Chester County Press 8-05-2015 Edition

Page 1

Chester CountyPRESS

www.chestercounty.com

Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas Volume 149, No. 31

INSIDE

60 Cents

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Public approval held up ‘on advice of counsel’

Supervisors sign off on McCarthy retirement agreement, finally

Getting a kick out of soccer camp

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Deb Callahan brings Philly soul to Brandywine concert......................1B

No injuries in Oxford apartment fire‌...............7A

A new source for revealing women's inner beauty............7B

On July 29 at the Kennett Township Building, the township’s Board of Supervisors played a game of musical chairs. At precisely 7:30 p.m., the three-member board – Robert Hammaker, Richard Leff and Chairman Scudder Stevens, joined by Township Manager Lisa Moore and Solicitor David Sander – sat down in the township meeting room for a gathering it had scheduled one day in advance. Stevens called the meeting to order, and at precisely 7:32 p.m., they all got up from their chairs and vanished from the room. At 7:55 p.m., before a puzzled audience of township residents, all five returned from a 23-minute executive session, and sat back down in their chairs. For the next 30 minutes, they answered more than two dozen questions about the retirement agreement it brokered with former police chief Albert J. McCarthy on May 7 -- its contents, the accusations against it, and the reason it had not yet been publicly approved. Finally, the board voted to approve the details of the retirement agreement, as well as ratified and approved all pay-

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The Kennett Township supervisors, from left to right, Robert Hammaker, Richard Leff and Chairman Scudder Stevens, were joined on July 29 by Township Manager Lisa Moore and Township Solicitor David Sander, at a meeting to publicly sign off on the retirement agreement for former Police Chief Albert J. McCarthy, after several months of delay.

ments made to McCarthy, who began receiving his extended salary payments soon after the contract was originally signed, and who will continue to be paid until Oct. 1. The up-and-down act seemed wildly apropos, given that to some who follow this township’s political turns, the more than two months the supervisors had delayed a public vote on the retirement agreement has resembled a shell game. As explained by Stevens and Sander, the reason for the delay

in publicly agreeing to the terms of McCarthy’s contract was due to the pending litigation of a lawsuit against the township and its three supervisors that was filed on July 22 in Chester County Court of Common Pleas. The suit, filed by township resident Michael Hammon -- who was the victim of a car crash involving McCarthy on April 13 -- claims that any or all of the four parties named are in violation of the Sunshine Act, for what the suit Continued on Page 4A

A pop-up beer garden proposed for Kennett Square By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Land Conservancy to celebrate 20th year.......................1B

INDEX Calendar of Events.......2B Opinion..........................4A Obituaries.......................8A Classified......................9B

Kennett Square Borough Council expedited plans for a pop-up beer garden by approving a temporary use permit through the end of the year at its meeting on Monday night. The pop-up beer garden is proposed for a 1.84-acre property in the area of Birch Street that was formerly the site of a cannery and a creamery. The property is owned by 401 Birch LLC. Sandra Mulry and Christa Bui are working on behalf of 401 Birch LLC to develop the pop up beer garden—a project that would find a new use for an industrial site that has been

vacant for over a decade. Mulry and Bui both talked about how the project aims to create a beautiful space that will be enjoyed by the community as a gathering spot for people of all ages. Bui, a teacher who settled near Kennett Square with her family, said that she grew up in Belgium where beer gardens are much more than a place to enjoy a drink—they are centers for culture, where the community can gather to enjoy music, the arts, and more. Beer gardens can have natural playgrounds, giving children the opportunity to play outdoors in a natural setting. “The point is to bring peo-

ple together,� Mulry explained. “This is a place for friends and family to gather.� She noted that beer gardens are now becoming more popular in larger urban areas in the U.S. While the specific details about the beer garden in Kennett Square are being worked out, Bui said that she envisions it being open a few days a week, most likely on Fridays and Saturdays during the warmer months of the year. Someone with a liquor license from the state would have to apply to serve as a caterer for the beer garden. It could be one caterer, or it could be multiple caterers that will provide the beverages. Continued on Page 3A

Children between the ages of 4 and 16 are enjoying the Challenger Sports Soccer Camp at Crossan Park in Landenberg this week. The youngsters are working under the tutelage of soccer coaches Rory Harding, from London, and Kieran Nicol, from Scotland. The Avon Grove Recreation Association is serving as the host of the soccer camp.

