So do you all know that Smithfield Barn is on Facebook now? 
Have you liked them yet? You should as they are getting many treats and treasures ready for spring!
I had a preview today and had ever so much fun photographing some stuff! Follow them on Facebook now and get ready for their spring time opening!
Wonder how long this will rot? And if that blue tarp comes loose and lands on a car or truck driving along that might be a problem…
This is Chester County, Pennsylvania. These are million dollar views that shouldn’t turn into million dollar developments. But that is what is happening. It is NOT happening in this photo, but the purpose of this photo is to remind Chester County residents what is indeed irreplacable. This view doesn’t come in the Mount Vernon Carriage Home Model.
I was stopped at the 352 traffic light earlier today and noticed this man poking around Linden Hall/Wayne Tavern. This guy was peeking in windows and jiggling the door handles on those two doors which can be seen in the photo.
The phone number on the sale sign is 856-778-4900 – it goes with a site called Retailsites.net. Of course they are paying real attention to detail on their website where they call this location “Lancaster Ave & Sproud Road”. They have a flyer on it and they list it as 8.7 acres of vacant land/ 4 “Pad” sites like a historic structure doesn’t sit on it. Here is their “concept” plan, which contains (hold me back) a convenience store (because the giant Wawa and other places within spitting distance aren’t enough, a proposed bank (the new nail salon), and a proposed restaurant. And wouldn’t it be nice if they could keep the site tidy and free of debris and unnecessary signage?
What I don’t get is why no one tries to work with existing structure in this case? It is a building that spent what? Close to 200 years as an inn? And face it, an inn with a restaurant would be welcome because as far as lodging close by, what is there? And how many chain restaurants or bad pizza places are needed?
Again I lament the lack of vision with municipalities in Chester County when it comes to their commercial corridors. And East Whiteland has definite issues in this area. Look at the United Artists Movie Theater which is supposedly closing? And for what? A used car dealership or something? How unappealing is that and isn’t Jeff D’Ambrosio’s unattractiveness enough right there?
Again I note East Whiteland ironically lists this home as a historical site on their website. Apparently they value these structures, only they don’t seem to push them towards permanent preservation?
But hey what do I know? I am but a mere mortal .
File under who’s on first and comings and goings – One chief leaving, old chief suing…good thing East Whiteland always has someone to spare for Malvern Borough….
Police Chief to Leave Malvern PD
Chief Mark Ercole will leave the Malvern Police Department in June, and it’s not clear who will take his place.
By Pete Kennedy Email the author 1:00 am
Malvern Police Chief Mark Ercole will return to the East Whiteland Police Department when the contract that brought him to the borough expires in June.
At a Borough Council meeting Tuesday night, Malvern Mayor Jerry McGlone said that Ercole had “respectfully requested that the borough not re-up the contract.” Ercole was an EWPD lieutenant when the borough and East Whiteland Township struck a one-year contract in 2012 for his services as police chief.
The borough is pursuing a similar contract with East Whiteland Township to bring another EWPD officer on as chief, but no plans have been finalized.
Meanwhile….
Main Line Suburban Life > News
Published: Wednesday, February 06, 2013
By Richard Ilgenfritz
rilgenfritz@mainlinemedianews.com
The former Malvern police chief who was fired from his position last year has filed a federal lawsuit against borough and both sides are due in court Wednesday for a hearing in front of federal District Judge Joel H. Slomsky.
In November, Michael McMahon filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia naming the borough of Malvern, the individual members of the borough council and the mayor as defendants.
Wednesday morning both sides were scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on the borough’s motion to dismiss on grounds that McMahon failed to state a claim in the lawsuit.
In the suit, McMahon, through his attorney, Brian M. Puricelli, claims that the borough officials violated McMahon’s civil rights under the first and 14th amendments to the United States Constitution as well as Article I of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the Pennsylvania Whistle Blower Statute, and the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation act.
“The Borough acted negligently, grossly negligently, recklessly, purposefully, intentionally, and/or with deliberate indifference, causing and proximately causing injuries and harm to McMahon,” the complaint reads in part. Among the claims McMahon is arguing is that he was wrongfully terminated and cites a conspiracy on the part of borough officials….McMahon, a retired Philadelphia police officer for 26 years, was hired by the borough of Malvern to be its police chief in 2001, according to the civil complaint filed by McMahon. Prior to going to Malvern, McMahon was also a police chief in Coatesville for three years. According to his complaint, McMahon was being paid $91,000 a year with an additional $1,000 a month for health insurance at the time he was fired.
Well look on the bright side, they have a farmers’ market come spring time and maybe some day developer Eli Kahn will run for mayor…..and if we’re really lucky they will fix all those broken and heaved up sidewalks in the business district too….
UPDATE: A Realtor I know was finally able to come up with listing on the barn. It is on TREND (# 6161851). However, it is listed under “land type” as “One Building Lot” and under “structures?” the answer is “N”. So here y’all go (and as a non industry professional I still say this is all about as clear as mud, can’t you agree?):
ORIGINAL POST:
So not so long ago I wrote a post about the Rossi Barn on Waterloo Road that Bentley Homes asked to tear down, but agreed to “market” for sale?
Simple question: what defines market for sale? An MLS listing? A page on their website where everything else they have for sale is? How does one obtain information? Realtors have listings, developers have listings, so why is it Realtors I know can’t seem to find a listing let alone anyone else?
As a matter of fact someone I know sent me three interesting screen shots today. They wanted to see the listing on the barn. I don’t know why, it shouldn’t really matter since Bentley told those Easttown folks he would actively “market” the barn for sale a while longer, right?
Apparently Bentley’s website has that live chat/live assist capability. This person, looking for info on the barn and what it was listed for couldn’t find anything on the barn – just what appears to be the original listing on this property with Prudential.
Obviously it makes for easy Tyvec Kingdom building if a developer could just tear down a barn like this, only the barn is 200 years old and isn’t in bad shape….so in theory someone could buy it and live in it . But if people can’t easily find a listing, how can they buy the barn? My sources tell me there is interest in this barn, so perhaps something good could happen if info was out there for the world to find?
Maybe it would behoove Mr. Bentley to put a listing page conveniently on his spiffy website? Or should people just contact Easttown Township directly?
Here is what I was sent and please note the “Me” is not me literally, it is apparently how it comes up on the live assist/live chat function:
Links to articles on the topic:
Published: Thursday, January 03, 2013
By BRENT GLASGOW
bglasgow@journalregister.com
It is scenes like this that make me wonder why anyone would want to alter the bucolic landscape and true nature of Chester County.
