Monthly Archives: June 2026

gladwyne folks had best pay attention to the uncertain fate of saint peter’s village

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I remember the first time I saw Saint Peter’s Village as I guess a teenager. My father wanted to see it, so one day we went. I thought I had stepped into a magical place. It has felt like that every time I have been there since. It is in Warwick Township and has a cool history.

is a preserved 19th-century industrial company town located in a narrow gorge along French Creek. A company town. Much like the Village of Gladwyne, hence the reference. In the 1840s, iron ore was discovered there.

03001189.pdfDownload

https://theclio.com/entry/154077

Allow me to quote a Times Herald article from 2008:

Cradled in the hills surrounding French Creek State Park was a run-down, sad-looking town called St. Peter’s Village. It’s cheerless, empty shops and crumbling walks hid this little Victorian hamlet’s history and charm.Originally founded and built as a ‘company town’ by Davis Knauer to house and provide services to workers of his Black Granite Quarry at French Creek, this picturesque Victorian community began to take shape in 1880.

For many decades families flocked to the village to ‘jump’ the rocks and picnic by the stream. 

Winter sleigh rides and festivals were a constant as was, in later years, the sound of old Aunt Lena playing the saw. The village’s fascinating history and the memories of thousands who visited could not preserve it from the descent that followed the closing of the quarry and the subsequent selling of the village by the Knavery family in the late 1970’s.

For over 20 years this charming Victorian town sat neglected with its magnificent Inn deteriorating into a shabby shadow of its former grandeur. But all that has now changed.

Tom Drauschak of Earth Companies, the builder of the nearby Stone Wall Golf Course, and his partner, Vince Piazza, the father of future baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, purchased the Inn as well as several other buildings in the village two years ago and already life has come back to the town. Paver sidewalks were installed, the quarry had what can only be called a ‘face-lift’ and working with the Chester County Historical Society, existing structures have been restored to their 1880s Victorian charm and are now occupied. The historic Inn at St. Peters Village (http://theinnatsaintpetersvillage.com/), which first opened in 1881, has been radiantly restored…The best part, however, are the careful measures that are being taken to maintain the historical integrity of St. Peters. Mr. Drauschak is working with the historical society to ensure that the new construction will be representative of the architecture of the era, thereby making this lovely neighborhood fit seamlessly into the charming village and its setting. Home site reservations at pre-construction pricing are now being accepted. So, what happened to St. Peter’s Village? It’s Renewed, Revitalized and Open for Business!

Wellllllll….I had not really paid attention to the whole thing that this little village always had overlords err owners and then the news broke:

https://www.phillyvoice.com/historic-st-peters-village-chester-county-auctioned

St. Peter’s Village, a 19th-century industrial town along French Creek in northern Chester County that’s protected under the National Register of Historic Places, is being put up for auction by its owners.

The sale includes the Inn at St. Peter’s Village and accompanying restaurant, 121 residential and 13 commercial properties and subterranean mineral rights to the land, according to Philly-based Traiman Auction Company. The village will be sold Sept. 30 at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern.

~ Molly McVety
PhillyVoice Staff/ June 29, 2026

June 29 is ironically the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul.

AUCTION???? yeah this gets an oh fuuuuuuuuck for sure. The auction house has tried to be coy about ownership but Philadelphia Business Journal burst that cherry:

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2026/06/30/saint-peters-village-auction-piazza-chester-county.html

An entire 83-acre village in Chester County with a hotel, shops and over 100 developable home sites is being put up for auction by Piazza Management Co.

The historic St. Peter’s Village will be auctioned off Sept. 30 with no reserve price at the Desmond Hotel Malvern. At that time, the village will be sold to the highest bidder, no matter the price, and with no set starting bid.

~By Ryan Mulligan – Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal

Jun 30, 2026

https://www.saintpetersvillageauction.com

Philadelphia Business Journal also pointed out that this is the SAME Piazza tearing up Ardmore in Lower Merion Township for a mixed use development that will supersize and citify.

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2025/12/29/piazza-ardmore-development-radnor.html

Radnor Property Group is set to begin construction on a mixed-use development in Ardmore that will add hundreds of apartments to an area drawing attention from multifamily developers looking to build near transit hubs.

The $187 million, 270-unit development at 100 W. Lancaster Ave. is planned to have about 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 480 garage parking spaces, including 108 for public use by retail customers. The project is named The Piazza at Ardmore after property owners Daniel Piazza and his family.

Radnor Property Group CEO David Yeager said he and Daniel Piazza view the project as an opportunity to “create a gateway” into downtown Ardmore.

Those are my photos from when I was in Ardmore recently and I was horrified. Another fun fact? Former East Whiteland Supervisor Rich Orlow works for Piazza, who also has a seemingly stalled project in East Whiteland – a car dealership.

According to the auction website:

Engineer’s plans, plot plans, and other property details will be available at the property.

Description

Owner has directed an Absolute Auction for their portion of its property located in historic St Peters Village, Warwick Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Step into a one-of-a-kind opportunity in the heart of St. Peter’s Village, a nationally recognized historic destination in Chester County, Pennsylvania. This mixed-use development invites major builders, venture capitalists, and historic preservationists. Located in a growth corridor, this intriguing property sells at absolute auction to the highest bidder. The offering includes 121 Home Sites, consisting of 33 single-family homes, 33 twins, 34 town homes, and 21 expansive 2-acre home sites; also a wastewater treatment plant that services the existing structures, which must be improved by the buyer to accommodate the full build out. Thirteen historic and commercial village buildings—totaling approximately 43,500+/- square feet—create exceptional potential for retail, hospitality, or adaptive reuse. The property also conveys valuable subterranean mineral rights, including documented iron ore deposits, adding a rare investment dimension.

