Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 155, No. 48
INSIDE
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Grant will be used for beautification of Birch Street and construction of Magnolia Underpass
Kennett Greenway receives $1.47 million in grant funding By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
The Magnolia Underpass and Birch Street in Kennett Square – two major connectors of the 14-mile Kennett Greenville & Hockessin Greenway -- will be develLife oped, thanks to a $1.471 million grant received by the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) on Nov. 19. Scheduled to begin design, engineering and permitting in 2022 and construction in 2023 and 2024, these projects will form two significant and complementary segments of the Kennett Greenway through the creation of a Students interview three “complete street” along Birch Street in the Borough former mayors...6A of Kennett Square, and the construction of a railroad underpass in Kennett Township. These projects will be the latest steps in an initiative to connect Kennett Township, Kennett Square Borough, East Marlborough Township, New Garden Township and parts of the northwestern portion of Delaware by way of pedestrian and bicycle trails. The trail network that links Kennett’s Enjoy some holiday preserved open spaces, magic...1B recreational facilities, and other community assets has been advanced through a phased approach, with strong community support,
INDEX
Opinion.......................7A Obituaries.............2B-3B Classifieds..................6B
To Subscribe Call 610.869.5553
local government coopera- – will require additional Square Roots Collective is contrary to what makes tion and county and state parking. Instead, he called operations lead Luke a town “delightful” and elected advocacy. upon the community to cre- Zubrod said that incorporat- walkable. Continued on page 2A ate a communal solution. ing space for more vehicles Creating beauty, connection and experience The Birch Street Streetscape portion of the project will address stormwater issues along Birch Street, including the implementation of stormwater best management practices and roadway reconstruction, and will promote alternatives to traditional vehicular travel through the installation of new sidewalks, ADA curbs and ramps, crosswalks and appropriate signage. “There is of course the issue of repairing the roads, but in a larger sense, it is asking, ‘How do we make the streetscape not just engineered properly, but actually a place of beauty?’” said Mike Bontrager of Square Roots Collective, which helped spearhead the community collaboration behind the grant. “It will not just be a case of making the road work, but of creating the experience of being able to walk on the Kennett Greenway on Birch Street, in order to access these community assets.” Bontrager doesn’t believe that the revamped street – that may very likely draw more businesses and subsequently larger attendance
Holiday Light Parade shines brightly in Kennett Square
By Chris Barber Contributing Writer The chilly wind and falling temperatures might have given rise to doubts about the anticipated size of the audience for Kennett Square’s Holiday Light Parade last Friday, but those doubts didn’t bear fruit. In fact, the crowd was so large that people lined the State Street sidewalks three-deep all the way from the parade’s Photos by Chris Barber starting point at Lafayette A carriage moved through town pulled by a car Street all the way to Broad rather than a horse. Street. The electronics entertainment crew beckoned the visitors beforehand with loud, vintage Christmas music from decades-past—including crooners Andy Williams and Perry Como. Several souvenir vendors pushed their carts through town. Longwood Performing Arts dancers perform their Continued on page 3A
pre-parade show.
East Nottingham plans to keep millage rate at zero for 2022 By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
$1.00
The East Nottingham Township supervisors indicated at their Nov. 9 meeting that the millage rate will remain at zero for another year. The budget for 2022 hasn’t been adopted yet, but at this point in the year it appears as if next year’s spending plan can be finalized with-
out a tax increase. In East Nottingham Township’s case, that means a millage rate that will remain at zero for another year. Suzanne Hamlin, the township’s treasurer, noted during the discussion that the township has operated with the millage rate set at zero since 2005. Supervisor Sam Goodley pointed out that the township does have an open
space tax, and all the revenues generated from that tax are utilized for open space purposes. This allows the township to pursue efforts to preserve open space— which township residents have steadfastly supported through the years—while not utilizing money from the township’s general fund. In other business at the meeting, Goodley offered an update about the Oxford
Part-time police officer Shakira Greer:
Making A difference in Oxford By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer Shakira Greer grew up wanting to make a positive difference in the world. People saw a strength in her, even when she was young, and that continues to grow to this day. People in her hometown weren’t surprised to see her wrestling on the boys’ wrestling team. There wasn’t a girls’ wrestling team and Greer wanted to wrestle and so she did. Greer was so successful at it that she moved up to the Foxcatcher’s Junior National Team. She did that for three years and then joined the Navy. “I did that for four years and when I got out, I went to college. I have an undergrad degree in criminal justice and a minor in Arabic,” she said. Greer then earned a mas-
Area Sewer Authority. Two years ago, it appeared as if the sewer authority, which is owned by four member municipalities of East Nottingham Township, West Nottingham Township, Oxford Borough, and Lower Oxford Township, was close to being sold to a for-profit entity as a way to address long-standing financial issues. Instead, a consultant was brought in to
Officer Shakira Greer enjoying some dog time.
ter’s degree in homeland security and management, but that wasn’t enough. She was still looking to make a difference in the world, so in April 2016 she joined the Oxford Police Department as a part-time officer. “I don’t know why, but I always wanted to make a positive difference in this world,” Greer said. “I want to make people know they
are worth something. I want to do anything I can do to make a positive difference. As a police officer, I’m not here to arrest people, I’m here to serve and protect them. I hope people don’t judge me by the media or the uniform. I hope they know I am here to help them. We have feelings, too. We are more than the uniform.” Continued on page 4A
Continued on page 2A
Lax to the max: Women’s 35+ lacrosse league forms in Kennett Square By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Courtesy photo
lead the sewer authority and make the necessary changes that would right the financial ship. Goodley, who represents East Nottingham on the Oxford Area Sewer Authority Board, said, “Things are running pretty smoothly” with the sewer authority’s operations. He added that his term as one of the township’s representatives on the Oxford
On Sunday afternoons throughout the month of October, as many as 20 women over the age of 35 gathered together on the artificial turf of Legends Field in Kennett Square, equipped with lacrosse sticks and the belief that they could turn back time. To each player – whether they came once, twice or to each practice or scrimmage -- those 90-minute sessions became both a physical challenge and a love letter
to the sport they grew up playing. With each clamping, clearing and cradling, they allowed themselves the freedom to tuck into a safe cocoon, away from the stressors of their professions and their roles as the CEO of their families. They enjoyed dizzy stick contests and played in Halloween costumes and laughed uproariously over the fact that the muscles that moved so fluidly when they were 18 don’t work as well anymore. They gave themselves permission to fling open the Continued on page 5A