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Monthly Archives: April 2017
how pain can steal your joy
Spring usually means I can get back into the garden. Not now, not me.
At the end of February into the first days of March I suffered a knee injury .
I have to be honest, it has been awful, the pain debilitating to say the least.
I am sure I will get fixed up, we are lucky that orthopedic medicine has come a long way but lordy, to not be able to walk and do everyday things sure puts it all into perspective.
Usually about now I have lots of gardening posts, now you know why I haven’t just yet. But I will! It is just going to take a while….
In the meantime— please feel free to share your gardening tales with me so I can live vicariously through the gardens of my readers!
Happy spring!
dear toll brothers and other developers: there is another way
Reader submitted photo April 2017
This is important to take note of, because it PROVES there is ANOTHER way then straight cram plan developments.
Chester County has been overrun by greedy developers. For perspective remember that size-wise Bryn Coed is like a giant super-sized Chesterbrook.
If not for those who care, like Natural Lands Trust, you would be seeing “coming soon” signs for developers like Toll Brothers.
These screen shots are from the Natural Lands Trust Bryn Coed Farms website.
Imagine living in an expansive, conserved landscape with a thriving nature preserve and miles of trails just next door. That is the unique opportunity available at Bryn Coed Farms.
In order to preserve as much of Bryn Coed Farms as possible, a number of large conservation properties will be made available to individual buyers. Each property will be placed under a conservation easement to be held and monitored by Natural Lands Trust, ensuring that the land is protected in perpetuity.
Seems like a revolutionary idea, doesn’t it? It’s not. It’s how parts of Ardrossan are staying intact in Radnor Township and it is how large swaths of countryside and history in places like England remain intact.
It is a viable solution to developing every square inch. It’s a compromise point.
Now critics will say more land should be saved with these plans and maybe they aren’t necessarily wrong , but this IS a viable compromise in my opinion.
Imagine if the Robinson Family did this at Crebilly, for example?
Or imagine if say developers who want to develop the Bishop Tube site chose a plan like this versus doing things like picking on me for wanting the best clean-up possible?
The Natural Lands Trust has once again proven, there is another way.
And speaking of Bishop Tube it is a big story in the Philadelphia Inquirer today:
Updated: APRIL 10, 2017 — 6:23 AM EDT
by Michaelle Bond, Staff Writer @MichaelleBond | mbond@phillynews.com
Read the entire article. Read where the chair of the supervisors in East Whiteland says he expects the developer will get the zoning variance. That is East Whiteland’s compromise point? Gambling with people’s health and safety? (Notice you hear little to nothing out of state officials and why are these people in office again?)
Read the entire article. Contact the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and East Whiteland Township today if you think more needs to be done with Bishop Tube, Ok?
into the mist
Reader submitted photo – Gina Marie
food for thought
“You have to get people to value history.”
As developers take over Chester County 1 acre at a time, what makes a community? What value do history and traditions have? And why isn’t the Chester County Planning Commission doing anything except cheering on developers?
Especially note the part about Fox Catcher and what Toll Brothers did there. It will be the fate of Crebilly if that plan goes through.
This short film shown by the Newtown Square Historical Society is so thought provoking. I wish more local historical societies would record the history for posterity like this. This film is by Hanna Bottger when she was a student at The University of Pennsylvania. I believe she now resides in New York.
a note from the “newcomer”
Bishop Tube 2017 photographer unknown
And I am confused because this developer refers to his neighbors in General Warren so I have to ask does he no longer live in Lower Merion Township?
As a “newcomer” resident of Chester County, am I supposed to be the perfect Victorian woman and be seen and not heard?
No, I haven’t written lovely large checks to the wonderful and deserving East Whiteland Fire Company, does that make me a bad person?
I do not write the flyers going out. I have expressed my opinions on my blog. Opinion is not against the law is it? The First Amendment still exists right?
Maya van Rossum is one of the most ethical and dedicated and smart women I have ever met, I am honored to know her. She is the Delaware Riverkeeper and it is her job to know about these sites like Bishop Tube.
The ultimate irony for me is I am a cancer survivor. I do not wish cancer treatment on anyone. Ever. That is why TCE terrifies me. So is that making me a bad person for caring?
The other thing is I have never said don’t develop the Bishop Tube site. I have said do lots and lots of clean-up based on past news articles and other documents and things like first hand accounts from former Bishop Tube employees and why is that bad? I have said I thought it was too much proposed density and why not an alternate, non-residential use but that is my opinion, yes?
So I am sorry the developer thinks I am being unfair, I think I am being justifiably concerned, and is that bad?
Also see this:
delaware riverkeeper to pa dep: can you hear us now about bishop tube?
Bishop Tube 2017 photographer unknown
The Delaware Riverkeeper is keeping up the pressure on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Hot off the presses find these two letters:
Bishop Tube is a crazy tale that just keeps getting more interesting, doesn’t it? Trichloroethylene (TCE) is so damn toxic. Yet you have to wonder why is seems the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) seems to play dodge ball on it at Bishop Tube, right? (Here is something the EPA put out around 2015 *I think* and something else from Arizona and how NASA deals with TCE.)