Facts & Features

It’s all being sold “as is, where is”.

Now someone has to ask the question is Saint Peter’s Village being auctioned off to pay for Ardmore?

Well?

Last year part of the road was closed by PennDOT, does that have anything to do with this? After all it is no great secret in Chester County that PennDOT road closures can help kill businesses, right?

St. Peters Road in Warwick Township closes May 22 until next spring
St. Peter’s Village to be put up for auction

According to Evan Brandt at The Mercury, the sewage treatment plant has major issues:

The small sewage treatment plant nestled into the hill behind St. Peter’s Inn discharges directly into French Creek, an “exceptional value stream” that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is charged with protecting.

The sewage treatment plant has had serious problems over the years with aging pipes that allowed stormwater to infiltrate. Every time it rained, the plant would not be able to handle the flow, and thousands of gallons of raw sewage were discharged into French Creek.

In 2008 and 2009, the DEP stopped expansion work at the sewer plant that it said was being done without a permit. 

Evan also mentioned the ghostly was to be a development where only about 5 model units were built. Today he remarked only a couple seemed occupied.

https://tomdrauschak.com/projects/st_peters_village (this website which was old, disappeared overnight after I had found it)

Anyway….GLADWYNE PEOPLE like the good for nothing civic association and Lower Merion Township sit up and pay attention as this could be the fate someday of Gladwyne Village. You have a new owner turning it back into a company/mill kind of town. Don’t say it couldn’t happen in 19035, it certainly damn well could.

I am sure I am not the only one extremely worried about Saint Peter’s Village which to be honest has started to look a little run down in the past couple of years. If residents and preservationists don’t get busy and pay attention who knows what could happen here and it might be on the National Register of Historic Places but how many times have things on that register been demolished for “progress”?

No rest for the historic preservation weary, I’m afraid. Only potential profits for developers, right?

#SaveSaintPetersVillage (pass it on)

what to do about the gladwyne of it all?
should gladwyne’s historic village be reimagined to be like peddler’s village-lite?
yo’ gladwyne be grateful for the charm that exists: no need to tart it up.
The Trendy St. Peter’s Village is Full of Fascinating Ruins
Neighbors report St. Peter’s blasting problems

https://tomdrauschak.com/projects/st_peters_village

https://web.archive.org/web/20260000000000*/https://tomdrauschak.com/projects/

Chattin’ with Uncle Elver: Progress in St. Peters to maintain its Victorian charm
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https://web.archive.org/web/20251017134539/https://tomdrauschak.com/projects/

being involved in your community.

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I’ve written about this so many times I don’t know why I’m bothering to do it again but I am.

There are no better advocates for a community than the members of said community. It takes a lot at times, sometimes it’s easier.

But people ask, how do you do these things? You gather together. It starts with that.

I think the biggest problem I see that people have with local governments today are the poor decisions, and trying to hide things from people.

Sometimes it takes a while, but the truth always does come out. But there are things that I don’t understand today that comes out of the mouths of our local elected officials. Elected officials are the ones that are driving the bus of the municipality, yet they can’t contemplate their navels without being told what to do by staff.

Now of course they’re just places where the elected officials are just off. Do we call them corrupt or are they just stupid? I think they are stupid a lot of the times because they think their residents are stupid?

If you don’t like the face of who governs you change it, one of your most powerful tool in a citizen toolbox is your vote, along with your voice.

My friends and I have done it. It’s often a slog. Pure and simple. And while it is great to have t-shirts, catchy phrases and acronyms and lawn signs, that is literally the fun part. The crazy rest of it? It’s like having a second unpaid job you didn’t sign up for.

In East Whiteland and East Vincent and Limerick and Plymouth and West Conshohocken and Upper Merion it’s the blasted data centers. In Chaddsford, Radnor, and Malvern Borough and some other areas it’s unwelcome development.

In Easttown things are a little below the radar right now, but I keep getting inklings that things are simmering.

And Willistown is its own hot mess. You have unresolved major development issues with Rockhill Farm. And the guy who won’t let the township fix a culvert on Spring Road. And every once in a while you have people who pop up wanting sidewalks on absurd roads. In some places sidewalks are helpful, but the can’t be on dangerous roads that are not safe for walking or sidewalks to nowhere right? And the eternal thing of who pays for sidewalks when they are installed is an issue that the sidewalk advocates have no realistic answers to.

Another example I’m going to use today is Tredyffrin – what are these people thinking?

Residents are asking for transparency because everything they get is talking in circles, a non-answer, clear as mud. Like how is a supervisor named David Miller able to just write a check for a big chunk for the park being formed out of Picket Post Swim Club? The Chase Road Park but does that check really buy naming rights? (Watch the meeting)

https://www.youtube.com/live/wQ_L-VTRLmo?si=YHmswdPbfx29QvWE

Just the other day after sharing a concern from a resident in Mount Pleasant, a sitting supervisor, replied the following:

So let’s review: she is a sitting supervisor. Her job is to help her constituents and residents of this township. What I’m sharing is a resident asking for help. What she’s sharing meaning the supervisor is she couldn’t possibly. She can call about a leaky fountain, but she can’t also say to the township manager and traffic safety “Hey, we have a problem and there’s going to be a fatality or a really bad accident if we don’t improve the signage in Mount Pleasant.”

