If I had been rescuing ducklings from an oil spill I would have been good this afternoon . But I was just getting some last minute holiday essentials delivered by Instacart.
Sigh. I went into pre-holiday meltdown over this one.
I treated myself to Instacart. I mean who likes going to grocery stores the week of Thanksgiving or any major holiday, am I right?
For me holiday grocery shopping PTSD started with a particular event in the early 2000s.
This comedically terrible event took place in the Bryn Mawr ACME before the store was rebuilt.
I had run in for a couple of things and I was right up against the shelving, reaching up on tips of my toes to get something off of the top shelf. All of a sudden it was “wham” and then “ouch”, as somebody had rammed a cart into the back of one of my heels and actually scraped it.
The cart was “driven” by angry male shopper who probably had a giant honey do list and instead of saying “Oh my gosh, are you OK?” He yelled at me that I should watch where I was going. He also told me that it was my fault.
Ummm yeah no.
Mouth flew open and I said “No, the correct response is ‘I am so sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you,’ not ‘It’s your fault that I just maimed you.’”
Benny Brooks Brothers then told me I was a crazy bitch and basically cart wheelied down the aisle to I guess one presumes another ankle assault in a different aisle.
And since cell phones came into existence, the other thing I don’t like about holiday grocery shopping is listening to everyone’s cell phone conversations on speakerphone in the aisles. Women are more guilty of that than men and those women really should watch the conversations they’re having in public and that’s all I’m going to say other than no one needs to hear whom Charlie is cheating with, and favorite sexual positions of strangers.
Mmmkay no thanks.
So as I have been regaling all of you with tales of why I don’t like going to the grocery store right before a holiday, have you noticed the photos I’m posting? This is very important. This means that as any kind of a shopper even delivery you cannot escape the holiday curse sometimes.
I treated myself to Instacart, especially because I wanted things from Aldi and Aldi is crazy on a normal day. I had a “platinum shopper” so I thought I would be in good hands and yet when she tried to replace white wine vinegar with white vinegar, I should’ve known…. especially because I had as my instructions for a refund if it was not available.
She also wasn’t the most communicative shopper and that could’ve just been the Internet access in the store. She dropped the order off, and I went to retrieve it.
This is when I had my pre-holiday Calgon take me away moment. She had put the Dawn dish soap in the over stuffed shopping bag upside down. this meant my order was basted in Dawn dish soap.
Because there were things in paper containers, and paper sacks like flour for baking, they had to be thrown out because they were soaked in Dawn dish soap.
That soap permeated so much!
Also because the bag was poorly packed a lot of my eggs were broken and also were coated in liquid dish soap. And the yogurt container was somewhat smashed, with the added flavor of ….you guessed it….dish soap.
Now I admit Instacart customer service was wonderful and very apologetic because I sent them photos. I didn’t want them to think I was just trying to get free stuff . I don’t think even they had seen anything quite like that before.
Note that bags if you have to buy them aren’t that much and I would rather pay for a second bag then end up with dish soap all over my grocery order two days before a major holiday.
I also think I have to find another dish soap smell now.
So a little while ago I was on WCHE with my friend Barry. And yes we are friends who can disagree and walk away friends. One area where we disagree is him having Neil Young on a second time (as in the guy running for Congress.)
Once again, he followed in my wake, assuming he has the last word and in a sense today, trying to ride on my coattails. It was amusing. I am so far in his head he couldn’t keep my name out of his mouth.…only I am not running for office and have no desire to. And yes I have been asked over the years…by both sides.
This is pretty amusing to me. But again, at least he learned he needed a better haircut. Maybe it’s a female thing. We notice haircuts. Apparently our friend Neil might be a little insecure having had to follow moi not once but twice on the same radio show? Sorry not sorry.
But that isn’t the funniest thing. He says how he reads my blog etc. etc. yet his campaign Facebook page block’s my blog’s Facebook page? I don’t block the page, I checked. That didn’t work so well for Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale once upon a time and others Not merely referring to my blog, but all of the people who have disagreed with politicians when there is case law about it.
Whatever. It’s not the first time it has happened, and I honestly do not care, it’s just amusing. It’s also amusing when you know you have been blocked and say it and then you are all of a sudden not blocked at some point. It’s just social media.
Just like it’s social media and election season when candidates for political parties that do not actually believe in affordable housing, imply they are.
And although a candidate should actually truly as in daily LIVE the area they are running in, someone who moved into an area for college and stayed, or moved here to raise a family, or moved here because of a job but stayed are not any less important than someone who was born in a particular area. Neil it’s about the actual living here part, not when you arrived or like the fake living here as is the case with Dave McCormick, Rick Santorum, and Dr. Oz for but 3 examples.
And Neil your district extends well beyond the boundaries of Downingtown and Coatesville High Schools.
