Chester County Press 05-05-2021 Edition

Chester CountyPRESS

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Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas

Volume 155, No. 18

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Wednesday, May 5, 2021

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Same township, same party, different voices As Democrats Whitney Hoffman and Peter Doehring battle to win a primary race on May 18, the issue of trust is on the ballot, as Kennett Township continues to reel from an alleged embezzlement that has angered residents who demand accountability from their supervisors

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Soon after she was elected as the first woman on the Kennett Township Board of Kennett salutes the Class Supervisors in November of 2021...1B 2015, Whitney Hoffman asked a township employee if the township should hire a forensic accountant.

The Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert goes virtual...4A

Hoffman believed that forensic accounting was a good legal practice that would better ensure that the financial books of an entity would remain clean, especially during the time of her election, when she became the third Democrat on a board that had been traditionally filled by Republicans.

Big improvements coming for intersection in Nottingham West Nottingham Township was able to secure $842,000 in state funding for project

A nature-based summer camp...1B

INDEX Opinion.......................5A Obituaries...........2B & 3B

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Classifieds.................4B

© 2007 The Chester County Press

West Nottingham Township will receive $842,000 in state funding to make important improvements at the intersection of Route 272 and Baltimore Pike.

The project, which is funded through PennDOT’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, will bring upgrades to the main signalized intersection of Route 272 (Christine Road) and Baltimore Pike in Nottingham, including adding a left-turn lane for eastbound Route 272 and a right-turn lane for southbound Baltimore Pike.

State Sen. Carolyn Comitta and State Rep.

John Lawrence helped secure the state funding for the project.

“Investments in our transportation infrastructure and key intersections, like this one, are important to both enhancing safety on our roadways and driving economic growth in our region,” Comitta said. “I look forward to continuing to work with local municipalities and my legislative colleagues to support the needs of communities like West Nottingham and others across Chester County.”

“This intersection is a crossroads of Southwestern Chester Continued on page 2A

She was quickly told by the township employee that a forensic accountant was not needed for Kennett Township. She was told that the option was an expensive one and, besides, everyone trusted everyone else at the township so it wasn’t necessary.

Hoffman did not press the

subject any further.

The person Hoffman asked was then-township manager Lisa Moore.

“Lisa came with glowing recommendations from just about everybody who knew her,” Hoffman said recently.

“I would hear so many people say she was the pillar of the community, involved

in just about everything. If you asked anybody about her, they’d say, ‘Lisa’s terrific. She knows how to get things done.’”

Hoffman began to see the accolades she had heard about, and one year, she nominated Moore as Chester County Citizen of Continued on page 2A

Nine-day event will take place from May 15-23

Kennett Run to go virtual in 2021

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer If any time in the middle of May you happen to notice a runner or a walker wearing the now familiar and colorful Kennett Run swag along a local road, an outdoor track or a park trail, it’s because, for the first time in its long history, the Kennett Run is going virtual – and viral.

Once confined to Anson B. Nixon Park and the avenues and streets of Kennett Square, the annual charity event is abandoning its normal routes this year in accordance with COVID-19 safety regulations that caused the cancelation of the 2020 event.

In its place, race organizers are giving this year’s participants the opportunity to complete their 5-kilometer, 10-kilometer of one-mile run/ walk at a time and place of their choosing, any time over a nine-day period beginning on May 15 and ending at midnight on May 23. For a $35 entrée fee, each participant will receive a 2021 Kennett Run t-shirt, a race bib and other give-a-ways, and have the opportunity to post their

Courtesy images

Those registering for this year’s virtual race will still receive Kennett Run items such as t-shirts and racing bibs.

finish times on the Kennett Run’s social media pages.

“We realized that the only way we could sponsor the race this year was to do a socially distant event, but then it led to the idea of tracking everyone’s times, and that would require us to have our usual course, and permits were not being handed out for events at the park,” said JJ Simon, who is now in his fifth year as the Kennett Race director. “So if we couldn’t have a place, then the virtual concept became the way to go, and we expanded it to give people the freedom to do this any time and anywhere, over a nine-day period.

“Having a virtual race this Continued on page 3A

This year’s Kennett Run will encourage participants to post their race photos – as well as their costumes – on the event’s social media pages.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District discusses budget for 2021-2022 The school board is expected to approve a proposed final budget at its May 17 meeting

By Monica Thompson Fragale Contributing Writer The Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board is expected to approve its 2021-2022 proposed final budget at its May 17 meeting.

Following that vote, the budget will be available

for public review before the final version is voted on at the board’s June 21 meeting.

The proposed budget was presented to the public at a special budget meeting on May 3.

“This is not necessarily an even budget year,” said Superintendent John Sanville, citing a number of

stressors to the 2021-2022 budget, like the end of salary freezes for support staff and Act 93 administrators, a current budget with no tax increase, the continuing development of a virtual academy, and more.

Under the proposed budget, the real estate tax millage rate for Chester County residents could be

around 29.96 mills. The current millage rate for Chester County residents is 29.07 mills. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. Millage for Delaware County residents who are part of the district could be around 15.46 mills, which would reflect the recent reassessment of properties in that county.

Bob Cochran, the district’s director of business and operations, explained that the amount of real estate taxes required starts with figuring out the expenditures for 2021-2022.

Then, said Joe Deady, the district’s supervisor of accounting, they look at all the expected revenue Continued on page 4A

Kennett Square Farmers Market opens for 22nd season on Friday, May 7 The 22nd season of the Kennett Square Farmers Market promises to be more vibrant than ever, with the return of many familiar and well-loved farmers and producers, as well as the addition of some new vendors to round out the mix of offerings, according to Ros Fenton, the market manager.

The market will open for its regular weekly season with a full vendor lineup Courtesy photo New Kennett Square Farmers Market vendor Dannie on Friday, May 7 at The Wright, of Hilltop Flower Design, will bring floral bou- Creamery at 401 Birch Street. The new hours for quets that celebrate the season.

the summer season are 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The events of 2020 have highlighted the resiliency and adaptability of farmers markets as well as the critical importance of investing in local food systems. In addition to these broader concerns, food purchased directly from the grower or producer is safer, fresher, and healthier—and it tastes better, too. There’s no comparison between a grocery store carrot, for example, and a carrot grown at Flying Plow Farm. The “fine pro-

duce home grown with love” that Douglas and Elizabeth Randolph bring to the market each Friday begins the day growing on the vine at their Swallow Hill Farm in Cochranville.

“Unfortunately, wellloved Amish farmer Benuel King, of Breezy Acre Flowers, won’t be returning this season,” said Fenton.

“We know he will be missed by many, but we’re excited to announce that King’s Produce, a small family farm located in Parkesburg, Continued on page 6B

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Local News Intersection...

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County, and it hasn’t seen major improvement for decades,” said Rep. Lawrence. “For the last few years, I’ve worked with the township supervisors, local property owners, and other elected officials to help make the Nottingham village intersection project a reality, and this announcement is a culmination of this team-based approach.

Once completed, the improved intersection will serve the community for

Same township...

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the Year.

No matter how important Hoffman’s voice has been to the changing course of the township over the past five years, and how integral her personal initiatives have furthered the greater good of the township, she is well aware that all of her accomplishments are buried beneath the avalanche of a lengthy scandal involving Moore that dates back to before Hoffman’s time on the board, and yet still hovers above Kennett Township like an ominous thundercloud.

On Dec. 10, 2019, after an exhaustive investigation by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office and a forensic auditor hired by the township, Moore was formally arrested for allegedly embezzling over $3.2 million of township funds.

During the torturously slow months of investigation and

many years to come.”

Tiffany Bell, the chair of the West Nottingham Township Board of Supervisors, expressed the township’s gratitude to Comitta and Lawrence for their assistance in obtaining the state funding for the project.

“West Nottingham Township is grateful for the continued support of our elected officials in helping to move this project forward,” said Bell. “Improvements in Nottingham village have been a priority for many years, and this significant

funding will help take the intersection project from the drawing board to reality for our community.”

The nearly $1.2 million West Nottingham intersection project comes as part of four transportation projects in Chester County set to receive more than $6.2 million in support through PennDOT’s Multimodal Transportation Fund grant program. The program is intended to provide financial assistance to municipalities, councils of governments, businesses, economic development organizations,

in the immediate aftermath of Moore’s arrest, each of the township’s supervisors – then Board Chairman Scudder Stevens, then Vice Chair Richard Leff and Hoffman – came under attack by township residents for what many saw as a dereliction of accountability for township funds, and acts of blind faith afforded to an alleged criminal.

“We believed everything was perfect,” Hoffman wrote on her campaign website.

“We operated with a sense of confidence, and almost hubris that it would continue in this fashion, unabated.

And then we found out we had at least 3.2 million reasons to doubt everything.

“There is nothing more devastating than finding out you have been betrayed by someone you trusted -- someone everybody trusted,” she added.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent -- we all trusted Lisa Moore.”

As she heads into the last

weeks of a campaign for a second term that begins with a primary vote that will take place on May 18 against her Democratic challenger Peter Doehring, Hoffman is in a fight for her political future.

“This has been an incredibly frustrating experience,” she said. “I know that these things happen in places big and small, but it doesn’t give me any solace. You always wish you had done more, asked more.