But hey, it’s Mount Pleasant right, so why give a damn?

I see you lazy supervisor and so does everyone else.

I will also note this is the woman who actually lives extraordinarily close to where Megan Nieberle was murdered and did we ever hear a word out of her about that?

Now another weird thing in Tredyffrin. Humble brings up Hans van Mol and he’s a curiosity to me. He likes to play parliamentarian at meetings right? So why does he not recuse himself from Parks and Rec stuff? His mama, Diane van Mol is the chair of the Parks and Rec Board is she not? Isn’t that a conflict if he doesn’t recuse himself? And has he recused himself?

And let’s talk America 250? If Tredyffrin is so proud of their flag why did Sharon Humble have the attitude of a cold wet noodle when Michelle Kichline was there. How could she not recognize Michelle’s service to the township as a supervisor for years, she was a chair and she was a county commissioner and a chair there as well!

Tredyffrin residents are waking up. Residents in other Chester County communities are waking up. Government needs to realize that we are all not sheep on this big bus of life.

Ciao.

don’t forget the tinfoil hats

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It’s been quite the amusing time since Anonymous Ada and her hit squad didn’t prevail at the ChesCo Republican “convention.”

Time to address the nutbag chorus. This is yet another faux Christian bible thumping hypocrite with a conspiracy theory inner voice. Seriously do they buy their tinfoil hats in bulk?

So we’re clear:

✅ No one gave me anything. Certainly no one from the ChesCo GOP.


✅ Everything I’ve posted this tribe has posted on Facebook, including this handout they’re all in a lather about. I didn’t go through it with a fine tooth comb but are they lies? Doesn’t seem to be since they didn’t seem to deny any of what’s on that thing?


✅ It seems to me no matter what the political persuasion these convention things are run like general and primary elections, and everybody has handouts and platforms? If they bring nothing but chaos to the table every time, whose fault is that?

Also, since a certain QAnon Princess got her head handed to her again, we’ve been having revisionist Ada.

Either the grammar police are coming for the QAnon Princess or she thinks some ancestor spent several winters camped out at Valley Forge? It was ONE winter. There encampment was there exactly one winter. One……winter. So unless he was homeless or they pulled up stakes and he forgot to leave with the troops and stayed in Valley Forge , it didn’t happen did it?🤣

Also, it’s very confusing about her genealogy, isn’t it? After all, the last time she was talking about her genealogy so much is when she was running for West Chester Area School District School Board, remember? Then she was identifying as Latina.

My Ancestor Crossed with George Washington: Fact or Family Lore?

To be clear, I don’t honestly care either way. America is a melting pot. It’s part of the history, but it seems like there are different narratives to suit different needs with this woman.

Oh and again for the dullards, this is all publicly available and her words.

You have to wonder if she actually knows how to be just herself. Or what herself actually is when you peel back the layers of BS, conspiracy theories, and tinfoil hat politics.

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/westchester/ada-nestor-challenges-region-1-west-chester-school-district

https://broadandliberty.com/2021/05/06/ada-nestor-education-not-conspiracies/

https://substack.com/@adanestorwc/note/p-203415462

But I am tired of these people and they have no sense of personal accountability and yet they have this drive. But the drive is for chaos.

And these folks are also supported by the Thug Politics Cabal of the Tammany Hall in the cornfield of Honey Brook. And the excessively nasty of Oxford.

They want to tell everyone how wonderful they are, but they are kind of ridiculous.

These are the types that buy tinfoil hats in bulk. These are the types representing the worst in American politics.

a day for advocacy in harrisburg: stop the march of data centers.

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oakwell is for real and forever saved- it’s done and dusted!

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The other day I received a press release. I’m finally taking a minute to share it because it’s important and it’s wonderful, wonderful news.

This is from our friends at Natural Lands. It’s about Oakwell and Stoneleigh together again.

I knew this was coming long before it was announced, and I am thrilled that there is finally the presser out on it.

This is an amazing thing that is happening in great part thanks to the Haas family and the Wyncote Foundation, all those wonderful volunteers who fought for Oakwell (and some of them are very dear friends), and Natural Lands which I love as an organization.

Sadly, as soon as Natural Lands announced this formally, and in spite of all the write ups already out there, you have people jumping in to start raising alarm bells when none are needed. Reading comprehension is a big problem for a lot of people it seems these days, especially on social media, and they should just in this instance here, say thank you.

People don’t seem to get, it’s ALL safe. The house/mansion is being retained and preserved by the Wyncote Foundation and the rest joins Stoneleigh. All ultimately thanks to the wonderful Haas family, one of whom was in my class at Shipley. These are a family which always done the right thing because paying it forward is simply what they do.