As an example of moving here, there is former Congressman Jim Gerlach was born in Ellwood City, PA which is not too far from West Virginia and Ohio borders yet he was an amazing Congressman to the 6th district. He came into the district originally to take a job in Chester County. Also important? He served in the state house and the state senate before running for congress. He didn’t just wake up and decide to run for congress. He had huge bi-partisan support when he ran for congress. He had that in his constituency all of the way through. You sure don’t.
But Neil sweetie, you will have to get up a lot earlier to get the last word on me. Sign me still not buying what you’re selling.
Kiss kiss.
That silly man thinks he gets the last word with me? LOL
SOSDD is Same Old Sheit, Different Day. That is the rinse, wash, repeat of Twatwaffles for Trump AKA Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism AKA Moms Against Liberty. AKA Klanned Karenhood. It’s me, I’m the problem you see. Haters gonna hate hate hate. Yes, LOL I have the memo.
You can’t really understand them for the shrieking. It’s like they are perpetually angry but can’t really form what from. The bottom line is people for true democracy, liberty, and freedom as our forefathers laid out all those centuries ago don’t act like them. Our rights were not laid out as subjective, as in their rights matter more. They can have their twisted belief systems founded on social media hype and outright disinformation and lies, but what they never get from their echo chambers of actual hate, is they do not get to impose their belief systems on others.
Trump and Vance represent the worst of humanity and being American. They are ugly Americans. Vance is a faux hillbilly who thinks women only have value as breeders. It’s very Handmaid’s Tale of him. He never seems to acknowledge that the rights and fundamentals of this country he is trying to destroy gave him opportunity as a junkie’s son. You would think he would get that, maybe show gratitude. But it’s about rights being subjective. He wants in or adjacent to the Oval so he can take over for Trump, making him just another power hungry narcissist in action. He’s greedy.
Trump has always been exactly the greedy, malignant narcissist that he is. Only now, the wheels are coming off off mentally. As the New York Times has said recently about his behavior:
All you literally have to do is look at Trump’s words and deeds. From the racist AF comments about Kamala Harris, to his fat pig comments, going from merely grabbing women by the pussy to how big Arnold Palmer’s penis was? That is who the Twatwaffles for Trump want to lead this country?
Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump went on a bizarre rant about golf legend Arnold Palmer, the athlete’s oldest daughter dismissed the former president’s vulgar comments about the size of her father’s penis.
“I thought it was an unfortunate way to remember my dad,” Peggy Palmer told The Independent.
“This is a guy that was all man,” Trump said. “He took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable.’ I had to say it.”…“My father was very modest,” Peggy continued. “We’ve lost our sense of outrage in this country over just about everything, and I’m not sure that’s OK… There are other things about my dad that would be better to focus on.”
Palmer transcended the game and took the sport itself to a higher level, fellow icon Jack Nicklaus said after “The King” died in September 2016….in 2018, Peggy Palmer told The Sporting News that her dad, shortly before his death, had been “appalled” by Trump’s behavior during his 2016 presidential run.
“My dad didn’t like people who act like they’re better than other people,” she said. “He didn’t like it when people were nasty and rude. He didn’t like it when someone was disrespectful to someone else. My dad had no patience for people who demean other people in public. He had no patience for people who are dishonest and cheat. My dad was disciplined. He wanted to be a good role model. He was appalled by Trump’s lack of civility and what he began to see as Trump’s lack of character.”
These extremist groups like Twatwaffles for Trump embrace the complete antithesis of being an American or even what being a human being is. If you disagree with them, you are bad. If you are from any other lifestyle choices other than theirs, you are evil. This is a cult at it’s most basic. Group think brain washing.
My biggest crime? I think they are wrong and crazy and I say so. I do not actually hate any of them, but I mock them freely because they are just ridiculous. (Or it could also be because of their writing skills, maybe?)
I have conversations every day with all sorts of folks who don’t necessarily share my views, but we talk and we share and we learn about how others feel. These people here led by the homecoming queen? They don’t care about how you feel or what might be happening in your world, their objective is to pulverize anyone who isn’t just like them. I see they are adopting #TwatwafflesFor Trump as their own and that is terrific, honestly it is. It is who they are.
The most recent missive from their fearless leader includes all sort of verbal potpourri, including that which is inalienable or unalienable (as in our rights) only they see rights as being subjective. The refer to me as “their Rambler” and well, I am neither an old station wagon or theirs. According to them defending our rights, even the right to choose, is destroying….wait for it….liberty and promoters of liberty. According to THEM, our “Founding Fathers vehemently condemned democracy and abuses it ensues.“ First of all that makes no sense, and were they present during American history classes? What’s next? Slavery really didn’t happen? Autocratic or dictatorial leaders are wonderful? Hitler was misunderstood? They are of the mindset who constantly talk about the evils of communism and dictatorships yet they do not actually realize that is what they advocate for. Can’t fix stupid.
The latest from the fearless defender of ridiculousness makes me wonder if her Wonder Woman crown is too tight? Or the golden lasso cut off the air supply to her brain and wow don’t play those games, right? She calls me a bully, fat and body shames me as a breast cancer survivor during Breast Cancer Awareness Month AKA “Pinktober”, and now she said I have an alcohol problem. And “luscious blonde locks”? Whether a bottle or salon did it, well get a refund. And remember, she is never mean, only kind.
