Chester CountyPRESS
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas Volume 149, No. 25
INSIDE
Get to know local history during the ‘Town Walks’ this summer....................3A
The Oxford School Board voted unanimously to approve a final budget for 2015-2016 at its June 16 meeting. The spending plan of $63,393,880 necessitates a one-percent tax increase. The millage rate will increase by .3023 mills, from 30.2324 mills to 30.5347 mills. That equates to a $39 increase for the homeowner of a property with the average residential assessment of $130,318. The final budget is approximately $600,000 less than the preliminary budget that the board adopted five months ago. In the last five years, Oxford has had two years—2011-2012 and 2013-2014—without a tax increase. There was a 1.70
percent increase in 2012-2013 and .61 percent increase in 2014-2015. School districts across the state are adopting their budgets without the benefit of having a clear picture of state funding. Gov. Tom Wolf proposed significant increases in education funding in March, but it’s unlikely that those increases will be included in the final state budget. School board member Richard Orpneck said that the proposed state budget hasn’t garnered sufficient support from state lawmakers from either party. When Oxford officials were preparing the budget, they did not factor in significant state funding increases. In her report to the school board, Dr. Margaret Billings-Jones, the assistant
Innovative program allows Oxford students to earn college credits while still in high school By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
INDEX Calendar of Events.......2B Opinion..........................7A Obituaries.......................8A Police Blotter...................4B Classified......................7B
Fourteen-year-old Jaclyn Peabody was very excited when she found out that she was accepted to be a part of the Early College Academy when she enters the ninth grade at Oxford Area High School in the fall. She was so excited, in fact, that she immediately texted the news to her older brother, JC, who serves in the U.S. military and is stationed in Okinawa. Jaclyn’s reaction left a lasting impression on her mother, Chrissy Peabody. “The excitement that I saw made me very proud as a mother,” explained Chrissy Peabody. “I was proud to be an Oxford parent. This is a Continued on Page 5A
© 2007 The Chester County Press
At the June 17 Franklin Township Board of Supervisors meeting, the route of the proposed Eastern Shore Natural Gas pipeline was spotlighted by Paul Lagasse, the chairman of the Historical Commission and Historical Architectural Review Board. Lagasse briefed the supervisors about a June 2 tour attended by representatives from Eastern Shore. The meeting was attended by members of Eastern Shore Natural Gas and their contractors, the National Park Service, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Chester County Planning Commission,
Weather-related cancellation of some balloon events draws criticism
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer In many ways, the ninth annual Chester County Balloon Festival, held last weekend at the New Garden Flying Field in Toughkenamon, had everything. There was a zip line ride; interactive aeronautical games for children; a beer garden that served Victory beer, and wine from local vineyards; vendors; scuba diving lessons; a fireworks celebration; helicopter and airplane rides; live music and fire-fighting demonstrations by the Avondale Fire Company. Most importantly, the festival held the great anticipation that
brightly-colored hot air balloons would decorate the southern Chester County sky for three consecutive days. They almost did. Due to the combination of anticipated rain, thunder and gusty winds, festival organizers canceled a portion of balloonrelated events that ruined the experience of a small but very vocal number of festival goers, who shared their disappointment on the festival’s Facebook page. By festival’s end, the festival had compensated for the disappearance of the main attraction by turning what was advertised as a balloon festival into a Father’s Day playground of fun, with all other activities amd events fully up and
running. In hot air ballooning, wind is considered the most critical weather element, and an optimal wind speed should be between four to six miles per hour. Heavy winds often cause a caving in of the balloon that places increased load on both the fabric and the basket. During heavy winds, the balloon will often rattle back and forth and be taken farther than the pilot has room to fly, as well as complicate the severity of the balloon’s landing. Throughout the weekend, the festival kept those interested in attending the event informed about the status of balloonrelated events. Continued on Page 5A
Final approval on hold
Landscape plan for new restaurant gets helping hand from greenway group By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Courtesy photo
Jaclyn Peabody will be taking part in the Early College Academy program, a partnership between Oxford Area High School and Cecil College, when she enters ninth grade in the fall.
Natural gas pipeline route discussed in Franklin Township By John Chambless Staff Writer
Photo by Jeff Kahan
Despite the constant threat of inclement weather, the ninth annual Chester County Balloon Festival managed to hold a limited number of balloon events this past weekend at the New Garden Flying Field.
Continued on Page 6A
The Early College Academy is a collaboration between Oxford Area High School and Cecil College
Weaver recognized for 50 years of service at Oxford Borough...............4A
60 Cents
Wednesday, June 24 2015
Oxford School Board approves final budget of $63.3 million By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Kennett Square Today magazine
www.chestercounty.com
Natural Lands Trust and Archeological Survey representatives, as well as several township residents. Lagasse said that although there are five alternative routes presented, Eastern Shore representatives don’t seem to be considering any routes other than what was represented on their original map. The Historical Commission recently sent a letter conditionally recommending that the pipeline be placed through the protected farmland adjacent to the Kemblesville Historic District, to move it farther away from the Historic District, and away from homes along Walker Road. On June 2, the group hiked through the Franklin Preserve, Continued on Page 6A
In Kennett Township, the often radically different entities of business and environmentalism are about to shake hands in making a piece of the Route 52 corridor a little prettier. In a presentation before the township’s board of supervisors on June 17, John Haedrich of the township’s Kennett Pike Greenway Project said that Hionis Properties, who is currently building a 3,700-square-foot sports bar and restaurant at the site of the former Mendenhall Cafe and Deli on Kennett Pike, has agreed in principal to the aesthetic recommendations made by the Greenway Project, which include the planting of various shrubbery and plantings. These recommendations created by Thomas Comitta Associates, Inc. (TCA), who serves as the township’s landscape architectural firm - replace an earlier landscaping concept that was reviewed and approved by the township nearly ten years ago. The original landscape design suggested the planting of ten trees near Route 52, including five white oak trees and five red maple trees that would have grown over 50 feet tall
and wide. In a review of the original plan, outlined in a letter sent to the township and to Hionis Properties on May 20, TCA recommended that the idea of planting the tall trees be scrapped, due to potential hazards with overhead utility wires, and the fact that the trees were to be planted too close to each other, too close to the restaurant building, and too close to Route 52. Rather, TCA recommended that an alternative configuration of small and medium-sized shrubs be considered, which will improve safety and visibility for motorists and pedestrians. TCA also advised that 12 evergreen trees, proposed in the original plan, may interfere with the proper growth and maintenance of existing preserved vegetation. TCA stated that it “has evaluated the physical attributes of the approved plants in terms of mature size and habit, growth requirements, susceptibility to disease or deer-browse, and maintenance requirements. We have further considered the suitability of the approved plants with respect to ‘Right Plant/ Right Place’ based on the objectives of the property owner and Kennett Township, with a focus on the design goals of the Kennett Pike Greenway.” Continued on Page 2A
Blame supervisors for food cupboard vandalism By Uncle Irvin East Nottingham Township, the largest municipality in the Oxford area, has no real estate taxes -- zero, nada -- and obviously provides no public services of any consequence. Moreover, they have no municipal police force, or any financial agreement with the borough to provide police when needed. They are at the mercy of the overburdened State Police Barracks in Avondale. So it was easy pickings for vandals who ripped off the Divine Sent Food cupboard behind the Oxford Church of God on June 8. They broke in at night, stealing two air conditioner units, dumping 61 pounds of meat on the floor to spoil, and damaging the exterior of the building. Last year, thieves stole a heat pump unit at the church building. East Nottingham supervisors levy no taxes and provide no security, other than relying Continued on Page 2A