Here is the press release:

Natural Lands Expands Stoneleigh: a natural garden in Villanova, PA

MEDIA, Pa., June 15, 2026 – Natural Lands today announced the acquisition of 10 acres of the historic Oakwell property from Lower Merion School District (LMSD). The land is immediately adjacent to Stoneleigh, Natural Lands’ beloved public garden and, in fact, was once part of the estate in the early 1900s. The land protection success marks the culmination of years of community advocacy, partnership building, and a shared commitment to preserving one of the region’s most significant cultural landscapes.

In a separate transaction, an additional three acres of the property, which includes the Oakwell mansion, was purchased by and will be carefully restored and preserved by the private Wyncote Foundation.

In 2018, LMSD purchased two parcels—collectively known as Oakwell—as a site for athletic fields for Black Rock Middle School. As development plans progressed, public concern grew. Over a period of years, community members campaigned for preservation of the property and its towering trees, historical structures, and horticultural legacy.

A turning point came early in 2024, when ongoing conversations between LMSD and Natural Lands led to a conservation solution. In August of that year, the two organizations announced an agreement: LMSD would sell 10 acres of Oakwell to Natural Lands to expand Stoneleigh and the remaining three acres to a separate entity whose use will be complementary.

Today, that agreement is reality.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to preserve all of Oakwell and to grow Stoneleigh for the benefit of residents and visitors from the entire region. We are immensely grateful to our generous funders, the community, and the leadership of the school district for making this possible,” said Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands. “It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the culmination of years of work by our staff, our supporters, and members of the Lower Merion community.”

“None of this would be possible without the exceptionally generous support of the Wyncote Foundation,” Bass said. “Additional leadership support is being provided the William Penn Foundation,” he added.

Although Oakwell will require a period of preparation before opening to the public, its addition significantly advances Stoneleigh’s mission: to celebrate the beauty and importance of the natural world and inspire the cultivation of native plants for the benefit of all.

Dr. Frank Ranelli, LMSD superintendent, added, “We hope that this agreement, which came about after years of public discussion and collaboration with the purchasing parties, will enhance the quality of life for members of the Lower Merion community, which is so supportive of our schools. We look forward to future collaborations that might allow our students to explore and learn at Stoneleigh.”

A new Master Plan for the expanded Stoneleigh outlines a vision for thoughtfully weaving Oakwell and Stoneleigh together while creating inspiring new garden spaces, expanding educational capacity, elevating guests’ experiences, and honoring the properties’ historical significance.

“We are honored to reunite Oakwell with Stoneleigh in a way that pays homage to their shared and distinct histories while also incorporating new garden features,” said Ethan Kauffman, director of Stoneleigh. “Oakwell is a magical place with some truly spectacular trees and beautiful buildings, and we can’t wait to share it with the community when it’s ready. Honestly, I have to pinch myself to believe this opportunity is real.”

Highlights of the Master Plan for Stoneleigh include:

  • Creating new garden features that honor the landscape legacy of Oakwell while furthering Stoneleigh’s commitment to showcasing the beauty and ecological function of native plants and habitats.
  • Preserving healthy, mature trees that are a hallmark of the Oakwell property.
  • Thoughtfully restoring historical buildings, which include a complex that once housed the greenhouses for the Stoneleigh estate, a former caretaker’s cottage, and a garden feature known as the Tea House.
  • Constructing a new Welcome Center to greet and orient guests year‑round.
  • Removing physical barriers like fencing and driveways to reunite the properties while also improving circulation and accessibility.
  • Expanding educational programming through new indoor and outdoor classrooms.
  • Enhancing community connections via gathering spaces, programs, and partnerships.

“Stoneleigh is growing in so many ways,” added Bass. “We look forward to the day we welcome everyone to experience all the joys of our expanded 52‑acre public garden.”

Stoneleigh will continue to welcome guests, free of charge, Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 AM -5 PM while work on the expanded portion is underway. To learn more, visit www.natlands.org/growing.

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone. As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 137,000 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,000 acres. About five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. natlands.org.

Please note: “Natural Lands” is the organization’s official operating name and should be used instead of its legal designation (Natural Lands Trust, Inc.).

cuckookatchoo crazy is back in town: be careful chesco republicans….

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I just can’t with these people. I got an email this morning:

Guess who just declared she is running for Chair of the ChesCo Republican Committee?

Ada Nestor. Yep. Nutjob at large. I have never met her but she is one of those people that when I read her writings, they sound legit….until you start looking into it. But lazy people don’t. They take things at face value. And the crazy thing is she has a following.

This woman is dangerous! She belongs to this group that is some kind of political machine. The RCCC will become some kind of arm of a murky group called Keystone Fair Business that is a 501(c)(6) that will control the RCCC for it’s specific donors, basically making the RCCC a lobbying group. And who is her right hand girl? Felice Fein, chair of whatever area has West Goshen, I can’t remember right now, where Ada is now the Vice Chair. 

Anyway, I know you are a fan, so I thought I would clue you in! Re-org is the following Thursday.

She used to love Raffi Terzian until she didn’t. But I’m sure as was the case when she used to go yell at Michelle Kichline at Chester County Commissioner meetings as she thinks her vote means she owns Republican politicians personally, right?

Here’s something off of someplace she scribbles. Just an excerpt:

The screenshots are out of order, probably but they don’t matter because they never make any sense like most things that come out of her mouth.

I love how she’s talking about “success stories.” Let’s start where she lives in West Goshen what Republican success stories do they have there where she is Vice Chair of that Republican Committee? Didn’t they have the guy that scribbled on lawn signs of Democrats and then there was the whole gun raffle ticket at tables at the polls during an election that even appalled the fellow Republicans. Yep so #winning right?