Alrighty…next…I (per them) permeate hate while having a victim mentality. They always without fail project, don’t they? And they play therapist. (I don’t need to ask a therapist if it’s ok to think they are crazy, because they are.)
Bad bunny likes to use words she doesn’t really look too deeply into. Like febrile. By definition, having or showing the symptoms of a fever; having or showing a great deal of nervous excitement or energy like a “a febrile imagination”. Febrile school girl’s diary….which are kind of like how her word salads about me or anything always read?
Literally, this chick and her minions must spend every waking moment going through what I write. I guess they still try to plays Beatles’ albums backwards too.
And she’s right, fear is paralyzing, just look at all of them. Stuck in an endless loop of their unfounded propaganda. They twist and pervert everything. Like they love everyone, yet they foment hate.
I chose unequivocally not to know these people, and I am good with that. They can live in their echo chambers of hate projecting who and what they are on everyone else.
And make no misunderstanding, my “rhetoric” as they like to describe it, is not against actual conservatives, it’s only about how ridiculous Klanned Karenhood is, including in this area. Narcissistic nasty hypocrisy is their hallmark. They are just part of an assortment of coast to coast nutters under the umbrella of a woman who likes threesomes in Florida, but hey they are all Good Christians, right?
Anyway, enjoy their latest word salad. Hating me is their best therapy and for women who espouse being champions of women, yet they are truly hysterical and somewhat pathetic ankle biters. Projection is their game, and it will never get in the way of reality. Projection is also the ultimate form of hypocrisy.
Photo I took years ago at Schiffer Farm on Morstein Road.
When I first moved to Chester County, one of my early favorite roads was Morstein Road from West King Road until Waterford Road. To me it was just so pretty. Houses on generous lots, and a big farm with horses swishing their tails. The Schiffer farm. But anything pretty and bucolic here seems to attract predatory developers.
If you live in the vicinity of the Schiffer farm, you have held your breath for years as various nearby parcels fell to developers. Like what was 1536 Morstein. A pretty little farmette. Just a few acres. Now McMansions on Red Barn Lane. First it was sold. Then the trees came down and the lot was wiped clean. Parcels over on Hershey’s Mill Road nearby as well.
The houses are predictable and these people have like NO trees. No real gardens. How do you live like that?
However, the problem is, places like the Schiffer farm is simply a lot of salivating acreage. To a developer that is dollar sign after dollar sign. That is a cram as much in as possible take the money and run and we as residents of anywhere are left holding the bag. Higher school taxes, higher everything (infrastructure including the human variety of township/EMT/police costs.)
When we all heard that Nancy Schiffer was donating her farm on Morstein as in the entirety of it to the West Chester University Foundation, we were filled with dread. Common sense dictates they wouldn’t keep the land, but would sell it. And sure enough as this land transfer started to happen and developer began sniffing around on about 20 random acres that we mostly in West Whiteland and partially in East Goshen. I wrote about that a few times.
Then we heard something almost miraculous: East Whiteland Township was interested in a nice chunk of acres acres of Schiffer Farm for OPEN SPACE. That would mean a beloved Viet Nam vet and his wife would not have their beautiful 18th century farmette surrounded by development among other things. So some sort of agreement was reached with Nancy Schiffer. Land was donated to West Chester University Foundation with an agreement for East Whiteland to acquire acres.
At first East Whiteland thought their sewer sale proceeds would be the key to purchase. Then the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) filed their litigation against PUC to undo sewer sales to AQUA. East Whiteland Board of Supervisors was disappointed and the board said that the ruling would delay local initiatives and increase sewer rates. One of the local initiatives was this land purchase, sadly. This case is at present tied up in the PA Supreme Court, as a quasi related aside.
So now East Whiteland had to seek alternatives so as not to give up on the idea of some very unique and truly beautiful open space being lost to more plastic mushroom development. In May, Chester County Commissioners awarded East Whiteland a grant of $870,000 towards this goal (see Chester County press release dated May 27, 2024. I think there was another grant but I lost the reference.) But because the sewer sale proceeds are in limbo because of the court case, comes the referendum.
Now cue the referendum on the ballot in East Whiteland, November 5th. It’s for like 30.5 some acres (I might be slightly under, not sure.) The grants and other things will go towards the remaining acreage. The end goal is 50+ acres.
My ballot. I just voted yes proudly.
This referendum seems to be like some giant surprise to people and the misinformation being spread around is staggering. People can’t have it both ways. The can’t constantly bitch about municipalities not doing anything to preserve open space and up comes a once in our lifetimes opportunity and the great uninformed wish to throw the baby out with the bathwater and they make these sweeping pronouncements without doing one iota of research. It’s maddening.