“The only way I got through May through December of 2019 and then after that is by telling myself every day, ‘If you really have had enough, you can quit any time you want to.’ But part of the job is fulfilling an obligation and promise I made to voters to finish the job, to do better and re-earn everybody’s trust.”

public transportation agencies, rail freight, passenger rail, and ports in order to improve transportation assets that enhance communities, pedestrian safety, and transit revitalization.

PennDOT evaluated the applications and made selections based on criteria such as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency, and operational sustainability. The allocations and usage of these funds are the following: “Investing in our commu-

nities continues to be critical to moving the economy forward in 2021,” said Yassmin Gramian, PennDOT secretary. “Making roadways more accessible for all modes of travel assures that we are making continued business connections for the future and keeps transportation an integral part of daily living.”

The other multimodal funds awarded to highway and bridge projects in Chester County include $2.19 million to Kennett Township, $1.69 million for West Brandywine Township

Courtesy photos

Peter Doehring with his daughter, Margot.

faith expressed by its residents, Doehring would not be campaigning to become its next supervisor.

In fact, he stated on his website that were the township not embroiled in an embezzlement scandal, he would likely be voting for Hoffman in her campaign The Challenger for another term as superWere the government of visor. Yet, hard against Kennett Township current- the lingering scent of the ly riding high on the good Moore scandal – and a trial that continues to be postponed -- Doehring finds himself listening to a narrative that seems to have burned itself into the township’s landscape.

“At the top of most people’s minds I have spoken with is the frustration at the outcome of the Lisa Moore scandal, and while a few other issues have come up, inevitably, the conversation continues to turn back to the alleged embezzlement,” he said. “I think the question is why hasn’t more been done to bring her to justice, and feelings of being appalled that this happened in the first place, and a general lack of confidence that maybe the township doesn’t have things in place to prevent it from happening again.”

In his campaign to become the Democratic candidate in a face-off against Republican Geoffrey

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and $1.5 million for Valley Township.

Funding for these projects comes through Act 89 of 2013, Pennsylvania’s C o m p r e h e n s i v e Transportation Funding Plan, which increased transit funding and established dedicated multimodal funding for aviation, passenger rail, rail freight, port, and bicycle-pedestrian projects.

The next round of Multimodal grant applications will open in September.

For more information about the program, visit www. penndot.gov.

Kennett Township Supervisor Whitney Hoffman.

Gamble in November, Doehring is lugging the issue of Trust in Leadership along with him.

“Voters assume that supervisors are supervising, but when you have such a debacle as what happened here, that erodes trust of the voters toward that government,” he said. “When I see that level of distrust translated into people not showing up to public meetings and staying home from the polls, that’s how democracy dies.

“When I see decisions being made that potentially erode trust, I get really concerned for the future of the township,” he added. “One of the things you learn in public service is that you have to work with others to get things done. The township can’t get everything done on its own. We need to build trust with neighboring townships and with organizations.

“The large question therefore is, How do we reengage the public and convince them that yes, we are being transparent and accountable?”

Doehring is attempting to answer a question that coincides with a resume that is a robust blend of altruism and collaboration. As a health and education executive, he served as the Director of

Regional Programs for the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; served on the teaching faculty at Lehigh, Drexel, Penn and the University of Delaware; and been a licensed clinical psychologist, researcher, author and speaker.

For the past 20 years, his professional work has dovetailed with his work as a local volunteer and activist; he is the past board chair of The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County and served as an advisor of disabilities programming for the Kennett Area YMCA, among several other affiliations.

“I have spent my career helping with schools and hospitals focused on helping children with autism learn and grow, and there is a tremendous satisfaction in that,” Doehring said.

“When I think of being able to work in the capacity of a supervisor, it would give me an opportunity to create an environment where people can work together in order to make an entire community grow. I have found that public service is tremendously satisfying, but instead of children and families, my role as a supervisor would be to help the township grow.”

While the principle stuff

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year will not require nearly as many logistics of putting on a race of this kind, such as permits, food, water, tents, so a lot more of the registration fees will be going to the many organizations that Kennett Charities supports.”

As of last week, more than 250 participants have already registered for this year’s Kennett Run. While the virtual run this year certainly has its advantages for contestants – particularly those who are less competitive than of Doehring’s message centers around the continuing fallout of the Moore scandal, his campaign kit bag also contains other issues he wants to tackle should he join Stevens and Leff in 2022: open space and trails, transparency and accountability and developing partnerships with community organization – all of which he said rests in the hands of the supervisors to fix. And yet, at the center of campaign, he said, is to repair the erosion of trust between the township governance, its residents and in the relationships it has with local organizations and agencies.

“My entire career has centered on building genuine partnerships that leverage the unique expertise and perspective of each party, across school and hospital programs and between state and local agencies,” he said.

“I know how to bring organizations to the table, to discover common ground, and to achieve collective impact, whether leading statewide teams to develop model programs of school and community services for people with autism, or helping to design and then draft legislation that fund a statewide committee to coordinate outreach and services.

“As a supervisor, I will repair and re-invigorate partnerships with other municipalities and local agencies that have been allowed to languish.”

A township recovers Although the imprint of the township’s embezzlement scandal has been generally traced to one perpetrator of the alleged crime, Hoffman has joined with Stevens,

others – Simon does not see this concept as a permanent feature of the Kennett Run. “If we’re having to take our fourth and fifth booster shot in order to achieve herd immunity by 2022, then perhaps we may be forced to do another virtual run next year, but I can’t see both being done on the same day,” he said. “When we are allowed to get back together, people are going to flood the places where we can reconvene, and that holds true for the Kennett Run.” One of the most popular sideshows of the last Kennett Run held in May 2019 was the

“Race Like It’s 1989” theme that invited participants to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the race. Throughout the length of the race and at the Party in the Park after the race, dozens of walkers and runners were dressed in the remnants and clothing of the late 1980s, and many walked away with special prizes for the originality of their costumes.

The same theme – and any theme within reason – will be perfectly acceptable for the 2021 race. Best yet, participants will be able to post photos of their chosen costumes, as well as their fellow

runners and walkers, on the race’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

“This year’s Kennett Run will be about having fun and being visible,” said Simon.

“It won’t be as much of a race this year as it will be a large social event that will take place over nine consecutive days.”

To learn more about the 2021 virtual Kennett Run and to register for the event, visit www.kennettrun.net.

Leff, Manager Eden Ratliff, Director of Finance and Human Resources Amy Heinrich and other staff to clean up the mess Moore allegedly left behind. When the news first broke that a storm of financial impropriety was brewing in early May of 2019, Hoffman took a partial leave from her regular job as a telecommunications manager to help put the township’s financial house back in order.

Her days at the Township Building sometimes lasted 15 hours.

The protocols the township has enacted over the past year have essentially moved its accounting methods from the “lone sheriff” days of Moore to a manylayered link of approvals and checks and balances, with upgraded software.

In addition, Hoffman has championed the township’s progress to make the township’s books fully transparent to the public, often reflected in the “fine-tooth-comb” meticulousness of township budget meetings.

“I have acted at every turn to make sure everything has been done to the highest possible standards to restore integrity and trust in the township,” Hoffman wrote on her website. “We have increased communications and made sure that every township resident gets their questions answered.

“This should not be the illusions of transparency but actual transparency,” she said recently. “It doesn’t mean that transparency is always easy. You get to see the lumps and not everything looks like a pretty picture all the time, but it’s real and it’s honest and I think it’s really the only

way you can have a sound foundation.”

While the thick jungle of a scandal has often clogged the view in Kennett Township over the past few years, Hoffman has been on the right side of its progress, particularly in the area of acquiring additional open space and land purchase agreements that aspire to maintain the township’s generally rural landscape.

Soon after her election in 2016, she spearheaded what became the Kennett Square Holiday Village at the Creamery of Kennett Square, and over the past year, has addressed the need for southern Chester County to upgrade its internet infrastructure in a coalition with the Southern Chester County Opportunity Network, various municipalities and area schools.

“I think I am most proud of the fact that I was wandering around with a tin foil hat on, talking about the internet five years ago, and now, with the pandemic, people are realizing that internet access is a big deal,” she said. “We were able to build a coalition in order to get the project up and running, and now everyone is working together, and it’s moving remarkably fast.”

Hoffman’s work with the township during the COVID-19 pandemic has extended beyond Zoom meetings and signatures on documents. She personally sewed over 1,500 masks for nonprofits like Kennett Area Community Services, Kendal-Crosslands Communities, Tick Tock Learning Center, Friends Home and Willow Tree Hospice. She also organized a blanket drive that accumulated over four carloads of

blankets that were delivered to local families in cooperation with the Mighty Writers program in West Grove.

“I come from a background where if you see a problem and can help, you are obligated to do so,” Hoffman said. “It feels so good to help people. But it’s more than just writing checks. The hard work is important, and it’s also setting a good example.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

‘The lessons that Lisa Moore has taught us’ Doehring has been adamant in his campaign that his criticism of his opponent does not imply that Hoffman was an accomplice to the alleged embezzlement of more than $3.2 million in township funds.

“But there is a responsibility that all supervisors have to be accountable for that,” he said. “Is it fair that they find themselves in the position of rebounding from a scandal that had gone on for more years than they know?

Of course not, but does it mean that we absolve them of any responsibility in the oversight that they did not provide? I don’t think we can.