And lest we all forget, this was a woman who thought January 6th and assaulting people at our nation’s capital and defacing our nation’s capital was OK ? And she is part of Klanned Karenhood too?

This is a woman who is a legend in her own mind. She even took to trying to say earlier this year that I was impeding law-enforcement because I wrote about ICE in either Coatesville or Phoenixville or both.

Now the people she brings with her? Felice Fein who has been at the helm of the sinking ship of West Goshen Republicans not knowing her ass from a hole in the wall for how long? And the crazies from Oxford and Tammany Hall politics in the cornfield of Honey Brook Township? Gosh how exciting! (No not really.) These are the people that keep what is left of the Republican party in the toilet. Remember what my pen pal said:

The RCCC will become some kind of arm of a murky group called Keystone Fair Business that is a 501(c)(6) that will control the RCCC for it’s specific donors, basically making the RCCC a lobbying group. And who is her right hand girl? Felice Fein

So it’s up to all of you whomever you are as Republicans. Do you want nutbags to further ruin what national politics has done to local and regional Republican committees, or someone like Dave Buckta who will tell them to sit down and mind their place?

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Did Raffi Terzian set the world on fire as chair of the ChesCo Republicans? No, but at least he wasn’t playing footsie with a politician of Russian descent like one of his predecessors of recent past, right? (https://www.governing.com/archive/tns-pa-gop-chairman-resigns-sexual-misconduct.html)

While Raffi’s politics have never been mine, he is not a bad person. I first met him through the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust events years ago. He has tolerated an unbelievable amount of constant garbage from the QAnon Princess and those like her. Well, now once again, they want to take over. Why??? Because of the guy Dave Buckta who is in line to be Chair. NO BS about him and they can’t have that, can they? And no, I do not know Dave Buckta, only have actually heard positive things about him and he is not a crazy nutbag QAnon conspiracy theorist who suffers from chronic identity crises.

Dave Buckta who is the current Vice Chair of the Chester County Republicans is too normal, doesn’t live his best fake life on social media, therefore in Ms.- Pretzel -Logic -QAnon- Princess- with- a- Bible- Verse style, he must be bad. That means of course he has probably said no to her or her sidekick Felice- I -Whine -Fein right?

She’s even tried to pervert the data center issues. Going back to her QAnon roots, bless her heart, and everything has a bible verse like it absolves her behavior. (It doesn’t.)

Of course now, Martyr QAnon Princess will rise from the ashes and create a wailing wall about me for writing this. She still never gets her largest impediment to her success is herself, and always will be. She will launch another campaign making me the problem.

LOL I am neither Republican nor Democrat. Her followers with speak about how “liberal” I am, but am I really? I have never thought so. I am just not a Stepford Wife. Women like her say they admire independent thinkers and women, but they don’t. Maybe just my opinion, but a lot of that has to do with their insecurities and feverishly wanting to belong, yet always being slightly on the fringes.

Look Chester County Republicans, you have a choice, and if this one gets another insecure foot in the door, you can really and truly kiss the Republican Party good-bye. If you want a better party, don’t let the worst in. Keep the tin foil hats outside, and The Real Housewives of West Goshen cast members OUT.

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fake roofing scam

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I love a good phone solicitation don’t you? No, not really, right. Yes, I get it and neither do I, was just being sarcastic.

I received one yesterday. Another fake roofing inspection one. Ever since some in the area had hail, they have been relentless. Door to door people but mostly phone solicitors.

It’s always Philadelphia roofing something or other or Pennsylvania roofing something or other. And when you pretend to be hard of hearing and ask them to repeat the company name, it’s another company name (that doesn’t exist and none of them exist.)

This turdsticker yesterday started again with the tired old “we are doing work for your neighbors.”

Yeah umm no you are not anymore than the summer seasonal driveway sealing gypsies.

Well this one told me to shut up as in shut up stupid woman I’m speaking.

Yeah that didn’t work so well and this time I called back. Told them off and told them that I was recording the call.

Don’t fall for this BS and I know some people do. Legitimate businesses don’t operate this way, pure and simple.

why much ado about data centers? simple, they will kill what we call home.

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It’s hard NOT to think about data centers. We are living this nightmare, just like pipelines. It is a very crazy thing to realize not enough people in positions of power give a shit about residents in the equation of data centers.

In East Whiteland they never, ever should have said “yes”. The could have IMHO said freaking NO.

In East Whiteland if the supervisors would only find where exactly they left their collective balls, they could still say “no”. But will they? So far it’s the residents are wrong and Papa Government is right.

I am not buying it. It’s like living in a parallel universe, but then again this is the township who few years ago also thought pipelines were nothing to bother about. Of course it doesn’t matter apparently that their residents are still in blast zones.

Then there are things with the East Whiteland that just make you scratch your head. At the recent meeting among other things they had a public hearing where they closed the record before they took a vote….and the solicitor on duty didn’t catch that and WTF?

But the other thing is this: the zoning officer guy for the township (not the zoning hearing board lawyer) was disappeared…in MAY. And WHY? Did he retire? Was he ill? We would have heard right? So what actually happened? And OMG they did NOT like being asked why he was gone and why the current assistant manager was chosen? She was the former manager of East Vincent when the zoning change went through for PENNHURST, correct? What are some of the concerns with how the East Whiteland data center came about? The ZONING. Sorry not sorry. This is how conspiracy theories start and have some actual justification don’t they?