In 2018, the Township began work on a Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan to guide efforts for creating an enhanced system of recreation and open space facilities throughout the Township. The Plan, which was adopted in 2022, contains a Chapter specifically dedicated to Open Space Preservation (see Chapter 4 beginning on page 33). In addition to encouraging the pursuit of the remaining open space opportunities, the Plan recommends that the Township consider a dedicated source of funding to acquire and maintain open space through the adoption of an Open Space Tax (OST).
Process:
On May 8, 2024, the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing to consider an ordinance which would authorize an OST Referendum to be placed on the ballot for the upcoming General Election on November 5, 2024. Following the hearing, the Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance, thereby placing the referendum in a position to included on the ballot.
The referendum would allow individual constituents to vote directly on the question of whether to adopt a “blended” tax increase to both the Earned Income Tax (EIT) and the Township’s portion of the Real Estate Tax (RET) – also known as “property tax.” These funds would then be used to finance the acquisition of properties, ensure long-term maintenance, and cover costs associated with an open space program. The referendum will pose the following question:
“Do you favor the imposition of a tax on the earned income of Township Residents at a rate not to exceed five one-hundredths (5/100th) of one percent (.05%) and an increase in the real property tax at a rate not to exceed 0.45 mills ($0.45 per $1,000 assessed valuation) for the purpose of preserving natural resources, maintaining wildlife habitat, protecting environmentally sensitive areas, and providing recreational lands by the Township of East Whiteland to be used to retire indebtedness incurred in purchasing interests in or acquisition of real property for natural resource protection, open space preservation, and public recreation?”
Stated another way, if the referendum passes, the local Earned Income Tax rate would increase from .75% to .80% and the Township Real Estate Tax rate would increase from .445 mills to .895 mills.
Reports from County and Regional Planning Agencies:
Return on Environment: The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Chester County, PA (Chester County Planning Commission, 2019)
Webpage (see tabs for Property Value Impacts, Environmental Benefits, Recreation and Health, Economic Activity, Community Const Savings, and Case Studies)
If you have any questions about the OST Referendum, please contact Catherine Ricardo, Assistant Township Manager for East Whiteland Township. Catherine can be reached by phone at 610-897-4280 or by email at cricardo@eastwhiteland.org
Again, for the back of the room: The money raised would also go to existing open space and into a fund for other purchases. It would go to maintenance and improvements on parks and open space already owned. It would allow for a municipal bond offering capability and muni bonds sell in part on their “story” which is open space preservation, which would sell well. And East Whiteland is not buying the entire farm, that is fake news, literally. This referendum is far less expensive than some other Chester County municipalities, and the bottom line is it would be far less long term than if a developer builds because that affects taxes vis a vis infrastructure costs, school districts being over burdened etc.
It’s pretty simple: East Whiteland is trying to do something proactive. Everyone complains they don’t do enough. Can’t have it both ways. Go ahead vote no. It means instant development which costs us more in the end on so many levels. It’s a .445 to a .895 increase. The median appraised value of homes in East Whiteland is still around $200K so that would mean around $90.00 a year. The wording for both the notice and the explanation is based upon some PA law. This would also mean improvements on existing parks and open space and improvement. It would mean a fund that was dedicated to these open space things, a dedicated and distinct fund to allow East Whiteland to compete sometimes in the race for preservation against developers.
If people vote NO it means instant development, more infrastructure stresses, and in the end higher school taxes to keep up with development. You can be pennywise or pound foolish, not both. This is de minimis.
Allow me to share the words verbatim from a gentleman named Tim Phelps who resides in East Whiteland:
Supporting East Whiteland’s Open Space Tax Referendum: A Smart Growth Strategy for a Sustainable Future
On November 5, 2024, East Whiteland Township residents will have the opportunity to decide on the future of their community by voting on the Open Space Tax (OST) referendum. This critical measure will provide much-needed funds to preserve the township’s last remaining parcels of open land for future parks, conservation efforts, and community recreation spaces. By adopting the OST, East Whiteland will secure its place as a leader in sustainable growth while protecting the natural environment that contributes to the quality of life for all its residents.
Why the Open Space Tax Matters East Whiteland has grown into a regional corporate hub, attracting businesses and residents alike with its balanced approach to development and green space preservation. However, with neighboring municipalities starting to adopt their own Earned Income Tax (EIT) structures, East Whiteland could see an impact on its EIT income, which funds much of the township’s operations. A dedicated OST fund would not only help offset these financial pressures but also enable the township to continue investing in green spaces and natural resource preservation, ensuring the long-term health and attractiveness of the area.
The OST referendum proposes a slight increase in both the EIT and the township’s Real Estate Tax (RET). This blended tax will create a sustainable revenue stream, enabling East Whiteland to acquire additional open space properties and ensure they are maintained for future generations. These funds will be dedicated to purchasing land for natural resource protection, wildlife habitat preservation, and public recreation areas—key elements in the township’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan adopted in 2022.
