Chester County Press 7-08-2015 Edition

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Chester CountyPRESS

Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas Volume 149, No. 27

INSIDE

www.chestercounty.com

Patriotism on parade

Summer/Fall 2015

Greenville & Hockessin

LIFE

60 Cents

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Magazine

John H. Ware IV Carl Fretz, an remembered for iconic figure in his generosity and Oxford, passes away at the age of 85 love for Oxford By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Inside:

• Hockessin photographer shares her ‘truest self’ • Coverdale Farm expands its offerings • Local author publishes debut novel • Confessions of a Stanley Steamer passenger

Greenville & Hockessin Life Magazine

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Joshua Terry, 8, was one of the entrants in the bicycledecorating contest in Oxford (See page 6A.)

Longwood dazzles with lights and new beer garden..............5A

Marking the Fourth at Freedom Fest…...... 2B

INDEX Calendar of Events.......3B Opinion..........................7A Obituaries.......................8A Classified......................8B Police Blotter..............9A

The Oxford community said farewell to one of its most prominent citizens on Thursday, July 2 as friends and family gathered together for the memorial service for John H. Ware IV at the Oxford John H. Ware IV Presbyterian Church. Ware passed away at his home on May 28, surrounded by his family and friends. He was 73. He was remembered for his extraordinary generosity, which was great, and for his love of Oxford, which was even greater. During his lifetime, Ware offered significant financial support—estimated to be in the millions of dollars—to organizations in the Oxford area that were close to his heart. Most of these contributions were made anonymously. He was a friend and supporter of many of the organizations that helped to improve the lives of the people of Oxford, including the Neighborhood Services Center, the Oxford Area Senior Center, the Jennersville YMCA, the Oxford Public Library, Oxford Mainstreet, Inc., the Lighthouse Youth Center, The Sacred Heart School, the Oxford Educational Foundation, and

Carl Fretz, the longtime president of the Peoples Bank of Oxford and a tireless advocate and supporter of the Oxford community, passed away on Thursday, July 2 at the age of 85. Carl Fretz By all accounts, it was a life well-lived for a man who had a positive impact on not just his family and friends, but the community that he called home his entire life. “He was a giver,” said Oxford resident and longtime business owner Charlie Hannum, who knew Fretz since childhood. “He did everything he could to please everybody, especially his church.” Fretz was born on Feb. 19, 1930, the son of Herbert Fretz Sr and Lillian Pierce Fretz. He graduated from Oxford Area High School in 1948 and soon thereafter he applied for a entry-level clerk position at the Peoples Bank of Oxford, which had grown somewhat profitable in the years leading up to World War II. Fretz interviewed with Clyde Mason, the bank president. It was the start of a long friendship

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Lawyer for Whitewing Farm owners suggests Development’s residents still a compromise outraged about builder’s delays By John Chambless Staff Writer

Cemetery tour honors abolitionists............1B

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Attorney Ron Agulnick extended an olive branch to neighbors of the Whitewing Farm on Monday evening at the East Marlborough Township Board of Supervisors meeting, but it was not accepted by either the board or the homeowners, who have been objecting to events held at the farm since 2012. The prolonged standoff has led to heated confrontations between the farm’s owners, Lance and Sandra Shortt, and the neighbors who object to the traffic and noise caused by large parties on the property at 370 Valley Road. Whitewing Farm, formerly a bed and breakfast, was purchased by the Shortts in 2012, and they planned to host events and weddings at the site, creating more noise and congestion than the inn’s previous use. A series of hearings has locked the business down to an extent, and outdoor events have been put off while the case winds its way through the legal system. The supervisors maintain that the township zoning code does not allow the large events in a residential neighborhood. The Shortts and their lawyer,