This is exhausting. How do our elected officials except for people like State Senator Katie Muth NOT get data centers? They are getting it in Luzerne County. Look what they just did:

Luzerne data ctrDownload

And State Senator Katie Muth has introduced a data center moratorium bill:

2025-0-SB1359P1770 data center moratorium billDownload

There is no law on the books that precludes the East Whiteland from saying no to this or anything else but it just has to be legal, right? The supervisors need to believe what they are doing is right and tell the solicitor and staff to find a way but they don’t, do they? Why don’t they argue the supremacy clause to the US Constitution, for example? They are the government and protecting the residents is the right side of this issue, right? Hows about procedural due process right?

Now Judge Verwey bounced an East Whiteland residents’ case yesterday (just one of them) but that is not bad I think because is it quite possibly not merely a procedural bounce but what lawyers will call a complex jurisdictional? Will this not result in a de novo hearing in Commonwealth Court? De novo means a fresh look, doesn’t it? So this was a move on a chess board, not the end of the story. (Maybe just my opinion, but I am allowed it.)

  1. The entry way for Commonwealth Court is Common Pleas Court, correct?
  2. If this was a bad case it would have gotten bounced at preliminary objections. A hearing was had, briefed, argued, yes?
  3. Based on this, this is not a case you consider on the outset, you do it based upon the hearing, correct? Off it goes to be heard elsewhere.

This is why I think this has legs. Maybe just my opinion, but those are some thoughts. This was a case of first impression yes? And it wasn’t immediately bounced in the hearing was it? Verwey chewed on it, and then decided.

Order of Court 6.11.26 2026-03896-Download

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/east-whiteland-data-center-judge-denial-challenges-20260611.html

https://www.inquirer.com/business/natural-gas-whitehawk-data-centers-20260612.html

The government is an adverse party to the citizenry because they should have looked after the residents, right?

It makes me sad. I was thinking about all of this the other day. I actually drove out to the developments the other day to sit on their road and look across Swedesford at the location for the data center. How can they not see this is most simply put a bad plan? Here are some photos. A few were taken by the neighbor of the permits.

Stormwater Basin_215 Valley Creek BlvdDownload

That’s all I have got, and yes this was a meandering ramble. I am just sad that we are dealing with this EVERYWHERE.

We as residents have everything to lose and government is NOT protecting us. Period.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/opinion/data-center-ai-democrats.html

If you would like to donate to the legal fund for the data center group, no donation is too small. Here is a link: https://venmo.com/u/communityfriends

Stay cool, it’s hot outside and try to conserve water as we are in a drought warning. Last thought? How would we survive serious drought warnings with data center around here? In my humble opinion, we wouldn’t.

From a RTK request results Ginny Kerslake received

Put that in your proverbial pipe and smoke it. The devil is in the details East Whiteland residents (and neighbors.) Keep fighting.

Ciao for now.

let’s talk about kelly’s in bryn mawr.

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Kelly’s from his history, didn’t start out life as a college bar.

Further back in the 19th century it was originally called the Ivy Inn. Located on the corner of Roberts Road and Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr, it’s always just kind of been there.

The building it is today is kind of a flat roof monstrosity that I’m not quite sure how it ever got built. I remember when the Biggins brothers wanted to expand it and make it something different. All of a sudden it was this unfinished monstrosity and the place that gone belly up. Then the current owners bought it.

Honestly, I swear I’ve heard more complaints about that bar under the current ownership than the prior ownership.

There were lots of joints in Bryn Mawr years ago. Not fancy or pretentious, just bars. Like the Erin Pub and then I swear there was a place called Bob’s Mystical Garden. And also a place called You Bet Your Life we called You Beat Your Wife (then it became Mallory’s and is now and still The Grog.)

Kelly’s seems like it has had a growth of issues with the reincarnation of what was once a dive bar with pool tables in the back. When I knew it. that was fine. It was a joint.

Once the students cleared out for the year, or even certain times of the week there were local characters, some quite sad. One I met by accident once. It was while I was interviewing for first “real jobs” a million years ago. You know those in between days before true adulting started? I will also note that I never got in there underage because I never had fake ID etc.

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Anyway, I literally went this one random day many, many years ago to Kelly’s with one of my friends. Yep we went to check out what they call “day drinking” today. I don’t like beer, so for me not so much drinking. It seemed quite scandalous to do that, and I remember thinking at the time how pissed of my mother would have been – who didn’t like those places to begin with – so that is probably why I did it.

There were some older locals in there that day. There was also a somewhat more refined older and really, really drunk Main Line-ish woman. Blondish hair flirting with the bartender. She was too wasted to drive. Came in that way apparently. I still think she was doing her own crawl. We hadn’t been there that long so we drove the woman home. She lived down College Avenue, on the other side of Haverford Road where the houses get more grand again closer to Merion Golf.

We made sure that she got into her big, overly quiet house and left. Seemed very lonely. Wanted us to come in and have a drink with her and that kind of killed us on the day drinking experience. We figured that when she sobered up, she would call a cab to get her car or maybe a family member would help her. My friend and I commented at the time to each other after we had left of how that could’ve turned out very differently for her if a pair of women hadn’t helped her get home.