Learning from Chester County’s Open Space Success Stories East Whiteland is not alone in recognizing the value of open space preservation. Several other communities in Chester County have successfully implemented similar OST programs, creating lasting benefits for their residents. For example, West Goshen Township used its open space fund to expand local parks and enhance conservation efforts, while East Bradford Township acquired critical lands for public use and natural habitat preservation. These townships have found that maintaining a balance between development and nature is essential to their long-term sustainability.
Chester County, according to data from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), is part of a region where open space investments yield significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. The DVRPC’s studies on open space value demonstrate that these preserved lands generate substantial returns through ecosystem services such as improved air and water quality, reduced stormwater management costs, and increased property values.
DVRPC data also highlights the importance of recreational spaces, which boost community health by providing residents with opportunities for physical activity and relaxation in natural surroundings.
Community Health and Social Benefits Beyond the environmental and economic benefits, the social and health advantages of preserving open spaces are undeniable. Access to parks and natural areas has been shown to improve mental health, reduce stress, and foster social cohesion. East Whiteland residents will benefit from additional green spaces that promote an active lifestyle, encourage outdoor recreation, and serve as gathering points for community events. Families will have more options for leisure activities, and future generations will inherit a township that values sustainability and environmental stewardship.
A Vote for Smart Growth and a Sustainable Future Supporting the OST referendum aligns with the principles of Smart Growth, which emphasize sustainable development while preserving natural resources. As development pressures increase, the township must act now to preserve its remaining open spaces. The OST provides a financial mechanism to do just that, ensuring that future generations can enjoy the benefits of well- maintained parks, protected wildlife habitats, and cleaner air and water.
In closing, East Whiteland residents should consider to vote in favor of the Open Space Tax referendum on November 5. This referendum is for the future—one that balances growth with environmental preservation, protects the township’s financial health, and creates a legacy of sustainability. By supporting this measure, East Whiteland has the opportunity to remain a thriving, vibrant community for generations to come. Let’s come together to protect what makes our township a special place to live, work, and play.
For more information about Open Space planning in the Delaware Valley, please visit DVRPC’s website at www.dvrpc.org/openspace/.
Tim Phelps Resident
You know what I see at Schiffer in part? I see a spot for community gardens, something people have asked about for years. Allotments and community gardens do build community. It’s a wonderful thing. This investment on the part of East Whiteland residents will reap dividends long after any of us walk the earth. THAT is a legacy worthy of this referendum.
Please don’t spread false information. If you have questions, the township and supervisors are HAPPY to talk to you. There are THREE supervisors to speak with, and they are all quite approachable. Here is where you go to find emails etc. if you don’t know them: https://www.eastwhiteland.org/214/Board-of-Supervisors
Look it’s a simple equation: a NO vote = instant development. This is a chance to do something worthy in the East Whiteland community. This is East Whiteland LISTENING to residents about preserving open space. VOTE YES!
My last word is if people do not see the forest for the trees here, there are in fact developers waiting to swoop in. These developers (multiple) would be happy to back end run to the West Chester University Foundation and run over East Whiteland. This land is as delectable as a big box of expensive chocolates. Also my opinion has not been particularly delightful when it comes to the West Chester University Foundation because well can you say there is NO emotional attachment to the land, they are just in it for the money honey?
This is actually something where you know for a fact where the money is going. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, or a member of the Purple People Eater Party, this is something that benefits everyone.
PLEASE EAST WHITELAND RESIDENTS, VOTE YES ON THE REFERENDUM ON THE BALLOT NOVEMBER 5, 2024
Let’s git’ r’ done. Land is not free, and this won’t be available forever.
Once again, trash is a topic of conversation literally in West Whiteland. Tonight’s board meeting also has some thing about excepting or rejecting A.J Blosenski’s latest contract. Forget about the fact that a have literally done a crap job everywhere for the past couple of years. Focus on the fact that they are talking a significant cost increase. Add to the conversation that one supervisor has been working to prove that the whole concept of going in house with trash means and how it can work and save money. But you have two of the supervisors who are townhouse development dwellers whom I think do not get it. And the one supervisor lives in a development that has private hauling, so she literally has zero clue as to the reality of living with AJ Blosenski now owned by Waste Connections. That being said she loves to ask for “data” to study while she contemplates her navel so she should try this on for size: there is a class action suit against Blosenski now. Possibly multiple class actions.
I will be honest when I lived in a municipality that had their own refuse removal, it worked better. Things weren’t missed, if something happened you could speak to a real person, etc. And it was less expensive in the end then having to pay for private trash removal.
Class action suits heating up means that the litigation costs get passed through to customers, including municipalities, which means taxpayers in said municipalities are also carrying the water on this.
Those postcards were received today by Tredyffrin residents, so you know sooner or later it will make it’s way around.
I will leave you with the numbers on A.J. Blosenski. And I will QUOTE West Whiteland Township:
For comparison, the current contracted rate for 2024 is $800,245. The proposed 2026 rate of $1,454,399.96 represents an 81.7% increase in hauling costs.
West Whiteland residents do you want an increase of 81.7 % ? I wouldn’t.