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency that is supposed to protect residents from toxic hazards, yet who is supposed to protect residents from them? I hear State Senator Dinniman’s office is starting to feel the pinch of Bishop Tube phone calls but what is he actually doing? (keep calling Phone: 610.692.2112 Fax: 610.436.1721 for West Chester PA and Phone: 717.787.5709 • Fax: 717.787.4384 for Harrisburg )
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has some fun facts to share about TCE :
Hey Erin Brocavitch can we interest you in a little good old PA TCE????
fabulous history lecture coming up april 12 in tredyffrin
Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust has an exciting lecture coming up next week on Wednesday, April 12 with Bruce Mowday.
Bruce will speak on two of his books — “The Battle of Brandywine” and “The Johnston Gang”. A great storyteller, you will want to plan to attend. For information and to reserve tickets, call 610-647-1051.
april fools’ from the pa dep on bishop tube
My my my. My late father always said a lot of real news was buried in the Saturday paper. And here we have it.
File under April Fools’ from the Pennsylvania DEP?
At this point I can’t decide who is sleazier, can you? Developers with their perpetual sets of the emperor’s new clothes or the state agencies who are supposed to protect us?
I wonder what does the EPA think? I realize they are a Federal agency but do they care? Or are residents on their own with TCE across the country and the damage it does? The damage TCE has done already?
So yeah, Pennsylvania DEP, people ARE watching you. Remember Limerick? Remember how people rose up and demanded the DEP actually do their jobs and not just push paper around?
And while we are calling people out on toxic Bishop Tube and the fact that way too many in authority have known for DECADES about this site, should we not call out State Representative Duane Milne and State Senator Andy Dinniman?
This is a deadly, toxic site and it needs to be cleaned up properly. Those three hot spots which are the only ones that supposedly are going to get cleaned up are but the tip of the proverbial iceberg and the Pennsylvania DEP knows it, don’t they?
For more recent posts on Bishop Tube see:
bishop tube in front of east whiteland march 8
the delaware riverkeeper opines on bishop tube to east whiteland zoning hearing board
the delaware riverkeeper sends the pa dep’s hatzell a letter…about bishop tube!
east whiteland reporting bishop tube site is OFF planning agenda for 3/22
the tale of the bishop tube documents
Pay attention to the post containing documents above, old documents tell interesting tales don’t they?
As of now there is a meeting hosted by East Whiteland Township on Bishop Tube on April 19. Note the careful wording of the notice because they have invited all the below parties to show up and hopefully all the below parties will show up considering the fact that some of them are now contacting residents right? I think this meeting is a demonstration of good faith on the part of East Whiteland Township. Here’s hoping all invited show up to the party, can’t we all agree?
why does west chester borough hate the west chester growers market? why are they trying to hurt the market again?
West Chester Growers Market 2016 season- my photo.
APRIL 2 UPDATE: The Borough of West Chester has posted something I am assuming because I posted the letter people kept sending to me yesterday.
I am posting the borough response in an effort to be fair. Which is not saying I believe them, is it?
Pursuant to that effort to be fair would it also be fair to say that the Borough of West Chester is casting aspersions upon my character because I dared state the opinion that every year it seems to be something else that is an impediment to one of the most popular and beloved markets? Why is it West Chester Borough can never seem to just renew the lease prior to opening day of the market? Is that small business friendly? Is that farmer friendly? Family friendly?
Also the Borough of West Chester letter was sent to me by PATRONS of the market some of whom are RESIDENTS of the Borough of West Chester. And last time I checked I can connect the dots and express my opinion unless we are all Pravda on this bus?? Do we still not have a First Amendment or is that also subjective to the capricious whims of small-town politics?
Here is their say and to them I say, if nothing nefarious is afoot the lease should have just been renewed without incident and the market should have merely been treated as the valuable community asset it is , correct?
But hey it’s ok if I think the Borough doth protesteth too much right? Keep those calls and emails up people, apparently they are feeling the heat? And pack that meeting because at the end of the day those borough council folks work for YOU right? Maybe next election cycle instead of recycling the political status quo residents should consider other options?
FROM YESTERDAY
Can someone kindly explain to me WHY West Chester Borough seems hell bent on destroying the West Chester Growers’ Market? They seem enamored of the politically connected yet essentially not really anything other than an occasional pop-up food “co-op” (I touched on that in this post months ago) and why is the “co-op” the favored child?
Today is opening day of the market, and it is supposed to be a happy day. But once again something happy and festive feeling is once again marred, yes marred by the shenanigans of West Chester Borough. See this:
I was sent the above by a friend shopping at the market today. And others texted me. This is spreading like wildfire.
Once again, West Chester Borough is trying to rid West Chester of one of the area’s longest standing markets, doesn’t it?
Every year there is some sort of B.S. about the parking lot lease, isn’t there?
Every year this market is punished for being a successful market run by nice people, isn’t it?
Please turn out your support from far and wide for this market. Contact every member of West Chester Borough Council. Contact the media. Please help the market!
This is the meeting that the above letter says will discuss the fate of our favorite market:
It’s too bad West Chester Borough can’t hold a meeting to discuss the real reasons why they are such jerks to the market, right?
Sign me disgusted.