parade. Meanwhile, back in southern Chester County, Continued on Page 3A
An historic first in Kennett Square? Photo by Steven Hoffman
Views ‘Around Town’ in Kennett Square...1B
Get ready for chocolate!...5A
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INDEX Opinion........................9A Obituaries...................2B Calendar of Events.....4B Classifieds..................7B Police Blotter..............9B
Last month, LaToya Myers was selected to serve as council president by her colleagues on Kennett Square Borough Council. It is believed that Myers is the first woman to serve as council president in the borough’s history, although that lacks verification. Charla Watson, a lifelong resident of Kennett Square, said that she is certain that Myers is the first woman to preside over council. Myers, who has served on council for two years, said that she expects issues related to economic development to top borough council’s agenda this year. Kennett Square Borough and Kennett Township have partnered on economic development planning, including the hiring of an economic development director. The borough council members, township supervisors, and officials from Historic Kennett Square recently held the first joint meeting to discuss economic development opportunities. “We want to leverage our resources to enhance the area,” Myers said.
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Gerrymandering highlights Indivisible KSQ agenda By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Before about 50 concerned citizens at the Friends Meeting House in Kennett Square on Feb. 3, the first meeting of Indivisible Kennett Square in 2018 centered much of its focus on ways that members can continue to support proposed legislation and court rulings aimed at elim-
inating gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. Indivisible KSQ was established in 2017 to empower local citizens to focus on weakening congressional Republican agendas while supporting Democratic opposition through informed local action. Supported by nearly 300 members, the group dedicated a large portion Continued on Page 2A
Layout finalized for development After decades of giving coming to East back to the community, Marlborough McLeod receives a prestigious award By John Chambless Staff Writer
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
60 Cents
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
During the Spirit of Giving Luncheon on Jan. 15, Jim McLeod, one of the organizers of the event, talked about the importance of teaching young people about the value of giving back to the community. Giving back is a subject that McLeod knows a lot about: He has been serving the Oxford community in a variety of ways for decades, starting before he even graduated from high school. Through the years, McLeod has done everything from serving on Oxford Borough Continued on Page 4A
Courtesy photo
The Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce has named Jim McLeod as the 2017 Outstanding Citizen of the Year. Cheryl Kuhn, the chamber’s president and CEO, Doug Doerfler, the chamber’s Chairman of the Board, and John Jaros, the immediate past chair, are pictured with McLeod.
A slightly revised alignment of the proposed Villages at Northridge development was approved by the East Marlborough Board of Supervisors on Feb. 5. The community of 54 units will sit on 22.6 acres on the north side of Route 1 and west of North Walnut Road, near the Everfast property on Gale Lane. The twin-home cluster configuration has been revised several times to allow more open space, with less impervious coverage. Property owner Doug White and his representative went over the details of lot size and placement in response to suggestions
made by the township’s Planning Commission. The supervisors eventually approved the plan, which lays out the placement of the homes, but which will change slightly depending on the style of home purchased by each buyer. The board set a date for a conditional use hearing for the new owner of the former Brewster’s ice cream site on Route 1. The building will retain its current footprint but will be remodeled as a medical office. The facade will be altered, but the parking area will remain. The board will meet on Feb. 26 to discuss the new use. Township solicitor Frone Crawford brought up Act 172, a state measure that Continued on Page 2A
Talented trio has helped lead Avon Grove swimming team to unprecedented success By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Four years ago, when Serena Derderian, Clare McGovern, and Olivia Paoletti arrived as ninthgraders at Avon Grove High School, there were only modest expectations for the school’s swimming team. The talented trio knew each other from having competed together on the same club team, the Delaware Swim Team, and they knew that they would be joining a squad that already had some talented swimmers and divers, but Avon Grove had always found it difficult to win in the highly competi-
tive Ches-Mont League. So the expectations were definitely tempered. “I think we felt like we had a strong team,” Paoletti explained. “We just wanted to win a few meets.” The team did exactly that. The Avon Grove girls won a few meets. The newcomers really made a splash, setting personal records and then quickly surpassing those records. The team won a few more meets. Head coach Kelly Burk and assistant coach Chic McKnelly guided the team’s progress, charting a path for each swimmer to succeed in a Photo by Steven Hoffman way that was good for the In addition to helping the Avon Grove swimming team win a state team title, Olivia Continued on Page 3A Paoletti, Clare McGovern, and Serena Derderian have all excelled in the classroom.