“I think we should all be grateful for their efforts to keep the ship going straight as they uncover this mess that has probably gone on for many years, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t hold them accountable for things that probably could be done differently. It is one thing to make a mistake, and it’s another thing to not learn from that mistake. What I’m concerned about is whether this township has learned all of the lessons that Lisa Moore has taught us.”

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The 2021 Kennett Run, normally held at the Anson B. Nixon Park, will be a virtual race this year, giving participants the opportunity to compete at a course and time of their choosing between May 15 and May 23

Doehring denies that his campaign is that of a “onenote” town crier pointing out all of the wrongs of a township that has, in spite of a major scandal, continued to log new initiatives and achievements.

Despite his differences with Hoffman – some of which have spilled out in the form of innocuous spats on social media – Doehring said that he and his opponent share the same basic principle: to make the community better.

“We have so much potential here, and if we can be specific in our vision and commit ourselves to doing it, I think we can regain public trust and enthusiasm for government,” he said.

“The first message is that we as Democrats hold our leaders accountable. I think that sets a really strong message that if we think that our politicians have not done a good job, they’re out.

“There is no benefit to incumbency,” he added. “If you continue to vote for politicians who you don’t think are doing a good job, the system is done for.”

‘I can only be myself’ On Dec. 17, 2019, more than 500 township residents and stakeholders of Kennett Township attended a town hall meeting at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square.

For nearly four hours, they heard the township supervisors, forensic accountant Ricardo Zayas, investigative attorney Joseph Poluka and township manager Eden Ratliff discuss the findings of the recently-concluded

investigation of Moore that led to her arrest ten days before.

For the majority in attendance, the meeting provided them with further insight to an alleged theft that had rocked their township.

For a selected few, it was bloodsport, seen in their takedown of the township’s supervisors whose answers all seemed to have been crafted for them in advance, which further angered the audience, who demanded a real moment from them.

Hoffman, showing clear emotion, personally apologized from the podium.

“I have spent 55 years trying to have a sterling reputation,” she said. “My mother always used to say, ‘Your reputation is your most important and most fragile asset.’ To have someone else mess with that reputation? There is nothing more personal than that.

“I can’t be anyone else.

I can only be myself, and when you are honest with people in good times and in bad, the more honest you are, the more you are trusted. That’s what trust is about. It’s about being straight with people.”

To learn more about Whitney Hoffman’s campaign, visit https:// whitney4supervisor.nationbuilder.com.

To learn more about Peter Doehring’s campaign, visit http://www.peter4supervisor.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

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Chester County Press

Local News The 2021 Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert goes virtual With close to 1,300 views to date, the 14th annual Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert is reaching far more people than in pre-Covid years.

The Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert, an annual concert of choral music performed by a chorus of area singers from local church and community choirs, raises funds to support organizations that help childhood cancer patients and their families.

Normally, the concert is presented on a Saturday in early spring at Kennett High School with a large chorus accompanied by orchestra. Although last year’s 13th annual concert had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, it nevertheless raised $7,000 from many generous donors --- a significant amount, but far less than previous concerts generated.

With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, large-scale live choral concerts are still not possible this spring, but with

U-CF school budget...

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except the real estate taxes. What’s left, he said, is then split between Chester and Delaware counties to come up with the tax rates.

About 20 percent of the required real estate taxes come from Delaware County, while the remaining 79.9 percent is from Chester County.

In the proposed final budget for 2021-2022,

encouragement from community members and chorus members to try to keep the 14-year tradition going, the Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert Music Director Donna Beech decided to do a “virtual choir” concert.

This was not a completely new concept to Dr. Beech, who, as Music Director at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church, and with large amounts of technical assistance from daughter Dee Beech, the music director at Hamorton United Methodist Church, had put together quite a few “virtual choir” anthems as well as several ecumenical services that had streamed via YouTube in the past year.

Since premiering on YouTube in March, the 14th annual concert has raised funds totaling almost $14,000 to date, making this the best fund-raising year yet. The concert may be viewed by going to the organization’s

website at JonathanBeechMemorialConcert.org and clicking on the link on the home page.

Contributions will continue to be collected through the end of May. At that point, the donations will be split equally among three organizations: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Division of Neuro-Oncology; MakeA-Wish of Philadelphia, Delaware, and Susquehanna Valley; and Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. Donations may be mailed to Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert, 474 Greenwood Road, Kennett Square, PA. 19348.

In pre-COVID-19 years, the annual live concert, in addition to featuring a large choral work accompanied by orchestra, also included performances by other local student and community choirs, as well as guest speakers who shared information about the beneficiary organization.

increases in expenses over the current year include an additional $1.67 million in salaries and wages, $1.05 million in benefits, $150,000 in fuels and utilities, and $150,000 for things like the virtual academy, the intermediate unit, and occupational education expenses.

Sanville said there will be a 10-percent decrease among some expenditures – such as curriculum and instruction, human resources, transportation, and debt service, among other areas.

These decreases are designed to help keep the budget within the Act 1 maximum tax increase limit of 3 percent and to also keep the spending plan “level funded.”

The largest expenditures in the $92.9 million budget are salaries and benefits, which account for about 73 percent of the budget, said Deady.

More information about the budget hearing can be found on the school board’s website at ucfsd. org/board.

Courtesy photo

The Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert is going virtual this year.

This year’s virtual concert, although more limited in scope, includes all of those elements. There are five virtual choir anthems involving a total of over 60 singers, including the Kennett High School Select Choir which sings “Earth Song.” All three beneficiary organizations submitted short videos highlighting their work, and the Loose family, who, like the Beech family, has been touched by all three organizations, talks about some of their related experiences.

Putting together a virtual concert was quite an intensive effort that pushed all of the musicians to go beyond their comfort zones.

Normally, choir members are used to singing and working as a group, but with a virtual choir, every person had to record (audio and video) individually, without hearing the other people singing.

The process began when Beech recorded a piano accompaniment practice track

for each anthem. These accompaniments were sent to two college voice majors who individually recorded the choral parts while listening with earphones to each practice track, and then the tracks were distributed to the choir for creating their own videos. The instrumental parts --- piano, organ, and string instruments, were recorded separately.

All of these hundreds of videos were reviewed by Donna Beech, and then passed on to her daughter Dee, who had the arduous task of coordinating all of the videos so that they would line up properly to form what sounds like a choir singing together. Dee Beech also put together the overall concert video.

Because of the size of the project, and the desired deadline, the Beeches also recruited Philadelphia music teacher and Kennett High School graduate Aaron Bench to put together two of the virtual choir anthems.

The Beech family wishes

to thank the many musicians who worked so hard to put this concert together. It has reached more people than normally could come to the annual live concert, and the funds raised are beyond expectations. Thanks to the businesses that sponsor the event, the Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert is able to donate all funds to the beneficiary organizations.

The Jonathan Beech Memorial Concert was formed because of a promise to Jonathan Beech, who died of a brain tumor at the age of 15 in 2007, as a way to extend thanks to the community for all of the support received during Jonathan’s brain tumor journey. The hope for next year is to have a live concert in March, and to perform Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia, a work that was originally planned for the 2020 concert that had to be cancelled. Interested singers, listeners, and donors can check the website in January 2022 for updates.

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Chester County Press

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Opinion Editorial

If you need help, reach out to someone In last week’s Chester County Press, we published a story about the New London Counseling Center, a non-profit organization that provides individual, couples, family, and group counseling in the southern Chester County community. In that story, Dr. Katie Bowman, the organization’s executive director, said that during the pandemic, mental health issues have escalated, especially for 13- to 19-yearolds. Bowman said that 75 percent of mental health issues start in adolescence, so it is important to intervene early when there are indications of issues. Four out of 10 adolescents are struggling with anxiety and depression, Bowman said, and during the pandemic it has become much more serious.

We’ve all been dealing with additional stress, fear, and anxiety during the last year. It’s important to watch out for each other.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, there are some common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents that can include the following: • Excessive worrying or fear; • Feeling excessively sad or low; • Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning; • Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria; • Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger; • Avoiding friends and social activities; • Difficulties understanding or relating to other people; • Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy; • Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of; appetite; • Changes in sex drive; • Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t

exist in objective reality); • Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (lack of insight or anosognosia); • Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs; • Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing aches and pains); • Thinking about suicide; • Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress; and • An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness website also noted that mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children.

Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include the following: • Changes in school performance;

• Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance fighting to avoid bed or school; • Hyperactive behavior; • Frequent nightmares; • Frequent disobedience or aggression; and • Frequent temper tantrums.

If you need help, or know someone who needs help, then reach out for it. Mental health issues shouldn’t be taken lightly or dismissed.

Chester County recently launched a new Teen Talk Line that is a new tool for mental health and wellness. Chester County’s Teen Talk Line is contracted through the county’s office of Mental Health and will be provided by Access Services, a non-profit organization that runs other mental health programs, including a Teen Talk Line in Montgomery County.

The talk line will operate after school and in the early evening hours, which are the peak hours for family and other conflicts. Supervised call-takers are trained to apply active listening skills via phone and

text, to recognize risks, coping strategies and problem solving, among other engagement techniques and competencies.

The call center, which is live from 3 to 7 p.m. will use two numbers: The call line is 855852-TEEN (8336) and the text line is 484-362-9515.

Individuals who call after hours will receive an automated message and will be directed to the Valley Creek Crisis Intervention Center in Exton for immediate support if it’s needed.

