It is amazing as each day that goes by, East Whiteland Supervisor seem to dig their heels in more. They even have a State Senator telling them they need to act and not just contemplate their collective navels pretty much every single meeting.
They have people, including residents who have taken inordinate amount of time to show them where the flaws are, where the problems are, where the danger is and it’s like they’re paralyzed.
Once again last night, it was a lot of well we have things to think about.
I don’t understand the ostriches with their heads in the sand. Because this isn’t the first issue, this has happened over and over. I mean for how many years of people been coming to the Township not just about data centers but Bishop Tube which at last night‘s meeting got extended yet again and how many years is that? And Bishop Tube has no remediation done yet does it?
Anyway, I am going to give you videos of the voices of others. Listen to what they have to say.
Ask yourselves how one township can say they’re listening yet they never hear a thing?
A dad named Ryan Contacted me. He and his wife and family lost a baby at a week old named Cayden. Literally they held him and loved him for 7 days and he was gone. I can’t imagine that feeling, wouldn’t want to, but I have had friends and family experience such losses of children.
This family while working through their grief developed a tribute to their infant son in a West Pikeland Township Park that was a sand lot fo other kids to enjoy. It was named and dedicated “Cayden’s Corner.” Over the past two years, Cayden’s Corner has become both a memorial to their deceased son and a place where who knows how many hundreds of children have played. It was built and dedicated in Pine Creek Park.
So apparently, West Pikeland Township which always seems super secretive (like do they record meetings yet?) and insular in an unhealthy way has been pursuing a larger playground improvement project at Pine Creek Park using grants and donations. A committee was formed to assist with that effort, but despite Ryan Leithead’s involvement in creating Cayden’s Corner and assisting with playground grant efforts, he was not included in those discussions? Like for real? How crass, right?
To add to this, Ryan also learned that the proposed playground redesign may involve relocating Cayden’s Corner and altering or removing the existing memorial signage and dedication that were part of the original project, and for real? Nice way for the township to make this family experience more grief and literally feel shat upon in my humble opinion.
So Ryan went to the Board of Supervisors meeting I guess last evening to speak about his concerns. During the public discussion that followed, it became clear that there are differing opinions regarding the future of Cayden’s Corner and the memorial elements associated with it.
To be very clear, Ryan Leithead is NOT opposed to improving the playground.
He supports investing in Pine Creek Park and creating an even better playground for the families of West Pikeland.
His only request is that every effort be made to preserve the memorial that already exists and that his family be included in discussions affecting something that was built in memory of their son.
Here is video:
Here is Ryan’s written statement:
Good Evening Supervisors, My name is Ryan Leithead. I am a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee, a West Pikeland resident, and most importantly, Cayden’s father. My wife Denise is here with me tonight, and this is her first time attending a Board of Supervisors meeting. In December of 2022, my wife and I experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when our son Cayden passed away just seven days after he was born. Like many families who suffer a loss like that, we struggled to find a way to channel our grief into something positive. Working with the Township, I proposed the creation of a sand play area at Pine Creek Park that would become known as Cayden’s Corner. What was created was far more than a donation. I personally funded the project. I selected the equipment and design with the assistance of a trusted and certified local playground contractor. I helped raise additional funds and secure labor and material donations from members of our community totaling more than $25,000 in value. I personally built much of the project with my own hands over the course of several months, working from plans reviewed by the Township engineer and supported by Township leadership at the time. I also assisted with the original playground grant effort by securing a professional playground design and layout at no cost from the same playground contractor and by providing letters of support and community-impact information for both grant applications. The project was completed and dedicated just before the first anniversary of Cayden’s passing. For my family, Cayden’s Corner is not simply a playground feature. It is a memorial. It represents countless hours of work, healing, remembrance, love, and community support during one of the most difficult periods of our lives. Over the past two years, I have watched hundreds of children enjoy that space. That has brought comfort not only to me, but to my family as well. It was recently brought to my attention that the current playground planning process may significantly alter Cayden’s Corner, including the potential relocation of the entire sand play area and associated equipment, as well as the possible removal of the memorial sign and designation. That is why I am here tonight. I fully support improving Pine Creek Park Playground and I am not asking the township to halt the project. I am asking the Township to preserve Cayden’s Corner as part of that project, consistent with the commitment the Township made in writing when the project was donated, approved, and dedicated to the memory of my son. If there are accessibility improvements that need to be made, I have repeatedly asked to be included in those discussions and would welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively toward solutions that improve accessibility while preserving the memorial. But I am asking that every effort be made to preserve the memorial that already exists before deciding that it must be removed or relocated, particularly when it was created through significant personal effort, community support, and Township partnership. I am also deeply concerned by discussions regarding the potential removal of the Cayden’s Corner memorial sign and designation. For my family, the name, sign, and dedication are an important part of the memorial. After everything that went into creating Cayden’s Corner in the aftermath of our son’s passing, the possibility of removing that dedication feels deeply hurtful and difficult to understand. The name, sign, and dedication are an important part of the memorial and should not be discarded. Before any final decisions are made, I respectfully ask the Board to consider what Cayden’s Corner means to my family, the circumstances under which it was created, and whether there is a path to improve the playground while preserving the memorial that already exists. When most people look at Cayden’s Corner, they see a sandbox. When they hear out story they begin to see what my family sees. We see a memorial built for a little boy whou never had a chance to play there. We see a place where our two living children can play along side their brother in spirit, and where community children can play in Caydens Memory. And I see something I built for my son. Thank you for your time.