That was like 40 years ago and I never forgot that. A lesson learned- what not to become. A very sad and lonely bar fly, whomever she was. And that was a beautiful house she lived in.

But that was old Kelly’s. I was not ever a regular, it was just an occasional place for me. So many people were these devotees of this place and that’s the only place they would ever go. They definitely had a devoted following back in the day. I remember like a giant moose head and a really big jockstrap hanging up. I also remember the old bar and always wondered what it would look like if it was truly cleaned up?

It was of course also a fun place to play pool once in a while. I am and always will be a less than mediocre pool player, but back then it was still fun. However, even my younger self knew residents and small businesses didn’t love the Kelly’s crowd. But I don’t remember the place getting as bad a rap until the current ownership. Or maybe none of us were aware of prior issues because it was before social media and everything all over the Internet?

2530.pdfDownload

I remember there was this roof deck thing when it first reopened and I remember there were actually pictures that the neighbors had taken because it was so loud at night and lots of people on these roof areas, and I think the Bryn Mawr Civic Association was trying to deal with it and I know this is actually true because I found an old email that I had been sent. It’s completely random that I had this email because it was from 2011. Not sure if it was prior or current ownership, but there were a flurry of court cases back then.

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Recently I noticed in the media coverage of Kelly’s issues at present, they (the owners) feel like they’re being targeted, but are they really? Or is this just a continuation of past issues?

And the college-age behavior (and bars) is something that has always existed, but the attitude of some of the students now I think is different. Big senses of entitlement, yes? I also still think this has to do with the school, in this case Villanova University, because in my opinion they’re rather hands-off about their students off of campus and they’re a big presence in the area so I don’t know that they really can be anymore can they?

And do the students behave the way they do off campus because they feel that the school does not really care about their behavior in the community anyway? I mean, look at Mount Pleasant in Tredyffrin? It’s back to business as usual over there with new student rentals. Delta Chi frat bros in some of the rentals, and oh the richness of the other fact that a couple of the ones charged with disturbing the peace from the last round pled not guilty and are taking this to court because you know it’s fine to scream whore (among other behaviors) at a full time resident in the middle of the night, right?

Now to be honest, we tried going in there a couple of times over the past few years because new look Kelly’s advertises themselves as a pub and you can get lunch, etc. etc. Well I thought the food sucked. Both times we went there was like a Saturday and it was also empty. I don’t think school was in session both times we were there.

So maybe the people that own the place should be honest as you know people aren’t going in for the food and gastropub-ish ambiance, and it’s not really catering to the entire community just the student community, correct?

The bottom of their online menu says it’s the only place you’ll ever want to be. No, not really. And if they actually really tried to make them themselves an all age more inclusive feeling pub, maybe they would have different reception from the community and the police and the local townships?

I also had to giggle at the bar’s recollection of the history on that site when it opened as “The Ivy Inn” in the 19th century. I don’t know that it was ever completely respectable, and you weren’t going to find people on the Main Line staying in their “summer cottages” there in my opinion. I mean maybe the gents on occasion but definitely not the ladies as it would not have been socially acceptable. I kind of mentally did an eye roll on that. Yes the place started in the late 19th century but to me it was probably more of a location for the average Joe working man, versus fancy-schmancy.

I do remember reading a thread online at some point in time where somebody had a elderly relative that remembered it had a side door for ladies.

And it’s a bummer because I can’t seem to find any old exterior or interior photos or anything of even the late 20th century rendition of Kelly’s before they turned it into what it is today. And I honestly do think these old joints play a part in local history not just the fancy houses. I’m not looking for people partying it up in there, I was looking for what it looked like inside. When I was cruising around the Internet for old shots, I found one random photo from 1985 and you can’t even really see the bar or anything it’s just a bunch of people.

Now, when I was looking to see if I could still find some of these old threads about the history, I came across a guy remarking about something that happened in 2018 and it was some kid basically was followed from the bar and stabbed in Bryn Mawr.

College bars are college bars. Yet they need to co-exist in the regular world which they are a part of. If Kelly’s Taproom has a bullseye on it then they need to take some responsibility don’t they? Based on the past it’s nothing new.

(Ummm it’s about the
Pope picture 🤮🙄)

Maybe Bryn Mawr doesn’t want college bars anymore? What about hookah bars? Are they still in existence?

I am going to share the recent media. But in my humble opinion it is not so simple as a college bar merely being targeted. Lower Merion’s s current police superintendent doesn’t start these things unless he has proof. I might not know what the heck is really going on, but I do know that much.

Also as I went this morning to noodle around for more for this post that there is a petition circulating by the owners to stop foreclosure. Didn’t know there was a current issue with foreclosure? Also a bit of a Hail Mary?

https://c.org/8nPQMVtwds

Sharing links on present and past.

And again, I don’t have a problem with the old joints so to speak. Like one of the best hamburgers you will still ever get anywhere is Roache and O’Briens in Haverford. Somehow they have managed to survive just the way they are since 1933. Kelly’s should take a page out of their book.