The meeting is this evening September 25th at 6:30 PM. You can go in person to 101 Commerce Drive in Exton or you can attend by zoom. Here is the packet link which includes zoom link at the top:
I’m rambling west for something that interests me. And it has nothing to do with Pennsylvania or Chester County Pennsylvania.
Today, I am taking my readers to a place I have never been but want to see some day. It’s a place where it is literally one of the last great open spaces of this country in the American west. It’s in a state where a few Pennsylvanians I know have settled. Including in some of the historic parts like Fort Collins and Villa Grove and elsewhere. Some came for the larger suburbs near Denver, other near resorts like Aspen. There are actually quite a few Pennsylvania ex-pats who call places in Colorado home that I can think of.
Someone I know in that part of the world sent me this story. Remarkably, a news station in Denver covered it. I say remarkably because this is Villa Grove, Colorado. In Saguache County. Population? According to my research literally like 260 – 300 people, but maybe only 30 full time residents. It’s a tiny frontier town 4.5 hours from Denver I believe so a news crew covering this is huge.
Residents in this tiny town don’t want an almost 200 foot cell phone tower taller than any tree a few hundred feet front where they live and less. Can you blame them? No one wants to live in the shadows of those wires here . Think of it as a giant abstract metal penis on a plain.
VILLA GROVE, Colo. — Nearly a third of the full-time residents who live in the small town of Villa Grove in Saguache County are now suing county commissioners after the approval of a 195-foot-tall cell phone tower in town. The county wants to build a massive telecommunications tower right on the edge of town, just a few hundred feet from the few homes there are in the picturesque town outside of Salida.
“Even our trees, which are the tallest things in town, are only about 60 feet,” said Paula Maez, one of the plaintiffs suing the county commissioners. “I’ve never sued anyone in my life, but I felt strongly enough about this that I stood up and will continue to stand up.”
Maez said there are only around 30 full-time residents in Villa Grove. There are no stoplights and only a handful of stores. Most people who live here have been here for decades…. “We recently had our Saguache County commissioners approve conditional land use for a cell phone tower that’s going in just to the northeast of here, basically right on top of our little town,” Maez said. “195 feet of metal monstrosity.”
Commissioners and the cell phone company both say that the tower would help with cell phone service in the rural area. However, the lawsuit hoping to stop the tower states it would only impact cell service within a five-mile area.
9NEWS wanted to talk to the Saguache County Commissioners about why they approved the cell phone tower even after more the half the town showed up to commission meetings to speak out against it. Their attorney said they won’t be talking about it.
So Saguache County, you don’t want to talk about it to the affected residents, media, or anyone else about a MAJOR decision to affect a small tight knit community that I bet you ignore as often as possible? Gosh, that’s so wonderful of you! (Yes, dripping sarcasm here.)
And this tower will have limited practical impact or value since it will only improve MAYBE a five mile radius?
Seriously ? Makes you ponder another question doesn’t it? Exactly WHO is getting paid WHAT to shove this cell tower in, Saguache County, CO?
Given this website (link right after this paragraph) I have to wonder since Villa Grove is an unincorporated town if this county is getting ready to tart the town up for their profit? It sounds very Yellowstone the TV series as a motive, but heck most things like this are about money, aren’t they?
Villa Grove has hot springs nearby they say, and beautiful vistas, why not fill the county coffers and make it super tourista, right? County profits? And I’m not saying that to be anti-progress, I’m saying that because progress that works needs resident input and participation. Duh.
The town of Garibaldi was established by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1870.[2] The town served as the southern terminus of the Rio Grande’s narrow-gaugePoncha Pass line from 1870 to 1890.[2] The town was named for ItalianrevolutionaryGiuseppe Garibaldi.[2] The Garibaldi Post Office opened on June 13, 1870.[5] The town’s name was changed to the less political Villa Grove on January 19, 1872.[5] The spelling of the town’s name was changed to Villagrove on October 12, 1894, and back to Villa Grove on July 1, 1950.[5]
Saguache County Colorado has issues if you dig around for articles, so maybe the thought that it is all about the money in the San Luis Valley is not so far fetched? And Villa Grove is considered the northern gateway to the San Luis Valley?
A couple of years ago there was a Live Nation music festival around Villa Grove called Seven Peaks Music Festival. Supposedly drew thousands of people to this tiny town? But then Dierks Bentley got fickle and moved it? Or does he always just move it around? Or was trendy Red Rocks his goal all along?
Well, that article makes you wonder doesn’t it but again I ask and it’s a pretty simple question: if an idyllic tiny frontier town in Colorado doesn’t want a cell phone tower in that town where else can I go? And is it really necessary RIGHT THERE?
And as is the case in any article in any paper across the country, politicians will talk a good game, but are they actually talking to and with their constituencies? It seems like in this case, the Saguache County commissioners here are merely ignoring these residents. If these are residents living there and paying taxes, why do they have to play mother May I with everything ?
And let’s talk about the natural beauty of the area as well as it being one of the last frontiers. I point out to you an article from 2009.