Decisions, decisions. Which little lies are better to listen to? I think East Whiteland Supervisors meeting is the correct choice at 6:30 PM on Wednesday August 19th, 2026.
East Whiteland in my opinion is doing the pat the residents on their heads and give them a lollypop and tell them there is nothing to see here.
Every meeting has something to see, and as long as data centers are on the township menu EVERY meeting is an opportunity to be heard (politely even if some township supervisors are not.)
The residents of General Warren Village know this all too well and if you notice they show up still for most meetings to tell the township how they feel about Bishop Tube.
Last week the township released a data center word salad. The best comment I saw on social media said:
Their “word salad” will give you Cyclospora.
The reality is EVERY meeting has to legally allow public comment. People can do it virtually or in person. If the township wants to play kick the can with the data center issue just like they do with Bishop Tube, that is on them but legally they still have to provide time for public comment and allow it. So show up Wednesday and bring a friend. BE POLITE.
And in other burning East Whiteland news apparently Ginny Kerslake and I are hot topics at the Great Valley Democrat zone meetings held at East Whiteland Township in the township building. I am in good company with Ginny, yes? I am but one woman as is Ginny so do you have questions for us or something Supervisor Peter Fixler?
East Whiteland at that time kind of said that Foote Mineral as a site was all better but was it even then?
This politician doesn’t have to like me as I don’t care for him either, but for me to be a topic for discussion at Democrat Zone Meetings like I am public enemy number one and so is Ginny Kerslake? Really? Your zone meetings are held in the township building and not all of your residents are Democrats, so I hope the Democrats are contributing to the costs of having the meetings there after hours?
Residents are not the enemy, Supervisor Peter Fixler. We live here. We have a right to our opinions even if you don’t agree as an elected official that the majority of us are concerned about another truly bad plan for East Whiteland Township.
I haven’t drunk any Kool aid as has been previously alluded to. I have not liked this concept since jump.
If Fixler is a politician with a pro-environmental bent, he should act like it. But cut the middle school lunch table nonsense of serving up residents at political meetings. His political problems are self created on this topic. Neither I nor Ginny nor anyone else created them.
(In case you were wondering why East Whiteland needs more and better representation as in 2 more supervisors look no further that this guy IMHO.)
Bill Holmes was handing out this flyer to East Whiteland residents 7/29/26
What is the WORST thing a politician desperately seeking continued political relevance can do? Do we want to start with being a misogynistic asshat?
The opening screen shot is a flyer that former East Whiteland Supervisor Bill Holmes was handing out on July 29th, 2026. It was at the Battle of the Clouds Park at the petition signing – 7 PM is what residents who shared this flyer told me and guess what? I believe them for the simple reason that this was when some of them realized how dirty East Whiteland politics was.
So Billy Bully who still wants people to “Get On Board With Bill” doesn’t realize is that Ginny supported East Whiteland residents to get a question on the ballot about increasing the number of supervisors from 3 to 5, but this was initiated by East Whiteland residents. She did not originate the idea, and even if she had, why is it a bad idea? Because Bill Holmes doesn’t like it? Waaaaahhhh!
Point of fact is I also brought this up a few years ago and was told by a supervisor to drop it or they would stand a chance of losing control of the board. I didn’t pursue it then and NOT because of what I was told, but because residents were not into the idea back then.
This topic also was discussed by people when Holmes was actually still on the board. But no one wanted to act on it then at that point in time either.
The whole thing is about representation. Current bad situations like data center plans and other issues have made people think that 3 supervisors is simply not enough representation given how the township has grown. This is any resident’s right to ask for this under the second class township code of the Commonwealth of PA and it IS that simple. Easttown has 5 supervisors, for example. So does Charlestown. So does East Goshen. So does West Goshen. And those are the municipalities that I remember off of the top of my head.