Of course, it hasn’t just been children and teens who’ve been struggling during the pandemic. Adults have also had a very difficult time dealing with the pandemic and all its impacts.

Whether it’s talking to a friend, co-worker or a family member, seeking out counseling from a resource like the New London Counseling Center, or turning to a resource that can offer support during a crisis, help is available.

The county’s Office of Mental

Health maintains a page on the county website that outlines some of the resources that are available to adults and children struggling with mental health issues.

Additionally, the following sources of help can be contacted: • For a mental health emergency, call Valley Creek Crisis Intervention anytime at 610-280-3270; • For non-emergency situations call Valley Creek’s Warm Line at 866-846-2722; • For support and referrals from the state, call Pennsylvania’s Help & Referral Line at 855-284-2494; • Crisis Text Line: Text “PA” to 741-741; and the • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255.

It’s always important to remember that if you need help, you are not alone. Far from it. Reach out to someone because help is available.

Kennett Township Board Chairman endorses Hoffman for reelection Letter to the Editor: I’m biased because I know the inside story. In the Democratic Primary for Kennett Township Supervisor, one candidate has repeatedly told nothing but the whole truth. One candidate brings an honesty of effort and feelings that I am proud to work alongside to build a better community. One candidate faced the challenges of the alleged embezzlement by our prior township manager head on; instead of taking an easy road, she took responsibility, worked hard to identify and fix the issues -- which had been brewing for a long time before she ever became a supervisor. That one candidate is Whitney Hoffman.

Whitney Hoffman is consis-

tently open and honest about that and anything else when you talk with her.

Whitney’s social, compassionate nature and creativity are other traits that make her an ideal township supervisor.

Interacting with residents and making life a little easier and more enjoyable is Whitney’s favorite part of her job. You can be sure, if you have ever come to Whitney with a problem, idea, or comment, she will remember you and know just who you need to connect with; she has spoken to, did a podcast on, read and article about, or was just talking to someone else who would be beneficial in your endeavor, and she will be the first to show up to make your dream a reality. Whether it is creating the Holiday Village five

years ago, personally sewing masks for first responders during the COVID epidemic this past year, obtaining grants to improve wireless and internet service, organizing blanket drives for those in need, or finding resources for home fire survivors, Whitney is there. She is never one to turn away from an opportunity to help others and to build a better community, open to all.

Whitney’s love of research, data, and connectivity has also brought a breath of fresh air that has shifted the culture of decision making to one of objective reason of what is best for the township as a whole, and not just a few.

When resources are limited, this approach is not always popular with a few people, such as her opponent. It is

however useful in assuring that decisions are made to make the township wisely use its resources for the betterment of the community, and not just a few, special-interest individuals.

Whitney has strong beliefs as to what is the right thing to do, yet she promotes open discussion, especially on difficult topics. Whitney approaches dissent from a vantage point of exploration, which strengthens the foundation of any decision; it assures no decisions are made without thorough examination from every viewpoint. I know that if I disagree with Whitney, I better show up with my position well researched because Whitney has thoroughly researched a topic, talked to key people, and learned how

it can be done better than we’re doing it now.

The discovery two years ago of the alleged embezzlement by the former township manager was devastating on every level and was decades in the making. Whitney stepped up, faced the music, rolled up her sleeves and got to work doing everything necessary to assist in the research and documentation of the crimes committed.

She communicated with residents and law enforcement, and kept the township running until a completely new management team could be brought in for a fresh start.

Most importantly, she made sure we all learned the hard lessons and put measures in place to make sure things like that cannot happen again. Her

prior work in recovery law is now proving useful in recovering the funds.

My trust in Whitney is based upon one that recognizes that we need an energetic, independent, creative, intelligent, socially responsive, and curious person who respects open discussion and continual improvement to build the best community. In short, Whitney is simply the better combination of personality traits and skill sets for the job. I enthusiastically endorse Whitney Hoffman for Kennett Township supervisor. I hope you all will come out and cast your vote for Whitney on May 18 as well.

Richard Leff, chairman of the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors

A vote for Lou Mincarellia Letter to the Editor: On May 18, Republicans and Democrats will go to the polls for the primary election. I urge members of both parties to vote for Lou Mincarelli for the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Since judges must be fair and neutral, they may file for both parties’ primaries, so long as they find several hundred voters in each party to vouch for them. Lou Mincarelli did that.

Politics have divided us, but Lou Mincarelli is the consen-

sus candidate who will bring Chester County together again.

I only met Lou Mincarelli a few years ago, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that he’s a stand-up guy. By day, Lou is an award-winning attorney. By night, he’s a devoted dad and husband. How do I know he’ll

make a great judge? Because he treats every human being with dignity and reverence. His clients come from all different walks of life, and he gives every last one of them 110 percent.

Here’s just one example. A few years ago, a black man in

Philadelphia was arrested for a crime. However, witnesses described the perpetrator as being white. Even so, this black defendant languished in prison, doing time for someone else’s crime. Then came Lou. Lou Mincarelli took the man’s case free of charge, advocated

for him, and won him his freedom back.

I would hire Lou Mincarelli to be my lawyer. I hope you’ll hire him to be our judge.

Eric Roe Former PA State Representative

Why reforming the filibuster matters

By Lee H. Hamilton As Washington turns its attention to infrastructure and other matters of policy, the Senate filibuster isn’t commanding quite the same headlines as it did a few weeks back. But that’s only because the issue is percolating behind the scenes.

At some point, it will return to

the limelight.

And when it does, you should understand what’s at stake. Because as obscure as it seems, it actually goes to the heart of how we operate as a democracy.

The key point to remember is that as the country’s population has shifted, a growing number of senators have come

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to represent a shrinking portion of Americans. In the House, this doesn’t matter as much, since districts are apportioned by population. But in the Senate, current rules require 60 senators to agree to move a measure forward, with certain exceptions. This means that 41 senators can block most legislation, so in theory, the senators coming from the 21 smallest states—who together represent less than 12 percent of the U.S. population—can keep the nation’s agenda from moving forward.

It’s hard to believe the country’s founders would think this makes sense. And it’s certainly a far cry from government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

In particular, it means that legislative initiatives that appear to have great popular support—including infrastructure spending, certain gun control measures, a higher minimum wage, even a legitimate path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants—will face tough sledding in the Senate.

This is because it is remark-

ably easy for the leader of the Senate minority, Republican Mitch McConnell, to muster the 41 votes he needs simply to block legislation from moving forward. It’s a silent and powerful parliamentary move: Without Americans as a whole or senators’ constituents being any the wiser, bills die without coming up for a vote and there are no fingerprints on the murder weapon.

Now, the Senate wasn’t designed to be like the House, and there’s a lot to be said for maintaining rules that slow legislation down and ensure that the majority can’t simply get what it wants without negotiating. But the key word is “negotiating”—when the filibuster is used simply to ensure that a president and elected majority can’t get a bill considered, it’s become something else. So while there appears to be little appetite in the Senate for ending the filibuster outright, there’s strong incentive to explore alternatives.

These would be in keeping with a long history of filibuster reforms in the Senate: bud-

get reconciliation starting in the 1970s allowed many bills related to taxing and spending to move forward with a simple majority; in 1975, the Senate changed the number of votes needed to move a bill forward from 67 to 60; and more recently, the Senate carved out exemptions on confirmation votes. In other words, there is precedent for change.

The options include expanding the breadth of bills that are exempt from the 60-vote requirement to move forward.

Or the Senate could require more members (right now it’s just one) to force a so-called “cloture” vote, which brings the filibuster into play. Or it could reduce the 60-vote requirement, either for all bills or for particular kinds. Or, as some senators seem to favor, it could revive the requirement that senators intent on blocking legislation actually must get up and talk about it—which would have some drawbacks but at least would make it clear who’s standing in the way.

The Senate’s rules are a big reason we have a Congress

that struggles to get things done—and a big reason our democracy seems to be hamstrung. I believe wholeheartedly in representative democracy, and in not trying to shortcut it or to restrict it: Proposals in front of Congress should be able to get a full debate and an up-or-down vote in which Americans’ elected representatives make clear where they stand. That’s how we hold them accountable and how legislative bodies go about the hard work of finding broadly acceptable solutions to difficult challenges. The filibuster allows a small group of them to sidestep all that.

Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

6A

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

Chester County Press

In the Spotlight

Section

B

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

Kennett High School celebrates the Class of 2021 In the hours just after school on Thursday, April 22, over 20 Kennett High School teachers and administrators, along with members of the Kennett Education Foundation (KEF), placed signs on the lawns of all 319 members of Kennett High School’s 130th graduating class, the class of 2021.

These volunteers drove district bus routes, planting the signs at the homes of seniors.

For the second year, the signs were funded by a generous donation from KEF. Lettered in Kennett blue and white, of course, and featuring the Kennett “K” logo and a graduation cap, each sign proudly pro-

claims Kennett Education Foundation Congratulates the Class of 2021. The reverse side of the sign offers the same good wishes in Spanish.

KEF printed a total of 400 signs, with plans to place the additional 81 signs at the high school itself, all of the district elementary schools, the middle school, the Y, the Garage Community & Youth Center, and other businesses and locations around town, so residents are reminded of the important goal attained

by KHS seniors. And, the graduates can see tangible proof of the pride of the entire Kennett community in their achievement.