A Pennsylvania photographer is among the souls who’ve been branded by the high valley’s exquisite light.
Kathy Hettinga – who grew up in Alamosa and now is a professor of art at Messiah College near Harrisburg, Pa. – has returned to the San Luis Valley year after year, responding to its mystical lure and desolate beauty. She’s taken more than 10,000 photos in the valley’s historic cemeteries, recording the graves of generations of residents, some of them prosperous, most of them poor. She’s captured the plastic flowers, the plaster and enamel saints, the wood and metal and concrete crosses that mark the graves, and the churches that bear silent witness to the mortal comings and goings of the faithful.
A fraction of Hettinga’s 15 years worth of photos has been compiled into the book, “Grave Images: San Luis Valley.” She wrote the text and also helped design the book…. “I have a studio in Colorado (near Villa Grove). I still do consider the valley home,” Hettinga says during a phone interview. “I go there every summer and last year I was on sabbatical and spent a lot of time in the valley. I got to see the aspen and the beautiful light.
“The light in the San Luis Valley is really special: There’s the big sky, the 8,000-foot-elevation valley floor, the clear air – there’s a lot less atmosphere. Growing up, I loved it.
I think there’s a lot going on here. And I think, keeping a community the way the community wishes to be kept is not high on the priority list of Saguache County. To that end, they offer zoom meetings and I encourage nationwide media to attend it September 3 and anyone else who is interested in helping a small town preserve their way of life without a close to a 200 foot metal penis plunked in their town. Take a peek at their agendas and see how you can register. They can try to deny you but legally they cannot. It’s a public meeting.
I searched the county website for Saguache and came up virtually empty as to information on this cell tower. I guess I’m just used to the websites around here that when you have a land use issue like that, the municipality or the county will have documents up that people can look at as to who wants to do what basically and where and how you provide input. I found mentions on one agenda, but I don’t find meeting recordings after the fact unless I’m not looking in the right place. Except, I don’t think this is the most sunshine, friendly county government is it?
I’m not quite getting the executive session on an issue that’s kind of public? Does the county on the land in this little town where the cell tower is going up?
As for the two LLCs mentioned – I didn’t find too much either, which is not unusual. There are LLCs all over the place.
So that’s all I’ve got and this is literally a Nancy Drew mystery and it’s kind of concerning because this is the kind of thing that happens in more places than anyone wants to acknowledge. But I think a little frontier town in Colorado deserves a little sunshine here because this will affect their town and their properties and their way of life. And if people are saying yeah, we have cell phone service why do we have to have this giant tower? It makes a person wonder why the crickets as in political crickets as in no one is telling these people that are about to be directly affected much of anything? It’s only going to affect 5 mi.² or something than what is actually being planned for this area by that county?
People wonder where series like Yellowstone and 1923 and more get their inspiration. Isn’t the inspiration from life, history, current events?
So Taylor Sheridan? I think we have a new story for you. 👇 Yeah Villa Grove, Colorado why not contact him?
I don’t have much…yet. But the Uwchlan Township supervisors meeting replay for last evening, August 19th caught my eye. Specifically public comment at the end. I liberated that segment, but if you CLICK HERE you can see entire meeting.
Anyway, the entire area has been all aflutter about actor Mark Ruffalo filming with HBO for something called Task I think? Ok that’s cool and Ruffalo is supposed to be a big environmentalist so why are neighbors upset about HBO and all littering in Uwchlan on Peck Road in Downingtown?
Filming is always disruptive if you live in an area where it occurs. There is no doubt about it. Filming on location is always hard on properties, which is why a relative turned down having their property being part of Oprah Winfrey’s “Beloved” when they were filming in Philadelphia in the 1990s.
Now Peck Road has been a mess because of construction and a little bridge or something. I wonder if it has anything to do with the future plans for Peck Road that the neighbors mention in their comment and for which I found as a preliminary Sketch Plan on Uwchlan’s website?
So I went an looked up where they are talking about and found:
Did you know under prior ownership there was a clean and green designation? Just an aside but kind of sad if it is now going to be a subdivision, right? What happens to those designations when properties change hands anyway? Sorry, I digress.
So while filming and construction has been going on, I have to ask is there still a special needs house on Peck right around there? There used to be. I imagine it has been disruptive for those folks and special needs residents if so…and that include night filming by HBO.
It’s great that HBO films and other people film but if I had to hazard a guess (in response to Mrs. Harding who asked), I would say that the people who got paid for HBO to film would have been whomever owns the old French farm. And if the property is subject to a subdivision, I doubt they would care if a film crew etc. were hard on the property because everything will just disappear if a development happens anyway. Sad but true.
I have included Google street view from August 2023 and one from 2019 of the location that shows before the trees got turned into giant standing toothpicks of ugliness. If neighbors have photos of the filming and trash left behind, I am happy to post and attribute however you would like.
And HBO and Mark Ruffalo if you are out there? Maybe it’s time to make nice with these neighbors around 655 Peck in Uwchlan? After all, they didn’t ask to be part of Hollywood and they certainly shouldn’t have to pick up your trash. That’s not very environmentally friendly of you.
