Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 155, No. 34
INSIDE
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Board votes to have historic house demolished By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
The Mushroom Festival Guide
Avon Grove School District staff celebrate the start of a new school year...2A
By a unanimous vote at their Aug. 18 meeting, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors gave the goahead for the demolition of a home located at 101 Cold Springs Drive in the township that was built in 1897, sits on 2.2 acres and has been vacant for at least two decades. The property was recently purchased by Ridge Larick and his fiancée Samantha Globerman. In his letter to
the township requesting to obtain a demolition permit, Larick cited several reasons to remove the existing house that included: • The existing home is a safety concern and an eyeContinued on page 2A Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Following the recommendations of two Kennett Township commissions, the township’s Board of Supervisors approved the demolition of a dilapidated and abandoned house on Cold Springs Drive, that was originally built in 1897.
With a new school year Oxford Borough Council approves approaching, Oxford School Board makes a decision agreement for water about masks in schools main replacement project By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
All aboard! A history of railroads in Chester County...1B
INDEX Opinion.......................7A Obituaries.............2B-3B Classifieds..................6B
$1.00
By Betsy Brewer Brantner allegedly established that the Contributing Writer streetlights in the Sycamore Crossing development are Oxford Borough Council the borough’s responsibility. has approved an agreement She informed council that with Eagle Contracting and the Homeowners Association Landscaping, Inc. for a water stopped payments to PECO main replacement project in until this issue is clarified. the amount of $387,125. The Borough solicitor Stacey project area is on Hodgson Fuller will continue to Street and Eighth Street. research this issue. At the same meeting, counBrian Dix, the Main cil listened to concerns of a Street Manager for Oxford resident and executive direc- Mainstreet, Inc. (OMI) tor of the Sycamore Crossing informed council that Homeowners Association. Christianna Hannum, the According to the resident, executive director for OMI, they are trying to resolve is stepping down from her a long-standing issue with position due to personal the borough regarding the reasons. streetlight payments to Council president Peggy PECO. She said Sycamore Russell thanked Hannum for Crossing residents believe all of her hard work. that the financial responDix also announced that sibility of payment for the OMI is a recipient of a streetlights rests with the $25,000 façade grant, and borough. She referenced a the funding will be made number of agreements which Continued on page 3A
The Oxford School Board voted in favor of a measure that recommends—but does not require—the wearing of masks in all indoor facilities in the school district when the new school year gets underway on Aug. 30. “What this means is that parents and guardians will have a choice of whether their children will wear masks,” said school board president Joseph Tighe after the board’s decision. District officials said during the meeting that recommending but not requiring masks is in compliance with what the Chester County Health Department is recommending at this time. The board previously approved a comprehensive health and safety plan, and the school district will remain in compliance with guidelines that are handed down from the
state and county regarding COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The board’s vote took place at a meeting at the Hopewell Elementary School on Thursday, Aug. 19. The meeting was initially scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 17, but when enough residents turned out to fill the small meeting room in the school district’s Administration Building to capacity—and beyond—the board opted to move the meeting to a new location that accommodated more attendees. While the meeting certainly attracted more spectators than the typical August school board meeting, the Hopewell Elementary School cafeteria was hardly packed, and only a handful of people spoke during public comment. Several residents spoke passionately about their opposition to a mask mandate that would have required all students and staff
to wear face coverings while in indoor settings to start the new school year. A few other people implored the school board to take action to keep the students and staff as safe and healthy as possible by requiring masks as a way to limit the spread of COVID19 in the school district. A posting by superintendent David Woods on the school district website said that, “Any individual may choose to wear a mask at any time throughout the school day, and proper hygiene will still be highlighted in our schools.” In other business at the meeting, the school board approved a contract with Siemens Industry, Inc. for fire and life safety equipment throughout the district. The contract for $74,228 extends from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. The school board established admission pricing Continued on page 3A
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Grand opening on Aug. 27
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Building a community fabric: Unionville couple launches Farmer & Co By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer It would be perfectly acceptable to proclaim that the seeds that began Farmer & Co in Unionville were first planted at a Philadelphia train station. It was there that Unionville native Jessie Mooberry accidentally ran into her high school classmate and Bucks
County-born and raised Soren Rubin again after a seven-year absence. Soon after, a romance began, and six months later, Rubin moved to San Francisco to be with Mooberry. While the social, coffeeculture vibe of West Coast city life agreed with the young couple, the insular world of their respective corporate jobs became a
continuous, soul-sapping commitment. Mooberry’s position as the head of deployment at Airbus, that involved rolling out autonomous flying vehicles Continued on page 5A Photos by Richard L. Gaw
Soren Rubin and Jessie Mooberry of Farmer & Co in Unionville, which will have its grand opening on Aug. 27.
Family, Food, Fun & Fungi The 2021 Mushroom Festival to take place on Sept. 11 & 12 You’ve probably driven by the mushroom houses hundreds of times and not even noticed, but behind those nondescript buildings that dot the landscape in and around Kennett Square, an economic engine is humming. Kennett Square is home to the Mushroom Capital of the World. The area accounts for nearly two-thirds of all commercial mushroom production in the U.S., meaning from Philadelphia to Phoenix, if you enjoy mushrooms on your pizza, in your salads, or stuffed, sauteed or sliced, they quite
possibly came from Kennett Square. Now that calls for a celebration! For more than 30 years, the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival has showcased the mushroom industry and the surrounding community. And after pandemic restrictions forced the cancellation of the wellknown event in 2020, the 36th Annual Mushroom Festival on Sept. 11 and 12 is back with the theme “Rooted in the Community.” “We are excited to be able to host this event, which has become a destination event for families
here in Chester County and beyond,” said Gina Puoci, the 2021 Mushroom Festival President. “At its core, the Mushroom Festival is an opportunity for the Kennett Square mushroom farms to give back to the community in which they work and live,” explained Gale Ferranto of Buona Foods, who recently joined the Festival Committee as Mushroom Festival Coordinator. Each year, proceeds from the Festival are awarded to local charities and non-profit organizations. Over the past 20 years, the Mushroom
Festival has donated more than $1 million in funds to local organizations for things like books, playground equipment, food, transportation, and healthcare services. “This year, perhaps more than in years past, we want to highlight all the wonderful businesses and groups that support the Kennett Square community, including the mushroom farms which employ so many, as well as the businesses and restaurants that support our town. Like our theme suggests, this year the Mushroom Festival is truly
Rooted in the Community,” Ferranto added. This year’s event will satisfy mushroom lovers and mushroom wanna-be lovers—learn how mushrooms grow with a visit to the famous mushroom growing tent, sample delicious mushroom goodies and browse the variety of mushroom and non-mushroom crafts. Plus, festival-goers can watch the amateur cooking contest, the famous amateur friend mushroom eating contest, cooking demonstrations, bid on mushroom art, enjoy kids’ entertainment, music Continued on page 3A