Alison Biloon, current KEF president, was excited

that the organization once again sponsored the congratulatory signs for the graduating class.

“These 14 months have been like no other, and KHS seniors deserve to be recognized for their efforts and perseverance throughout virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning. We know they missed some milestones, and we hope this small gesture helps remind the seniors of the support from the district and the community,” said Biloon.

KEF board members worked in partnership with the high school, specifically senior class advisor Peggy Hughes, on the project. Hughes was tasked with organizing the dis-

tribution of the signs and recruiting volunteers.

“When I asked the staff for help, the response was overwhelming,” she said.

“Our seniors are so loved, and the sign planting was a fun way to recognize them and all of their hard work.”

Kennett High School Principal Dr. Jeremy Hritz added, “For the second year in a row, our seniors have been negatively impacted

by COVID, and in an effort to ensure they understand how important they are to us, celebrating their imminent accomplishment with the yard signs is a way for us to do just that. We are tremendously grateful for the KEF making this effort possible.”

Courtesy photos

Kennett High School teachers and administrators and members of the Kennett Education Foundation placed signs on the lawns of all 319 members of the Class of 2021.

Nature-based summer camp offers kids hands-on exploration and learning adventures Registration is open for Free Time Adventures, a flexible, non-traditional and nature-based summer day camp for children ages 5 to 12 to experience a unique combination of structured outdoor recreation adventures and free “nature play” in local open spaces. If your child loves nature—or you want them to grow to love nature— this is the camp for you.

The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County will host this exciting, children-only, interactive nature-based camp from June 22 through Aug. 5. The themed weeks run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Camp participants can be signed up for one day, one week, or all six weeks.

To adhere to CDC recommendations, staff will conduct daily screenings of campers, and participants will wear face coverings and social distance when possible.

All classes are held outdoors on trails and open

spaces at the privately owned 297-acre Bucktoe Creek Preserve at 432 Sharp Rd, in Avondale.

Programs will operate during all weather conditions.

Register at www.tlcforscc. org/free-time-adventures.

Children will actively engage in learning ecology, botany, biology, wildlife identification, local history, and other topics outside the traditional classroom setting. They will also learn the importance of stewardship and what it means to be a junior land conservator.

With a 6-to-1 teacher naturalist-to-student ratio, children learn from certified teacher naturalists and others while on daily nature walks and other exciting, active, and outdoor educational activities. Themes for the weeks include our Feathered Friends; Water Worlds in our streams and ponds; searching different Scaly & Slimy habitats for reptiles and amphibians; learning how to become a Wildlife Detective while studying mammals;

becoming wild at art in Creative by Nature; having a chance to touch plenty of Creepy Crawlies during the invertebrate week; and a final week learning Wilderness Skills.

Most importantly, the program will foster free-play in nature to promote the mental well-being of our young land conservators.

Interactive outdoor classes build friendships, enhance problem-solving prowess and strengthen independence while kids enjoy scavenger hunts and pond and stream activities.

By watching, listening, and doing, children are learning how to safeguard the environment. Each class brings imaginative ways to interact with nature on an informal basis – Free Time Adventures is not your ordinary day camp.

As one camper said last summer, “I love nature – it is so cool!”

Lea Gummey, education director for The Land Conservancy, said, “It’s amazing to watch the kids just blossom when they are

Courtesy photo

Registration is open for Free Time Adventures, a weekly nature-based summer day camp for children ages 5 to 12 to experience a unique combination of structured outdoor recreation adventures and free nature play in local open spaces.

outdoors. They don’t care if they get wet or dirty – they become so engrossed in discovering cool stuff as they learn, they lose track

of time.”

All children leave with a passion for nature, an understanding of the importance of creatures large and

small, the habitat in their community, and a new way to apply new skills and knowledge to protect their environment.

2B

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

Chester County Press

Obituaries JOHN THOMAS PAPI

MICHAEL J. BRESNAHAN Michael J. Bresnahan, age 81 of Kennett Square, passed away on April 25 at Pocopson Home. Michael was the husband of Patricia G. Bresnahan, with whom he shared nearly 48 years of marriage.

Following high school graduation, Michael went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Penn State and continued his education at Pitt Law, where he earned his doctorate.

Michael was director of legal services for 20 years at State College. Upon moving to Kennett Square, he went into private practice in West Chester for 25 years.

In addition to his wife, Patricia, Michael is survived by his brother, Patrick (Barbara) Bresnahan; numerous cousins; his nieces and nephews, Linda, Michelle, Christa, Erik, Kevin, Peter, John, Rachael, Michael and Mary Beth; as well as many grandnephews and grandnieces. Michael was predeceased by two brothers, John and Kevin Bresnahan.

Services were held on May 3 at Kuzo Funeral Home in Kennett Square.

Mass was at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Kennett Square.

Interment was at St. Patrick Cemetery.

Contributions in Michael’s memory may be made to The Pennsylvania State University, 2583 Gateway Drive, Bristol Place Suite 130, State College, Pa. 16801 or to the Brandywine Valley SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, Pa. 19380.

To view Michael’s online tribute and to share a message with his family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

John Thomas Papi, 68, of Oxford, and formerly of Woodlyn, passed away at home on April 28.

He was the husband of Pamela Preston Papi.

Born in Chester, Pa., he was the son of the late Vincent and Jean Di Nacola Papi.

John was a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in the Vietnam War. He was a member of the American Legion Mason Dixon Post #194, Rising Sun, Md. He was employed with Congoleum Flooring in Marcus Hook.

He is survived by his wife; one daughter, Renee Papi of Oxford; one granddaughter, Kaylee Thompson of New Jersey; and one brother, Tom Papi of Boothwyn.

He was preceded in death by a son, Jason Papi and a brother, Michael Papi.

Funeral services were held on May 1 at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc., in Oxford.

A Masonic Service was also held.

Interment with Full Military Honors accorded by the American Legion Mason Dixon Post #194 will be in Little Elk Friends Cemetery.

Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home in Oxford.

Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Alleluia And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

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We are offering a special discount of 25% off each and every help wanted/ classified advertisement to any business that advertises on the PRESS church page.

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

3B

Chester County Press

Local News Lilly and Smoker honored by Oxford Rotary Club Oxford Area High School students Kate Lilly and Elizabeth Smoker were recently honored as Oxford Rotary Club Seniors of the Month.

Kate, the daughter of Deirdre and Dewey Lilly, is a member of the high school’s chapters of National Honor Society, the Spanish National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She serves as president of the National English Honor Society and public relations chair of the Science National Honor Society.

Kate is currently enrolled in AP English 12, AP Statistics and AP Environmental

Science. She was previously an instructor in the high school’s Child Care Preschool Lab and works as an aide at The Growing Place daycare center in Kennett Square.

Kate is a four-year member of the field hockey team, playing on the varsity for the past two years and serving as captain her senior year, when she was named to the All Ches-Mont League First Team. She is currently in her fourth season on the varsity lacrosse team.

After graduation Kate plans to attend college to study education with a possible minor in psychology. Her choices include Penn State, Clemson and Elon universities and the

University of Delaware.

Elizabeth, the daughter of Kendra and David Smoker, is a member of National Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society. She was previously a member of Future Business Leaders of America and the LEOs community service club.

Elizabeth is very active in the youth group of Waterway Church, and has participated in several service projects and mission trips. She told the Rotary members that during winter recess of her freshman year, she joined an outreach group organized by her uncle that traveled to Thailand, where the members helped teach in an English-language

school for the children of missionaries and worked on projects with members of the Akha tribe, who live in small mountain villages.

Last summer Elizabeth participated in a mission trip to assist low-income families in West Virginia, and this summer will travel to the Bahamas to help rebuild villages destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

“I love children,” Elizabeth told the Rotary members.

“And in Thailand and on my other mission trips we got be with kids all the time, working on lessons and playing games. Every trip is fun and rewarding, and very eye-opening.”

Courtesy photos

Oxford Area High School students Kate Lilly and Elizabeth Smoker were recently honored as Oxford Rotary Club Seniors of the Month.

In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, swimming, reading and baking. She currently works at the Herr Foods warehouse and also babysits.

After graduation Elizabeth plans to take a gap year to continue to her service activities. She then plans to attend college, possibly to study for a career in nursing.

East Marlborough Township and Kennett Greenways Project will receive grant funding East Marlborough Township and the Kennett Greenways Project will be the recipients of a total of $419,000 in Commonwealth Financial Authority Multimodal and Act 13 funds.

“This funding is integral to providing several projects with the money they need to get off the ground,” said State Rep. Christina Sappey. “The multimodal grants are a part of a much

larger plan for the Kennett Greenway, a 14-plus mile pedestrian and bicycle loop designed to connect the greater Kennett community, including New Garden Township, to everyday destinations, areas of natural beauty and local points of interest. These projects provide safety and promote health while respecting the environment.”

Awards have been granted as follows:

• $400,000 has been allocated in CFA Multimodal funds for Kennett Greenway Connectors at Birch Street and the Magnolia Underpass. The streetscape improvements will occur along Birch Street, a few blocks from the Kennett Square Borough. Proposed improvements will include implementation of stormwater best management practices and roadway reconstruction. Additional

Obituaries

ALICIA P. CULLEN Alicia P. “Ace” Cullen, passed away on April 26 at the Chester County Hospital. She was 92.