In a few weeks I turn 60. Something I am noticing is some people are not as evolved from their younger selves as they would like to be seen.
It’s funny and also a little sad. With some it was also predictable.
There are people that if you have a use, you are front and center. But when the use evaporates so do they from your life. You simply don’t hear from them. I’m actually not upset or terribly wounded, I expected it with a few people.
Some of these people are people where I sat and listened whenever they needed an ear. I have kept their confidences, but with some I know that it has not been reciprocal, they have used our confidences to curry favors elsewhere. Simply put, that breaks the trust. Trust is a big deal.
Then of course there is the irony of who you see some people now affiliated with whom they swore they never would be bothered with.
I am a friend to people even if I don’t need a thing from them. I wasn’t raised to view friendships as transactional relationships.
A lot of people I feel don’t actually know how to give in any meaningful way in any kind of relationship. It’s not a simple question of manners, a lot of the time either.
I am a blogger and have been for many years at this point. Probably close to 25, so that definitely makes me OG. As a blogger, I have discovered over the years that well yeah, there are people that just want to know you because they wonder what you can do for them with one of your blogs. Then there are the “friends” who don’t know you a lot of the time because you blog.
There are also the people I won’t hear from in years, whom I have known for forever, but as soon as they need something, they remember my phone number. And if that favor requires potential blogging on a topic, God forbid you don’t go as far as they think you should go.
There is that saying about people being in your life for a reason, season, or lifetime. It really is true.
As we age, we don’t necessarily grow in sync with everyone. It’s human nature. I have never operated on the pretense that I am perfect or have led a perfect life, but each decade I have lived has shown me things about life and people.
My 50s showed me how odd people can be, and if women, also how they can be oddly competitive. In my 50s, I saw the women that used to exclude me from things in my late 20s and early 30s because I wasn’t married yet and they were, switch to excluding me from things because they are now single and I am not.
My low tolerance for bullshit this last decade has made me somewhat unpopular in certain circles. But I’ve always been practical, and I figure if people can’t take me as I am but expect me to take them as they want to pretend to be, why do I want to be around them anyway? I am an acquired taste, besides.
60 theoretically is kind of a weird concept for me. I had breast cancer at 47 so literally back then I wondered if I would actually see 60. But here I am. I honestly still don’t know how I feel about my upcoming “milestone” birthday.
What is also so inconceivable are all the memories of all the decades of my life that I have.
Anyway, here’s to the next decade, it’s almost here.
This is along 100 in West Chester. The Old Pottstown Pike section. On the right as you are headed towards West Chester Borough.
I am told that it is actually in West Whiteland. I was never sure. I thought maybe West Goshen originally.
As for who once lived there I was told a man who worked on cars, dabbled in antiques and old photos too. That resulted in a memory of a conversation with a friend of mine who is a local historian years ago who said he gave her photos or a photo for a book she published. I am told his name was Bob Swayne?
So how does a house get to this state? Who were his heirs? How can any municipality just ignore this?
I took photos of this house a few years ago. Of course I can’t find them, but I do not remember the house being tagged. I don’t remember the roof having fallen apart.
It’s not a great beauty of a house. It’s probably not historic in any way. But once it was someone’s home. That is just a little sad.
During the storm on Tuesday, we lost power. And when we had lost power, I had used the PECO app to report the outage.
Then the power came back on, and the system wouldn’t let me report that the power was back on. And at that point Tuesday night there were so many people calling PECO that they kept hanging up on customers – I should be specific, not live people the auto system.
Needless to say, this was all very frustrating. So yesterday, Wednesday, I kept calling PECO until I got a live person to change the status because I was afraid repair crews would be dispatched.
About 50 minutes ago now three trucks rolled into my street. Out of state linemen from Riggs Distler out of Connecticut.
I went rushing outside and asked them if they were here for us. Then I told them, I spent an hour on the phone yesterday to make sure this didn’t happen.
Well it happened. PECO didn’t update all of their systems so a really nice crew of linemen just hung out on my street for 40+ minutes while PECO figured it out.
I even called all my neighbors while the guys were there to make sure that everyone had power.
Ironically, I said to PECO yesterday that they need to figure something out with their app programming so that, even if you are a guest on their app, you can go back with proper identifying information to let them know if a power outage has been resolved before they know. The customer service person said “oh good idea.”
These guys were so incredibly nice. I offered to make them coffee but they all had enough coffee. We stood there for 40 minutes and they told me about the areas they were from in Connecticut and what liked about Chester County.
They were headed to Glen Mills in Delaware County next. And at 12:28 today, PECO sent us a text, saying the power outage was restored, even though it was restored Tuesday night.
Come on PECO. That was embarrassing. There are so many people who need their power restored, and this crew of able-bodied super nice linemen sat here waiting for you to dispatch them to people that needed help because you hadn’t updated your system properly.
I hope everyone out there is getting their power restored.