Tredyffrin acts like they are a second class township with a board of 7 but it became a rather messy Home Rule Charter in 1976 and that is a story that needs telling. But that is another day, and not my story. Suffice it to say it’s rather surprising that the media has not picked up on that.
This isn’t something that the status quo in East Whiteland politics wants. They say they can’t get people to run, but the truth of the matter is they can’t get people to run the way they are recruiting them and isn’t that correct? As a matter of fact, it’s not just unique to East Whiteland. It’s countywide. Part of it has to do with the bizarro world of endorsement events for the primary.
The way a primary is supposed to work is water seeks it’s own level, and the people decide who they want as their candidates. Only they totally engineer it and it backfires.
Now back to Bill Holmes. After he and Jerry the diseased Pyne tree were being rather aggressive with residents on that evening where they handed out the assholes delight flyer making crap up about Ginny Kerslake etc we had the next thing: being nasty and a bully to a female resident and small business owner yes?
Well yes, sadly that happened too.
Daddy knows best or daddy will take your Barbies away doesn’t work with grown women not in the Bill cult but umm really Bill? Are we all supposed to be pregnant barefoot and in the kitchen too? Silent unless spoken to, Stepford Wifey in every way?
And then there is that Jerry Pyne email about data centers, right?
Why are they behaving so desperately anyway? What is in it for these particular Democrats? What do they lose if East Whiteland gets 2 more supervisors? What do they lose if a data center doesn’t happen?
Do we see a pattern about what happens if women in particular don’t get on the Papa DOES Preach train of do as you’re told politics? And the favorite targets seem to be women including me at times? Doesn’t that make Democrat politicians like Bill Holmes truly no better than dare I say it, Trump? You know that man that all male Democrat politicians will tell you that they don’t want to be like?
Yet here we are, right?
So Bill Holmes (and Jerry Pyne) and whomever else is on this trash women train? Thug politics never works no matter what side of the aisle. And Bill, we see you. So knock it off.
And East Whiteland residents should also remember who brought Bill Holmes to the supervisors’ table yes? Was it not Michele Vaughn?
Look it’s a petty vicious political circle all the way around in Chester County and neither major political party is innocent. It’s time for this crap to end.
And circling back to East Whiteland for a moment. Who stands to lose what specifically if East Whiteland adds two more supervisors? Who stands to lose what specifically if residents keep fighting the data center and other plans?
Who what where when? And will Bill Holmes ever behave like a gentleman?
Apparently, the apartments that we knew in my day as Bryn Mawr Courts and most recently as College Hall Apartments is being demolished at present by Shipley?
Sorry not sorry, but that is sad.
If you live nearby, send photos. I am looking for current photos of demolition and photos of it whole if you have them.
I am not thrilled that my alma mater is doing this, but they bought the property and sometime in institutions have the soul of nothingness. Truthfully, they need faculty housing. So they’re being a little shortsighted in my humble opinion.
Truthfully the place was amazing. It stood without burning to the ground with all of the Villanova parties and everything over the decades, but it just shows you how tough the building was.
Jeff S photo
Someone told me they might be turning that corner into a parking lot? And I found where the school put up a video about the demolition beginning. Just for the record that gator mascot is still the damn dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Also dumb? Celebrating the destruction of a historic asset.
Anyway, if you have photos of the demolition in progress or old photos of the building, you can send them through private message to my blog’s Facebook page. Just kindly indicate what kind of photo credit you would like.
Maybe for decades the place has been more infamous than a historic asset, but the sad thing is it actually was a historic asset.
You know, I’ve never been a big donor to Shipley‘s annual fund over the decades, this demolition of this building kind of makes me to feel less inclined to give them money in the near term and I hate to be that way, but what is wrong with adaptive reuse?
Jeff S. Photos
Anyway, if they had had their way, Beechwood House still wouldn’t be standing today either. They are not the ones who saved Beechwood. It was alumni and the community.
All demolition photos added so far are courtesy of Jeff S.
Data centers are on the menu, although no agenda or zoom link is out yet. If anything changes this blog will let you know as soon as I know.
It’s an oldie, but goodie that meetings that are crucially important are often held around major holiday times or the dead of summer.
If you are in a neighboring municipality, encourage your elected officials to send representation because this will affect you. This data center is not going to be in a bubble and won’t just affect East Whiteland residents.
East Whiteland Township is located at 209 Conestoga Road, Malvern PA 19355.