Born on Aug. 30, 1928 on Staten Island, New York City, she was the daughter of the late Alfred Watson and Alicia (Begg) Elmore.

After graduating from East Dennis High School on the cape, she attended Missouri Valley College. She drove the Grey Ladies for The Red Cross, was active in The Ground Observer Corps and volunteered at the Princeton Hospital. In 1951, she married Robert E. Cullen, who was employed by the DuPont Company. They spent the next few decades living around the world, including Princeton, N.J.; Geneva, Switzerland; and Cape Town, South Africa.

They returned to Kennett Square in 1974.

She had several passions which included playing golf, raising dogs and traveling.

She belonged to the Kennett Square Golf and Country Club where she served as

chairman, captained the women’s golf team, won several club championships and played golf into her 80s.

In addition, she loved to breed and show dogs. Her house was always bustling with their activity.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Robert, who passed away in 2002 after 51 years of marriage.

She is survived by her daughter, Tracy Hoyt (and her husband Michael) of Barrington, R.I. and her son, Todd (and his wife Sharon) of Kennett Square and their five granddaughters, Megan Hoyt Ogura, Kelsey Hoyt, Kimberly Hoyt, Morgan Cullen and Taylor Cullen.

A private graveside service was held on May 1 at Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square.

Contributions may be made to the Unionville Presbyterian Church, 812 Wollaston Road, Kennett Square, Pa. 19348.

Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo Funeral Home of Kennett Square.

Please visit Mrs. Cullen’s online memorial by going to www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

Obituary submissions The Chester County Press publishes obituaries free of charge for funeral homes with active advertising accounts only. Others with a connection to southern Chester County are charged a modest fee. Obituaries appear on the Wednesday after they are received with a Monday 5pm deadline.

They are also posted on www.chestercounty. com. Photos should be sent as .jpeg attachments to the obituary text. To submit an obituary to the Chester County Press or for a rate quote, email the information to editor@chestercounty.com.

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improvements include new sidewalks, ADA-compliant curbs and ramps, crosswalks and signage promoting alternatives to vehicular travel.

The proposed underpass project will include a new 10-foot-wide multi-use trail approaching an 8-foot high by 12-foot-wide underpass, to be located beneath the East Penn Railroad, with pedestrian lighting. When completed, the Magnolia Underpass will eliminate the physical barrier that prevents trail users from easily and safely accessing both sides of the rail tracks.

• $19,000 in CFA Sewage Facilities Program funds will be provided for East Marlborough Township’s Act 537 Plan Update. This

plan update will evaluate the sewage planning needs of the existing wastewater treatment plant service area and those areas not currently served by the WWTP. The plan will also evaluate the need for expanding the sewer service area to areas in need.

The CFA was established in 2004 as an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development to administer Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages. The CFA holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth. Unique among state agencies in structure and scope, the CFA consists of

seven board members: four legislative appointees and the secretaries of DCED, the Office of the Budget and Department of Banking and Securities.

The Multimodal Transportation Fund provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of the commonwealth.

Act 13 of 2012 establishes the Marcellus Legacy Fund and allocates funds to the CFA for statewide initiatives for complying with the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act. For more information, contact State Rep. Sappey’s office at 484-200-8264.

4B

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

Chester County Press

American Mushroom Institute earns grant to promote Chester County’s leading crop Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recently announced $300,000 in state matching funds awarded to 16 projects aimed at increasing consumer awareness of Pennsylvania agriculture products and market opportunities for agriculture producers.

The Avondale-based American Mushroom Institute is among the grant recipients, securing $40,000 for the effort to promote Chester County’s leading crop—mushrooms.

“With so many appealing products produced in Pennsylvania, consumers don’t have to look far to find

fresh, healthy choices close to home,” Redding said in a statement. “When aware of the options, consumers are more likely to choose local products. Promoting the story behind the food is a compelling way to attract consumers to Pennsylvania products. Once they make that first purchase, it is natural for them to become repeat customers.”

The American Mushroom Institute is the leading national trade association representing the growers, processors, and marketers of cultivated mushrooms in the United States, and will receive the matching funds for the Mushroom Farmers

of Pennsylvania’s “Eating Better to Build Back Better” program.

The Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania’s “Eating Better to Build Back Better” program will focus on mushroom culinary properties and health benefits, including naturally occurring vitamin D. The program will promote mushroom contributions to soil health and carbon sequestration.

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Product Promotion, Education and Export Promotion Matching Grant is a program in the 2020-2021 state budget. The Bureau of Market Development offers

this grant to encourage and maximize the promotion of Pennsylvania-produced agricultural products.

Non-profit organizations based in 11 counties received matching funds for projects, many of which have a regional or statewide focus. The department prioritized projects aligned to COVID-19 recovery.

“Local farms are an important part of our economy and locally grown agricultural products, like fresh mushrooms, can be the best part of any meal,” said state Sen. Carolyn Comitta, who serves on the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

“As we continue to work to advance our economic recovery, these funds will support efforts to promote the value of local farming and homegrown crops.”

“The mushroom industry is one of Pennsylvania’s largest, with an economic impact of about $1.1 billion,” said state Representative Christina Sappey, who serves on the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

“We want to highlight these family-owned and operated farms and all of the ways this healthy and valuable crop can be used in food.”

S o u t h e a s t e r n Pennsylvania is known

as the Mushroom Capital of the World. Mushroom farms, many of them family-owned, have been growing mushrooms here for more than 120 years.

Pennsylvania continues to lead the country in mushroom growing. Today, more than 60 percent of all mushrooms produced in the U.S. are grown in Kennett Square, southern Chester County, and the surrounding region, according to the American Mushroom Institute. In 2020, Agaricus mushroom volume of sales totaled 796 million pounds, with Pennsylvania accounting for 66 percent of the total.

Student from Nottingham named valedictorian at Neumann University Amanda DeCarolis, a business administration major from Nottingham has been named valedictorian of the Neumann University class of 2021.

Her academic credentials, all earned in three-and-a-half years, include a summa cum laude GPA, the Excellence in Business Administration Award, two minors, an Honors Program certificate, and three national honor society memberships.

As a member of a senior business seminar, she led a three-student team to a top 50 finish in the Business Strategy Game, an international business management contest that involved 2,968 teams from 164 colleges.

In addition to academics, DeCarolis has also been one of the most active students on campus since she arrived from Lancaster Catholic High School in 2017, diving into a host of activities and volunteer opportunities.

Her favorite extracurriculars were Neumann Media, where she served as anchor and field reporter for the weekly Neumann Update broadcast, and the University Jazz Band, playing clarinet.

“Neumann Media was a good pairing with my major,” she explained. “I was shy when I first arrived on campus and being on camera pushed me out of my comfort zone. It helped me develop the presentation

skills that I’ll need for business, too.”

Music has been part of her life since third grade. She said, “The Jazz Band has a really good group of people, and practice was always the highlight of our week.”

She didn’t stop there. In her time on campus, DeCarolis was a Neumann Navigator (leading campus tours), Presidential Ambassador, retreat leader for Campus Ministry, and volunteer for the university phon-a-thon and at St. Francis Inn, a soup kitchen in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. She also researched and created two presentations for Neumann’s LEAD Honors Conference and one for

the annual Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education Honors Conference.

Since graduating in December, DeCarolis has been “searching like crazy” for a job. Her preference is to land a position in human resources and talent management, a challenging field that would allow her to use the skills she learned in her two minors, human resources and strategic communications.

She feels called to help individuals reach their full potential and said, “I relish that connection with people” that a career in human resources would offer.

DeCarolis called attending Neumann “the easiest choice

Courtesy photo

Amanda DeCarolis, a business administration major from Nottingham, has been named valedictorian of the Neumann University class of 2021.

I ever made,” explaining that she was drawn to the university’s traditions and atmosphere after taking a virtual tour.

Once she visited in person (on her 18th birthday in November of her senior year) and took a real tour with Dr. Lawrence DiPaolo, vice president for Academic Affairs, she was convinced that Neumann was a perfect fit.

“I was more excited to come here than I was to turn 18,” she said. “I Neumannized my car with clings and stickers, and I didn’t apply anywhere else.”

Neumann hasn’t disappointed her. “Everyone here treats you like a person and knows your name,” she added. “You're not a number.”

Gerngross, P.C., 1617 JFK Blvd., Suite 1575, Philadelphia, PA 19103 4p-21-3t

lin, County of Chester, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, being more fully described in Deed dated October 10, 2000 and recorded in the Office of the Chester County Recorder of Deeds on October 11, 2000, in Deed Book Volume 4833 at Page 1715.

Legals NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Oxford Borough Council will hold a virtual public meeting on Monday, May 17, 2021, commencing at 7:00 p.m., prevailing time to consider and possibly enact an ordinance amending the Chapter 1, Administration and Government, of the existing Code of the Borough of Oxford, a caption and summary of which follows. The complete text of the ordinance can be examined at the offices of the Chester County Law Library, 201 West Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, or by contacting treasurer@oxfordboro.org or 610-9322500 and requesting a copy.

To minimize public exposure to COVID-19 and maintain social distancing, this meeting will be conducted via Zoom, an online video conferencing service. The Zoom platform allows participation both by video and telephone.