Agulnick, have argued that weddings and other large events are being held at the nearby Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery, and they object to being penalized for what they’re trying to do at Whitewing Farm. Agulnick told the board that he sensed the judge in the case may be favoring a settlement, and “there is good reason to sit down and try to work something out,” he said. Two of the former foes of the Shortts have approached them about hosting events at Whitewing, Agulnick said, “so maybe there’s some mellowing there.” He presented a written proposal to the board, but admitted that “every number on there is negotiable.” Indoor events held in the Whitewing Farm barn “are not disruptive,” Agulnick said, and would be held to standards for noise and traffic congestion. But his suggestion that the Shortts be allowed to hold “up to 14” outdoor events a year drew a murmur of dissent from the neighbors at the meeting. “We appreciate your proposal,” board president Cuyler Walker told Agulnick, “but this board has concluded that our zoning ordinance does not permit these types of events at all.” The tension with neighbors has

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By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer It does not take a visitor to the Lamborn Hunt in London Grove Township very long to see the lingering warts of the development’s construction. They all protrude with easy visibility, and no matter how loud the voices of those who protest their appearance, they still haven’t gone away, which is made especially alarming, given that the last house in this 36-unit, single-home development was finished more than two years ago. These imperfections form a lengthy punch list of embarrassment for the builder, and safety hazards for the residents. It’s all there to see: improper drainage in front of several lots, exposed water pipes, debris left in nearby wooded areas and in public areas, improper drainage areas that creates significant sidewalk pooling, trees planted by the builder that are now dead, cable and telephone boxes that are not adjusted to height regulations, large sewer pipes with no grate coverings, and more than one dozen additional infractions that have been spelled out by the Lamborn Hunt’s homeown-

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

This infiltration basin at the entrance to the Lamborn Hunt development has drawn the ire of many of the development’s residents for its unsafe depth.

ers association in a detailed list and provided to London Grove Township. Last Wednesday, for the second time in two months, the most vocal of these residents came to the London Grove Board of Supervisors meeting and raised not only their hands in frustration, but their voices in anger. The target of their rage? Keystone Custom Homes, the Lamborn Hunt builder, and one of the top 100 home builders in the nation, which is ranked by the industry’s leading trade journal and is one of Central Pennsylvania’s largest independent homebuilders, with homes in 44 communities. Township Manager Steve

MAYOR: Withhold funding until Kennett Square gets representation on library board By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

© 2007 The Chester County Press

Mayor Matt Fetick is asking Kennett Square Borough Council to consider withholding the financial support that the municipality provides to the Kennett Public Library until the borough is given adequate representation on the library board. At Monday night’s council meeting, Fetick shared a letter with borough council that explained his concerns. “As you know, the last several

months have seen some changes causing significant concern among our residents in regards to the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library now known simply as the Kennett Library,” Fetick wrote. “I can tell you that I have had more communication from residents expressing not only their concern, but their disappointment, in the Library Board, than any other issue since being elected six years ago. Our residents have a lack of faith in the current board to lead the library into the future.”

On Tuesday morning, the library on State Street in Kennett Square was buzzing with activity. Fifteen students were taking part in a science summer camp, while another 30 or so were enjoying an award-winning technology camp that the library started last year. Other local residents were browsing for books and working on the computers. It was a typical summer day for a very busy library. Standing in the middle of all the activity, library direc-

tor Donna Murray admitted that she was shocked and dismayed that borough officials are contemplating withholding the financial support that it gives—approximately $37,000 annually—for any reason. “That would hurt the library,” Murray said. “It would hurt the operations of the library. If you’re talking about cutting our funding, you’re talking about cutting programs that we can provide to the community. It would reduce the services that Continued on Page 5A

Brown told the supervisors at the July 1 meeting that although some minor work has been Continued on Page 4A

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Pie in the sky By Uncle Irvin One thing Oxford borough manager Betsy Brantner is good at is applying for, and getting, grant money. That’s what she did for the borough exclusively before becoming borough manager, and that’s what she’s doing now. Oxford usually uses these grants to hire consultants to study a “problem.” Now one has popped up for another parking management study, which has been studied to death without results. This grant, like all others, goes to a consulting firm which makes recommendations. Unfortunately, that’s where the process ends. Get the money, hire and pay a consultant, do nothing with the recommendations and keep applying for grants. This cycle has been going on for years, Continued on Page 3A


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