Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 154, No. 34
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
$1.00
INSIDE Supervisors give A taste of the Unionville
final approval to Kennett Gateway plan
Community Fair
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Historic Kennett Square wins award...5B
The dream of Kennett Square becoming a truly walkable community recently took another bold step forward to turning that dream into an even larger reality. During their Aug. 19 online meeting, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors gave a 3-0 final approval to the proposed development of the Kennett Gateway, a 13.15-acre planned development along Ways Lane and East Cypress Street that will be the future home of 53 townhouse units, 24 apartments and 14,000 square feet of commercial space. The planned village will be developed by the Commonwealth Group, LLC, a Wilmington-based development, leasing and management company that has been involved in office, residential and industrial building throughout the Mid-Atlantic region since 1973. The decision was reached after the Chester County Commission recommended final approval to the board at their Aug. 12 meeting, following the board’s July 15 direc- and July 1 online meetings, when board chairman Dr.
New executive tor of Water Resources Authority...3B
Continued on Page 2A
Photo by Chris Barber
Organizers of the Unionville Community Fair recently held the first of three Taste of the Fair events that were planned after the announcement that the popular annual tradition would not be able to take place because of restrictions that are in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. On Aug. 15, antique auto shop owner Lou Mandich, left, greeted drive-in visitor Irenee DuPont Jr., age 100, who arrived at the Taste of the Fair in his 1936 Olds Touring Coupe, which he said his father gave to him as a Christmas gift two months before his 16th birthday. The next Taste of the Fair event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Foxy Loxy grounds in Unionville. For a story and photos about the first event, please see Page 1B.
Supervisors commit township to support Black Lives Matter initiatives ‘The Kennett Township Board of Supervisors stands in solidarity with the black community,’ board chairman Dr. Richard Leff said on Aug. 19, in introducing a resolution that will include four key action plans By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
County observes International Overdose Awareness Day...5B
INDEX Opinion.......................5A Obituaries...................2B Classifieds.................4B
Before over 40 attendees who watched online, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at their Aug. 19 meeting to enter the township into a firm commitment to support the Black Lives Matter movement, in the form of four initiatives that will engage how the township governs and how its police department operates. The action items are: 1. To conduct a review of all existing policies to ensure they are antiracist and that all policies to be developed are
also antiracist and not developed to serve only those with privilege. 2. To conduct annual diversity training with a focus on confronting direct and indirect racism. 3. To explore and implement tools and resources within the Kennett Township Police Department to enhance emergency service delivery in times of crisis for all persons. 4. When policies fail, Kennett Township will wholeheartedly and enthusiastically start over and seek out new and more effective antiracist policies until they work.
Board Chairman Dr. Richard Leff, who worked with township manager Eden Ratliff to create the action plans, said that the township has already received public input on the resolution, which will lead not only to the formation of these plans, but to periodic reviews of the plans that will be shared and discussed with township residents in the future. “As I paid attention to other resolutions that are being considered in other municipalities, there was some discussion of, ‘A resolution is great, but if there are no action plans, what’s really going to change?’” Leff
said. “We are trying to work through these action items for a final resolution.” As stated in the resolution, the township acknowledges the Black Lives Matter movement; recognizes that systems of oppression such as slavery, sharecropping, Jim Crow, redlining and mass incarceration continue to affect the physical and mental health, safety, and education of African Americans; acknowledges that recent incidents such as the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery “remind us that police brutality and disregard for black people’s lives has caused the loss of
numerous lives for no reason other than racist biases; and that it strives to be a welcoming place where all people feel protected. “Kennett Township strives to be a welcoming place where all people feel protected, included, secure and safe,” the resolution stated. “The Kennett Township Board of Supervisors stands in solidarity with the black community, and strive to hold our township departments and ourselves to the only standard that will begin to protect all of us -- one of equality and justice that embraces all people, not just Continued on Page 3A
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In Franklin Township, work on Hess Mill Road Bridge likely to begin in October Work on the Hess Mill Road Bridge replacement project is now scheduled to begin in October. The replacement of the bridge in Franklin Township will not only provide an important infrastructure upgrade for local residents, there will also be a significant environmental benefit—the new bridge’s span of 32 feet will eliminate the current stream flow restrictions that result from the existing bridge’s span of 25 feet.
Franklin Township officials proactively took steps in recent months to prepare for the project, with the goal of completing the work in 2020 rather than waiting until next year. During the construction work, through-traffic on Hess Mill Road will be detoured. All local residents on Hess Mill Road will have full access to their properties for the entire duration of construction. Additionally, all local residents on Hess
Mill Road will have full electric service for the duration of the project. The electric power outages that will be necessary will be local to the bridge area and will only be required for short periods during heavylift crane operations. According to Franklin Township Supervisor John Auerbach, the township engaged the Chester County Conservation District (CCCD) to evaluate the environmental impact of Continued on Page 3A
Courtesy photo
The replacement of the Hess Mill Road Bridge in Franklin Township is scheduled to begin in October. The replacement bridge will not only provide an important infrastructure upgrade for local residents, there will also be a significant environmental benefit.
‘Bill the barber’ celebrates 50 years in Oxford By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Bill Bilger had a decision to make. After completing the training to become a licensed , he
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Photo by Steven Hoffman
Bill Bilger is known by a lot of people as “Bill the barber.”
had been working for other barbers for more than five years. Now, he wanted to have his own barbershop, but where would that be? One opportunity that Bilger was considering was in Wellsboro, Pa., a small borough in Tioga County. The other option that he was considering was a barbershop in Oxford—about as far as a person can get from Wellsboro while still staying in Pennsylvania. Bill and his wife Carrie couldn’t decide between the two opportunities. So he decided that he would flip a coin. When the coin landed in Oxford’s favor, the decision
was made. “I guess it was meant to be,” Bill said during an interview last week. “I’ve been happy here.” Bilger will mark his 50th anniversary in Oxford during the first week in September— an impressive milestone for any business. During those 50 years, Bilger has earned a moniker that a lot of his customers know him by. “Bill the barber—that’s what they call me,” he said with a laugh. For people like Matt Elberson, Bill the barber is the only one to turn to for a good haircut and some friend-
ly conversation. On a recent summer afternoon, Elberson was in Bill Bilger’s barbershop at 107 South Third Street in Oxford. He has been coming here for 16 years, and he was happy to talk about why he thinks Bilger’s old-fashioned barbershop has succeeded for half a century. “This is the best place to get your hair cut in Chester County,” Elberson said. “I won’t get my hair cut anywhere else.” With his good-humored personality and experience, it’s easy to understand the foundation that he has built his business on for all these years. Bill said that it’s
always important to give a customer a good haircut and then to also treat each person with respect. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the President of the United States or a trash collector—Bill maintains that he treats everyone fairly— and equally. “When they come through the door, they are all the same to me,” he explained. “They are all important in their own way so I treat them all the same.” Bilger, who grew up in Bucks County, explained how he decided to become a barber in the first place. “I was out of high school Continued on Page 4A