Information on how to join the meeting will be available on Borough website at www.oxfordboro.org in advance of the meeting and will be posted at the Borough Building or you may call the Borough directly at (610) 932-2500. No in-person attendance at the Borough Building will be permitted. To submit comments or questions prior to the meeting, email virtual@oxfordboro.org,

deliver written comments to the drop box in front of Borough Hall, 1 Octoraro Alley, Oxford, or call (610) 932-2500 by 12:00 pm. on Monday, May 17, 2021.

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOROUGH OF OXFORD, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 1, ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNMENT, OF THE CODE OF THE BOROUGH OF OXFORD, TO ADD A NEW PART 9, ANTIDISCRIMINATION, AND NEW SECTION 1-901, ANTIDISCRIMINATION BY COUNCIL, MAYOR, EMPLOYEES, AND MEMBERS OF ADVISORY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 1, Administration and Government, to add a new Part 9, Antidiscrimination, and new §1-901, Antidiscrimination

by Council, Mayor, Employees, and Members of Advisory Boards and Commissions, which prohibits engagement in discriminatory acts against or with regard to any individual or group on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, marital status, age, mental or physical disability, use of guide or support animals and/ or mechanical aids.

SECTION 2. Provides for the sever-

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ability of unconstitutional or invalid provisions of the ordinance.

SECTION 3. Repeals ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with any provisions of this ordinance.

SECTION 4. Provides that the amendment shall be effective as by law provided.

OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL, GAWTHROP GREENWOOD, P.C., Stacey L. Fuller, Solicitor 5p-5-1t

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF JEROME J. McDONALD, DECEASED. Late of Oxford Borough, Chester County, PA, LETTERS TESTAMENTARY 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 TIMOTHY D. McDONALD and PATRICIA M. McDONALD VALENTINE, EXECUTORS, c/o Kristen R. Matthews, Esq., 17 W. Miner St., West Chester, PA 19382, Or to their Attorney: KRISTEN R. MATTHEWS, MacELREE HARVEY, LTD., 17 W. Miner St., West Chester, PA 19382 5p-5-3t

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF Joan E. Mackin late of Penn Township, Chester County, Deceased.

Letters Testamentary on the estate of the above named Joan E. Mackin 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: R. Scott Mackin, Executor, c/o Attorney:Winifred Moran Sebastian, Esquire, 208 E. Locust Street Address: 208 E. Locust St., P.O. Box 38, Oxford, PA 19363 Phone: 610-932-3838 4p-21-3t

ESTATE NOTICE

Sheriff Sale of Real Estate

By virtue of the within mentioned writs directed to Sheriff Fredda L. Maddox, the herein-described real estate will be sold at public sale in the Chester County Justice Center at 201 W Market Street, 3rd Floor, Room 3300, West Chester, Pennsylvania, as announced on Thursday, May 20th, 2021 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, June 21st, 2021. Distribution will be made in accordance with the Schedules unless exceptions are filed in the Sheriff’s Office within ten (10) days thereafter.

ESTATE OF Norita R. Timoney aka Norita Rose Timoney, Timoney, Norita R. aka Timoney, Norita Rose late of West Grove, PA. ., Deceased. Letters Testamentary on the estate of the above named having been granted to the undersigned, all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the said decedent are requested to make known SALE NO. 21-5-52 the same and all persons indebted to the Writ of Execution said decedent to make payment without No. 2017-01543 delay to Gregory P. Timoney, c/o Alfred DEBT $56,691.49 Rauch, III, Esq., Black & Gerngross, P.C., 1617 JFK Blvd., Suite 1575, Phila- ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or parcel of delphia, PA 19103, Executor. Black & land situated in the Township of Frank-

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Tax Parcel No. 72-5-34.1 PLAINTIFF: U.S. Bank TrustNational Association, as Trustee of Dwelling Series IV Trust VS DEFENDANT: Rudy D. Arnold SALE ADDRESS:1833 New London Road, Landenberg, PA 19350 PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: HLADIK, ONORATO & FEDERMAN, LLP 215855-9521 N.B. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase money must be paid at the time and place of sale. Payment must be paid in cash, certified check, or money order made payable to the purchaser or “Sheriff of Chester County”. The balance must be made payable to “Sheriff of Chester County” within twenty-one (21) days from the date of sale by 4PM. FREDDA L. MADDOX, SHERIFF 4p-28-3t

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CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

5B

Chester County Press

Local News Kennett High School inducts National Honor Society members The Kennett High School Blue and White Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) welcomed both the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 inductees at a ceremony and reception on April 7.

The weather cooperated beautifully for the event, that was held at the high school’s football stadium.

Chapter adviser Dr. Alicia Tamargo opened the program, welcoming students and guests to the first inperson, non-athletic event of the 2020-2021 school year. Outgoing NHS historian senior Ryan Myers then introduced the other four National Honor Society officers from the Class of 2021 who delivered speeches highlighting the Cardinal Objectives, the qualities expected of members. Sara Pizzini addressed character; Evan Sharp spoke about scholarship; Henry Sedano focused on leadership; and Jack Ryan emphasized the idea of service.

Assistant Principal Duane Kotz then announced the senior candidates. With the closure of school last year, NHS Induction was one of the many milestone events cancelled in the spring, so senior candidates never had the opportunity to participate in an official celebration.

These students would have been inducted at the 2020 ceremony: Amy Bates, Joseph Bertz, Maxwell Beveridge, Paige Brown, Cory Burns, James

Burns, Cheyenne Camacho, Franlleli Castillo-Salinas, Alexis Cicconi, Carly Cicconi, Caroline Cofran, Lauren Cohen, Marlen Cordova-Pedroza, Vincent Cresci, Julia Dahms, Meredith Davies, Aldys Davis, David Diokno, Charles Ebaugh, Anis Estrada-Aguilar, Isabella Ferranto, Colette Franck, Lillian Goodwin, Shannon Gouge, Mia Gruce, Griffin Haas, Jennifer Hanson, Chase Harris, Evan Hartmann, Taylor Heimann, Emma Henderson, Jaqueline Hernandez Martinez, Alondra HerreraEsquivel, Ashley Hoernig, Sarah Hoppenjans, Richard Hughson, Luke Jeffery, Rio King, William Kleman, Meghan Kohler, Julia Kosara, Andrew Kuffel, Kiley Larkin, Sydney Lillard, Lauren Markle, Hailey Maurer, Gavin Maxwell, Sydney McCracken, Katherine Minella, Ryan Myers, Spencer Pannhorst, William Parnell, Nicholas Patterson, Julian Pena, Hanna Pirestani, Sara Pizzini, Zara Quraishi, Jenna Robertson, Jack Ryan, Sara Sabo, Madison Sallurday, Emma Schmidt, Emma Schwarz, Catherine Seamon, Henry Sedano, Alexandra Seel, Evan Sharp, Daniel Shen, Swithin Shortlidge, Haylie Silbernagel, Logan Skross, Julia Snoke, Lauren Starr, Jacob Thompson, Aalana Vasquez, Ava Wannemacher, Leah

Courtesy photo

The Kennett High School Blue and White Chapter of the National Honor Society welcomed both the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 inductees at a ceremony and reception on April 7.

Wardell, Sydney Williams, Sean Wright, Josette Wynn, Briza Zavala, and Kayleigh Zubrod.

Then, Mrs. Eileen Rudisill, assistant principal, read the roll of this year’s junior candidates. These students were welcomed into the Chapter: Sophia Adam, Alexandra Barron, Ashley Brown, Curie Cha, Vivian Chiomento, Jesse Comanda, Meredith Day, Divan du Toit, Carter Elliott, Peyton Fenza, Lainee Foester, Diana Giganti Dima, Marisol Gonzalez Flores, Nicholas Gonzalez, Nina GralewskiGoel, Jack Hannon, Mary Harper, Shannon

Harvey, Sylvia He, Martin Heintzelman, Nate Heller, Jacob Hohner, Anne Holt, Amelia Houck, Savannah Jeffery, Amber Kahrs, Mattias King, Elizabeth Larimer, Tiffany Lee, Clara-Jane Mack, Hayley Magaña, Julia Michael, Emma Nace, Sophia Pepe, Lillian Perkins, Logan Piercy, Grace Pruitt, Maya Ranganath, Marissa Reidenberg, Penny Romanelli, Baden Saathoff, Emily SandovalArteaga, Gavin Seele, Luke Silverstein, Sean Simmons, Rhiannon Stewart, Hadley Studer, Tyler Tebo, Anna Tresoldi, Luca Tresoldi, and Olivia Whittaker.

Assistant Principal Jefferey Thomas administered the pledge of honor, and Dr. Tamargo swore in and announced the newly elected officers for 2021-2022: Emma Nace, president; Amelia Houck, vice president; Diana Giganti Dima, secretary; Mary Harper, treasurer; and Marissa Reidenberg, historian. These officers replace graduating seniors Henry Sedano, Sarah Pizzini, Jack Ryan, Evan Sharp, and Ryan Myers.

Members of the Blue and White Chapter became eligible by posting a 3.75 grade point average by the second semester of their junior

year. Additional qualities of character, leadership, and service were assessed by the faculty of Kennett High School and reviewed by members of the National Honor Society Faculty Council who are chosen by the principal from among the faculty and serve for a period of two years. This year’s Faculty Council included Jess Bewley, Scott Bosch, Thomas Brientnall, Adrienne Hartford, Thomas Henry, Manuel Ibarra, Kevin Lentz, Joseph O’Sullivan, Ronald Phillips, Britany Schiavo, Laura Tingley, Daniel Whetsell, Emily Wisniewski, and John Zitarelli.