Thanks for stopping by.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/kellys-bryn-mawr-bar-investigation-villanova-students-20260605.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/popular-bryn-mawr-bar-under-041214238.html

EXCLUSIVE: Kelly’s Taproom Cited; Facing Pressure From Multiple Parties
Has College-Age Drinking on the Main Line Gotten Out of Hand?
Univ. favorite Kelly’s bar to reopen in fall
Local bar reopens
2 popular ‘Nova watering holes closing

https://www.suburbanlifemagazine.com/article/1805/Serving-with-Spirit

Christian Charged With ‘Disorderly Conduct’ After Preaching Gospel Near Noisy Bar Found Not Guilty
Exclusive Interview with Gene Mitchell, Owner of Popular Restaurant & Bar Kelly’s Taproom
Kendall’s Column: The Enigma of Kelly’s Mug Night

east whiteland data center goes to court

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Today the East Whiteland Data Center had its court debut. This case:

I am about to share exclusive court recollections by an East Whiteland resident who sent me a report:

June 4, 2026 – Hearing to request court to stay any work on site of foote mineral/data center

Mr Schneider began by reading a prepared brief and going through 18 exhibits.  Judge early on asked him if he had any witnesses or any case law to support his brief.  Andy said no because the language of the law speaks for itself.  Judge admonished him for that and said there should be case law to support his position.  Then proceeded to let him read his testimony and go through the 18 exhibits as he went.  Andy’s arguments were consistent with things he had presented at township meeting on data center.  Argued that two entrances meant one entrance right across from Malvern Hunt would have to be built first and would be used by machinery to move earth and cause dirt to be blown around into Malvern Hunt.  Andy quoted EPA website to claim that site is not finally remediated.  Judge asked if he had witness from EPA and other exhibits along the way.  Andy also mentioned that the plan that was approved expired 90 days after it was approved and court should find subsequent actions invalid because plan was already expired.  

Mr Colagreco started by asking the hearing to be dismissed and the judge denied his request.  Mr Colagreco then stated that he had submitted a brief to the court so he wasn’t going to read the brief and the judge said that the court had already read both briefs prior to the hearing.  Mr Colagreco then argued that for the first time in history there is no case law to support a section of code that was in dispute and tried to cast doubt on Andy’s reading of the code. Mr Colagreco also mentioned that there was no harm in allowing them to proceed with moving dirt because Mr Schneider had not presented any evidence to this effect and had not presented any evidence at all other than his legal brief.  Also said that the time for Mr Schneider to appeal was within 30 days of the 2024 approval and that he can’t appeal any longer because he missed that window.  Mr Colagreco also said they are under a 2 year deadline and that time is ticking and that any effort to delay via multiple lawsuits from Mr Schneider could harm them because it could cause them to miss this deadline if they aren’t allowed to start work.  Judge asked Mr Colagreco if they had started any work on the site since 2024 and Mr Colagreco admitted they had not so Judge observed they could have been working all that time if it was important to them.

Judge then heard the township lawyer who is paid by supervisors Directors and Officers insurance it appears.  That lawyer, I don’t remember his name, said that he agreed with everything Mr Colagreco said on behalf of Sentinel.  Didn’t say much other than that.

Judge allowed Mr Schnieder rebuttal and Mr Schneider said that events in March 2026 created need to appeal and that no criteria existed in 2024 to appeal because the events in March 2026 created the need to appeal.  At the end of this, judge offered Mr Schneider the opportunity to submit his exhibits into evidence.  After some back and forth, Mr Schneider did accept the Judge’s offer and submitted his 18 exhibits into evidence.  

Judge then closed the hearing.

– Recollection of East Whiteland resident Tim Caban during the hearing.

No, those two captioned screenshots above are two other court cases. They are pending. I don’t know in what order they will be heard or what will happen.

No decision was made today. I found that interesting. I’m taking that as a positive.

Someone else is an observer of this mess for lack of a better description said to me today (and I quote):

You get to the hearing stage, arguing for a dismissal is almost a waste of time…The guts of the argument is whether or not townships can make it up as they go along, and effectively rewrite the statute through bad process.. which is a denial of due process to the community.

I found that interesting to ponder.

Tonight is the environmental advisory council meeting a.k.a. EAC. Ironically on their agenda this evening is Foote Mineral. And of course, this is also the site for the data center. I’m going to share a document I was sent today relative to that and interesting.

It ain’t over and Captain Green Fig must be twitching, no? It makes you wonder if his snazzy New York developer investor will stick around long-term doesn’t it?

This is the Foote Mineral thing I mentioned. I will also note that this person who wrote this and sent a message. I’m about to share is an environmental lawyer. Next is the message and following that his attachment and that is the end for today for me on my reporting of this ongoing issue.

Message:

John’s message

I have attached the Comments I plan to file before COB on Friday June 5, 2026 with US EPA Region 3 in Philadelphia. If upon your review you agree with the content of the Comments, and you would like to join in the Comments, please let me know by email, stratred14@gmail.com. Send me your name, street address and township. I will add you to the list of Commenters. I will send an updated list of Commenters to the EPA, as needed, over the next two weeks.

For those of you who do not know me, I am simply a concerned citizen, like you. I am not being paid by any entity for this work, nor am I a member of any group that has formed in opposition to this or any other data center project. My career has been in environmental law, so I am familiar with the Superfund process, and redevelopment of brownfields. Hence the arcane nature of my comments.

Thank you for your consideration.

John P. Judge
stratred14@gmail.com

2026-06-03_JohnJudge_CommentsToEpaDownload