Dinniman tackles big issues at town hall meeting Property tax reform, the state budget and development draw a big crowd By John Chambless Staff Writer State Sen. Andy Dinniman confronted issues large and small at a town hall meeting held on July 29 at the Avon Grove Intermediate School. Speaking in front of a capacity crowd of various township officials and concerned residents, Dinniman addressed big-picture matters such as the state budget and development, along with questions from the audience that brought up more mundane mushroom farm odors and potholes. The formal meeting lasted two hours, and Dinniman cheerfully stayed longer to answer questions. One of the hot-button issues on the agenda was property taxes, long a complaint for county residents – particularly those on a limited or fixed income. “In my decade in Harrisburg, this is the first time we have had a chance to get property tax reform done,� Dinniman told the crowd. “I’m not going to allow this chance to get away, and neither should you.� In Pennsylvania, education funding comes from three main sources – property tax, income tax and sales tax. How to adjust the revenue from each of those sources is the focus of several proposals before the legisla-

Kennett Public Library officials are considering changes to bylaws in response to issues raised by Kennett Square Borough and Kennett Township leaders in recent weeks. Library director Donna

Š 2007 The Chester County Press

Currently, the library board selects its own members unless a municipality earns the ability to appoint a member by either contributing at its “fair share� level or the municipality has a dedicated tax that is used to generate financial support for the library. Four weeks have passed since

Real estate tax deadbeats balance grows By Uncle Irvin

the suggestion was first made for Kennett Square Borough Council to consider withholding its financial support to the Kennett Public Library until the borough has the ability to appoint a representative to the library board. Mayor Matt Fetick initially proposed withContinued on Page 3A

Continued on Page 3A

Library board officials are considering changes to bylaws that would give each municipality the ability to appoint a member to the board Murray said on Monday that the library’s Policy Committee has been asked to review some of the bylaws, and the library board could vote as early as its September 15 meeting to amend these bylaws so that each municipality in the service area has the ability to appoint a representative to the library board.

Continued on Page 4A

It’s that time again, when the office of the Chester County Sheriff publicly lists your friends and neighbors who cost you and me higher taxes by not bothering to pay their fair share of taxes on time while they wait for the hammer to drop. The 10 largest deadbeats in southern Chester County are: 1. Edward V. Stout, Jr., and Jacqualynn M., Pennsylvania Ave., Avondale, $100,938.00 2. Applebrook LLC, Market St., Oxford, $76,253.82 3. Fred Scannapieco & Lisa, Commerce Blvd., Penn Twp., $75,174.53 4. Antonio Vasquez, New London Rd., London Britain, $39,925.60 5. Leo F. Hussey and Betsy

Talks between Kennett Square Borough and Kennett Public Library continue By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

ture. None of the proposals was included in the state budget plan in June, and Dinniman voted against it. Gov. Wolf vetoed the budget, so Dinniman is seizing the window of opportunity to get public input on the proposals. “In Harrisburg, the trouble is that very few people are speaking in the interest of the people who are paying the taxes,� he said. Gov. Wolf’s proposal would offer $3.8 billion in property tax relief, based on the median income of households in each school district. Homeowners in southern Chester County would see reductions of about 44.65

Less waiting where it matters most – our emergency room. In a medical emergency, every minute matters. So, at Jennersville Regional Hospital, [QWoNN ƂPF HCUVGT ECTG KP VJG GOGTIGPE[ TQQO 9G YQTM FKNKIGPVN[ VQ JCXG [QW KPKVKCNN[ UGGP D[ C OGFKECN RTQHGUUKQPCN KP OKPWVGU s QT NGUU #PF YKVJ C VGCO QH FGFKECVGF OGFKECN URGEKCNKUVU YG ECP RTQXKFG C NQV OQTG ECTG KH [QW PGGF KV *Medical professionals may include physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Jennersville.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.