6B

CHESTER COUNTY PRESS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

Chester County Press

Local News Farmers Market...

Continued from Page 1A

will be joining us from July through October this year— and they have a wonderful connection to the Kennett community and the nowiconic pickup truck at the entrance to The Creamery.”

When Dave King was in junior high back in the early 1970s, Fenton said, his family grew sweet corn that he and his siblings sold from the back of a pickup truck by the side of the road and used the money they made for back-to-school supplies and new school shoes. Dave is returning to his roots in one sense by joining the Kennett Square Farmers Market, as the old truck at The Creamery entrance was the family’s first cornpicking truck.

The Kings now grow 22 acres of fresh produce and sell most of it at their roadside farm stand.

The Kings, like all Kennett Square Farmers Market growers, farm with a focus on soil health and pick produce daily in order to deliver the freshest vegetables possible to customers.

The Kings will bring a wide variety of vegetables to market—from sweet corn, beans, and tomatoes in July to winter squash, cauli-

flower, and Romanesco in October.

Other new vendors this season include Dannie Wright, of Hilltop Flower Design. Dannie grows seasonal cut flowers on an intensively managed three-acre plot, and she’ll bring sustainable handtied bouquets comprising heirloom and newly bred annuals, perennials, woodies, and bulbs. Dannie will be at the market bi-weekly, alternating weeks with another new vendor, Seven Springs Perennials. Aaron Young and Andrew Currie of Seven Springs will bring cut flowers and medicinal and culinary herbs and, later in the season, teas and spice blends.

They’re working on organic certification and using organic practices in the meantime.

“Andrew and I both feel that regenerative agriculture is the only sustainable future of food production,” Aaron Young said.

They’re taking the long and holistic view to farming, having planted six acres of Chinese Chestnut trees, elderberries, hazelnuts, and figs from which they’ll be able to harvest in three to five years. Following a silvopasture model, their integrated land use will combine trees, forage, and

livestock.

“In addition to the muchanticipated return of our favorite vendors, we have a few special guest vendors lined up too,” said Fenton. “Happy Cat Farm, for example, will join us on May 7 with their welltended heirloom tomato and pepper plants. There will also be guest food artisans throughout the season.

Signing up for the weekly Farmers Market e-newsletter is the best way to find out about vendor schedules, special offerings, pre-ordering options, and more.”

Returning weekly farmers and growers will include Swallow Hill Farm, Flying Plow Farm, Canter Hill Farm, Honeymoon Farm / Medina Mushrooms, MyGreens, and Family Tree Plants, with Rex Farms Orchard joining the weekly schedule later in May. Returning food artisans include weekly vendors Brandywine Valley Bread, Deer Creek Malthouse, and Taste of Puebla.

A dozen other growers, makers, and food artisans, including Tat’s Yummies, will fill out the market offerings on a bi-weekly rotation.

The many fans of Joanne’s Candy Kitchen will be happy to hear that Kevin will be returning after a year off, also on a bi-weekly schedule.

Courtesy photo

Flying Plow Farm brings a great variety of fresh produce to the Kennett Square Farmers Market every week.

“Market Manager Ros Fenton has done an exceptional job bringing a diverse combination of talented and passionate growers and producers together to make the KSQ Farmers Market a great experience for customers as well as vendors,” said Historic Kennett Square Executive Director Bo Wright. “We’re thankful to Square Roots Collective and The Creamery for hosting us and hope people will make the most of their visit to the market by staying to enjoy all The Creamery

has to offer as well. We also want to acknowledge the generosity of our sponsors who make the KSQ Farmers Market possible.

“By making a significant investment in the KSQ Farmers Market, Arthur Hall Insurance, Lester Water, Harvest Market Natural Foods, The Organic Mechanics Soil Company, WasteWell, and WorKS are all making a meaningful and ongoing impact in our community.”

The mission of the Kennett Square Farmers Market,

a program of Historic Kennett Square, is to provide access to fresh, locally grown or produced products directly from growers and producers; to support area farmers and food artisans; to build a sense of community and mutual respect while promoting the benefits of supporting local agriculture; and to support the economic vitality of the Kennett area.

For a full list of 2021 market vendors, go to the Kennett Square Farmers Market website.

Chester County announces steps for May 18 Primary Election support Plans include 13 secure ballot drop box locations for mail-in and absentee ballots.

For all Primary Election Day information, visit www.chesco.org/elections The Chester County Board of Elections has approved measures to ensure the eligible ballots of all county voters are counted in the May 18 Primary Election.

Those measures include the placement of 13 secure ballot drop boxes for mail-in and absentee ballots, and one satellite election office.

The secure drop boxes are located at 12 libraries across Chester County, plus the Chester County Government Services Center on Westtown Road in West Chester.

Ten of the drop box locations will be staffed during open hours (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday). Three drop box locations will be monitored by video surveillance, and will be available 24/7. The drive-thru video-secure drop box locations are Henrietta Hankin Branch Library in Chester Springs, the Chester County Library in Exton, and the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester.

All drop boxes will be open on Primary Election Day, May 18, until 8 p.m.

Chester County Voter Services reminds everyone who chooses to take their mail-in ballot to a drop box that, under Pennsylvania

law, voters must return their own ballot, and not request that someone else return their ballot for them.

The satellite election office, located in Suite 140 of the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester, will allow voters to formally request and receive a mailin ballot in-person, as well as submit their completed mail-in ballot there.

Marian Moskowitz, chair of the Chester County Board of Elections and the Board of Commissioners, said, “This Primary Election will include statewide ballot questions that allow all registered voters, regardless of their party affiliation, to cast a vote on proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution.

“As we did with last year’s election process, we are taking measures to protect everyone from COVID-19 who votes in person on May 18th, and ensure that ballots submitted by mail, drop box or at our satellite office are securely delivered to our Voter Services team and counted.”

Chester County Voter Services reminds all voters of key dates and deadlines for the May 18 Primary Election: The last day to register to vote for this election is May 3; and the last day to apply for a mail-in

or civilian absentee ballot is May 11. All completed mail-in and absentee ballots must be dropped into a secure drop box, or received at Voter Services’ office by 8:00PM on May 18.

Chester County Voter Services began mailing requested ballots on Friday, April 23. To date, more than 32,000 mail-in and absentee ballots have be requested by voters in Chester County.

Details of the location and opening time of the satellite election office and the secure mail-in ballot drop boxes can be found on Chester County’s comprehensive election portal at www.chesco.org/elections.

Included on the portal is an interactive map that allows voters to enter their address to find the satellite election office and secure drop-off locations closest to them.

Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said, “In addition to in-person or video security, all drop box locations will include a secure, tamper-proof locked box for completed ballots that are placed in the secrecy envelope and outer envelope.

“Ballots will be collected every evening by individuals who are wearing a body camera, and the ballots will be delivered to the Chester County Government Services Center where they

Courtesy photo

Chester County will place 13 secure ballot drop boxes at locations throughout Chester County for the May 18 Primary Election absentee and mail-in ballots. For information www.chesco.org/elections.

will be kept under video surveillance 24-hours a day, seven days a week until Primary Election Day on May 18.”

All of Chester County’s 230 precincts (located within 191 polling locations) will be open for this year’s Primary Election. The polling places will be set up to ensure the maximum level of personal protection against COVID-19 for both poll workers and the voting public on Primary Election Day. This includes

clear mapped-out 6-foot social distancing while waiting to vote and while voting; plexiglass shields; hand sanitizer and hand washing facilities; provision of masks, gloves and sanitation kits for all poll workers; regular cleaning of pens and voting stations; and specialized disinfectant for scanning machines.

“Our staff in Voter Services is committed to ensuring that the integrity of Chester County’s election process is maintained. We

provide continually-updated information for voters, including important deadlines and dates, the location of all precincts, and how to monitor the progress of your mail-in and absentee ballot,” said Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline. “Chester County’s Election Portal has a wealth of information that is easy to understand and access, and it is reviewed daily to keep on top of any news or possible changes that may happen.”

Police department asks residents to participate in voluntary camera registry The Southern Chester County Regional Police Department is requesting that residents who have exterior surveillance cameras consider registering those cameras with the department. The purpose for this request is to use,

with the resident’s consent, the existing technology in a lawful manner to enhance the police department’s capabilities to solve crime, safeguard persons in need of assistance, and to create a greater sense of neighborhood safety.

An example of how the surveillance cameras would be used would be to help the police investigate a series of break-ins in motor vehicles, especially vehicles that are left unlocked. Unfortunately, these crimes do occur in

the communities with few clues left behind, making it extremely hard to investigate and solve. An incident like this caught on a residential video surveillance system would increase the chances of police being able to

bring about a successful conclusion.

If you are interested in learning more about the voluntary camera registry, please visit the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department’s CRIMEWATCH page,

h t t p s : / / c h e s t e r. c r i m e watchpa.com/sccrpd, and find the camera registry under the “forms” tab or the website menu button.

Or, contact Lt. Jason Ward at jward@sccrpd.org or 610-268-2907 ext. 102 for more information.