Chester CountyPRESS
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas Volume 149, No. 28
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www.chestercounty.com
60 Cents
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Lydell Nolt to be sworn in as Kennett Township Police Chief on July 15
A mission of service for local motorcyclists
Destination Cecil County
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Lydell Nolt will be officially sworn in as the new Kennett Township Police Chief on July 15.
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
A family faces homelessness after an accident destroys their home …........ 9A
Creativity for kids in Kennett Square....1B
For Lydell Nolt and his five siblings, growing up in a farming family in southern Lancaster County was a nearly idyllic childhood, but it was not the rolling hills and barns and silos of the farming world that ultimately guided the youngster to pursue a career in law enforcement. It was the Maryland state police. Because the family farm was a stone’s throw away from the state line, the Nolt family did a lot of their errands in Maryland, where the impressionable youngster was glued to the way the officers conducted their business. Professionalism, he said, seemed to roll off of their shoulders. He had kicked around the idea of growing up to be a car salesman, but the idea of spending
his life in the service of others -- much like the officers he admired -- seemed to be a worthwhile pursuit. After more than four years in the department, the decision Nolt made years ago has paid off handsomely. On July 15, before the township’s board of supervisors, township residents and his family, Nolt will officially be sworn in as the Kennett Township Chief of Police, following a brief tenure as the township’s acting police chief, after the retirement of Albert McCarthy in May. Nolt began his tenure in Kennett Township in 2010. “Chief Nolt has the experience, education, and perspective to strengthen and grow the department and its ties to the community, and lead the township’s efforts to address new and growing public safety Continued on Page 3A
Courtesy Photo
Members of ABATE load boxes of food into the Oxford Neighborhood Services Center. See story on Page 2A.
Kennett Square area officials seek economic development study to plan for future growth By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer As one of the region’s most vibrant communities, Kennett Square is a natural location for commercial and residential growth. Officials in the Kennett Square area are collaborating on an economic development study that will help them plan for the future by providing an economic development strategy and an implementation plan. Historic Kennett Square, the organization that does such a good job with Kennett Square’s revitalization efforts, initiated plans for the study last year, and is collaborating with the Borough of Kennett Square
and Kennett Township on the project. Work on the study is expected to begin later this summer. “Historic Kennett Square is excited and pleased with the increase in the region’s economic development activity, and our goal with the plan is to respond in a responsible manner,” explained Mary Hutchins, the executive director of Historic Kennett Square. “The commitment to planning for the region’s future is a major step to preserving and improving our town center, while retaining the natural and historic heritage of the region. And we couldn’t be happier with the collaboration between Kennett Township
and Kennett Borough. It just feels right to address some of the economic development in a cooperative manner.” Hutchins informed Kennett Square Borough Council at its meeting on July 6 that Todd Poole of 4ward Planning and Mark Keener of the RBA Group have been hired as the consultants for the study. A task force comprised of representatives from Kennett Square Borough, Kennett Township, Historic Kennett Square, Longwood Gardens, the Chester County Planning Commission, and community members is being formed to help with work on the plan. Continued on Page 2A
U-CF School Board approves principal and assistant principal By John Chambless Staff Writer At a brief meeting of the Singer/songwriter Unionville-Chadds Ford School Jordan White launches Board on July 9, two appointnew single …...... 6A ments were approved for a
INDEX Calendar of Events.......2B Opinion..........................7A Obituaries.......................8A Classified......................9B
principal and assistant principal in the district. Clif Beaver was unanimously approved as the new principal of Pocopson Elementary School, taking over for retired principal Andrew McLaughlin. Beaver officially started on July 10, at a
salary of $140,000 per year. Beaver had been the principal at Unionville Elementary School, and district superintendent John Sanville addressed the unusual job switch. “This was not our usual mode of gaining principals,” Sanville told the board. “When Dr. Mclaughlin announced his retirement, we conducted focus groups at Pocopson with staff, teachers and parents. We heard a desire to keep the academic rigor in place. As we discussed,
we realized that the person who had the unique skill set was already on our staff. That was Clif Beaver. “We do run a transparent and inclusive operation in terms of hiring,” Sanville continued, “but in this instance, it’s a little different, so that’s why we went out of the box on this one.” The vacant principal position at Unionville Elementary has been posted. “I suspect we’ll have a massive application pool,” Sanville said, “and we’ll
whittle that down. We’ll probably bring in 15 or so folks for interviews. We expect to hire an interim principal for the start of the school year” while interviews are going on, Sanville said. The board also unanimously approved Amy Jenkins as the new assistant principal at Unionville High School, as of Aug. 1, at a salary of $115,000 per year. “We had over 70 applicants for the position,” Sanville
said. “We conducted dozens of screenings and interviews, then six applicants moved forward. Of the two finalists, the best fit for Unionville High School was Amy. She brings a wealth of knowledge of technology and ways of integrating it into the classroom. We’re thrilled to have her.” After the vote, Jenkins told the board, “I’m thrilled to be a member of your team. I’m anxiously awaiting the opportunity Continued on Page 3A
Wyncote Golf Club continues to earn accolades, impress golfers
Newark Road bonanza
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Jim Pepple knows his golf course and the land that it is situated on very well. On a sunny morning in late June, he looks out on the Heathlands-style course with its Bent grass and declares that it is too green—the result of a wetter-than-normal month. These days, Pepple will sometimes show up for work at the Wyncote Golf Club in Lower Oxford Township at five o’clock in the morning so that he can play a round of golf at eleven o’clock. On weekends, he makes a point to stop by to sample the prime rib that now ranks among the most popular items on the specials menu. The golf industry is extremely competitive; the restaurant industry maybe even more so. But twenty-three years after Wyncote opened, Pepple still lives and breathes what happens here, still gets excited when the course
By Uncle Irvin
Courtesy photo
Twenty-three years after Jim Pepple opened the Wyncote Golf Club, the accolades are still pouring in. Wyncote was recently named by Golf Magazine as one of the top five public courses in the state.
earns yet another accolade. The most recent praise for Wyncote, which translates to “windy cottage,” came from Golf Magazine, one of the authentic voices in the industry, which placed the course at number five on its list of the top courses in the state.
“There are 800 public golf courses in Pennsylvania, so getting that type of recognition is always nice,” Pepple explained. Accolades like this have been rolling in almost since the day the course opened in in 1993. It was designed by award-winning Continued on Page 4A
Right now, it looks like New Garden Township is in the sweet spot for commercial development. And that’s good for Chester County, Kennett Consolidated School District, and New Garden Township itself. Newark Road, north of old Route 1, looks like it could be a real blockbuster for property tax relief. Plans by the Ciarrochi family call for an eight-building, 1-millionsquare-foot business park that could eventually employ up to 2,000 people and and spin off property taxes in excess of $1.5 million. The industrial park would be right across Newark Road from the New Garden Flying Field and Technology Park. Water and sewer lines are already in place, as well as the Toughkenamon ramps to the
Route 1 Bypass. These plans are in their infancy, and must be embraced by the whole township and nurtured by the New Garden supervisors. Moreover, pressure must be brought to bear on State Sen. Andrew Dinniman, State Rep. Chris Ross, the County Commissioners and Congressman Joe Pitts to use their political influence to put together a package of financial and tax incentives that can be dangled in front of prospective employers to locate on Newark Road. The Newark Road location is ripe for this kind of commercial development because most of the infrastructure is already in place, except for improvements to Newark Road itself. (Uncle Irvin’s column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)