Soooo we recently learned about certain formerly ranking Great Valley Democrats (one who was actually the former vice chair of the Chesco Dems) were running around having hissy fits about East Whiteland Township residents circulating a petition with signatures to get a ballot question on the ballot.
The question was (and I am paraphrasing) was along the lines of should East Whiteland Township add two more supervisors? Under the Second Class Township code you can increase representation.
Sadly, this hissy fit included basically bullying a female resident who’s also a small business owner, and how is that behavior ok?)
So these men, Bill Holmes and Jerry Pyne, went to where residents were gathering signatures to object. They acted like it was a threat to democracy instead of what it really was, which is democracy in action.
Super sad and misogynistic behavior is so Welcome to Stepford isn’t it?
Anyway, it makes you wonder what the motivation is doesn’t it? I think a lot of it has to do with control. I don’t think it’s as much of fear that a Republican may get back on the board, as a fear of losing control.
Are we all just puppets on this bus of these political toadstools?
I was thinking about it and lo and behold it made me wonder even more when an email reached me from 2023. An email no one was looking for, it showed up in a bulk right to know request response.
Note the highlighted area at the bottom:
This email is a chat discussing the EW and WW data center with backup generation for the data center. I do not want the part to be labeled as against business!
So yeah, who is the author of this email? Wouldn’t that be one Jerry Pyne?
Oh Jerry, it’s not too hard to figure out when this email was written. It was around the time that residents wanted West Whiteland to say no to a hydrogen hub to go with the developers desire for a data center, wasn’t it? (West Whiteland did say no, remember?)
I mean it’s so funny. This email chain started like literally I guess a couple days after that big Inquirer article came out?
Precious.
Let’s review what I have been told by those who were doing RTK requests then:
This was a January 2023 email from Jerry Pyne, an East Whiteland Democratic Committee Person, and at that time, Vice Chair of the county Democrats was included in the response to a RTK request (on an unrelated issue) to the Township. The email comes on the heels of a Philadelphia Inquirer article about Charlie Lyddane’s ongoing attempts to build a hyper scale data center in East Whiteland and his attempt to change zoning in West Whiteland for data centers and power plants.
Jerry Pyne forwarded to Democrat County commissioners Marian and Josh and Township supervisor Scott Lambert (using his township email address ) an email discussion between fellow EW Democrat committee people who were discussing their concerns for impacts to the environment, quality of life and place, energy resources, etc.
But Jerry Pyne’s concern was different: “I do not want the part[y] to be labelled as anti business!” That was his concern. Not the impact this development would have on the community and the environment.
I have heard that the recent Great Valley Democrat meeting held at the East Whiteland Township Building did have some chatter about data centers. But they haven’t taken a position. And they also haven’t taken a position at this point on the desire for East Whiteland residents to get a ballot question out there on the ballot for the fall about increasing the size of the East Whiteland Township Supetvisors’ board.
I have a suggestion for the Great Valley Democrats. My suggestion is simple. They need to distance from these people publicly. They should not even have the optics out there that they might be supporting these efforts on bothering residents about having their opinions on data centers and whether it should be three or five supervisors. And the key words is they need to take a public position. No hiding, no why can’t we all get along. They need to tell people they don’t support misogynistic bullying behavior that is in my opinion anti-democracy.
And oh hell, yes I can have that opinion. And it makes you wonder who Jerry was talking to about what before he decided to contact everybody back then?
So yes, data centers in our communities are uncovering all sorts of interesting issues.
It’s uncovering how nasty these political types are getting if there’s any threat to their power structure or what they think is best at the expense of all the other residents.
Chester County, it is time for a change in both political parties. These political parties need to shut their mouths and need to sit down and listen to what is bothering the plurality.
I’m sure this issue will continue to unfold. But I thought for now this email was simply too precious not to share. Time for Jerry Pyne and Bill Holmes and others to retire.
And darling Jerry and Bill? Remember my opinions are bought to you courtesy of the First Amendment. And other political types out there? Don’t let these issues be your Waterloo. The times they are a changing IMHO.
These issues facing our communities involve everyone. Stop playing party politics (poorly).
Villa Grove Colorado is on fire. It’s a little unincorporated town in Colorado and they’re already suffering a severe drought and water shortage and there’s not enough water to put the fire out and literally the whole town is on fire. This includes peoples homes a few small businesses in the town and this amazing pottery business that was a big tourist attraction.
Apparently there were helicopters being flown in from Colorado Springs that I guess they’re like those special ones equipped for fires, but the town is up in flames.
So this is a place experiencing extreme drought and water shortages. It’s on fire and the residents of this community and neighboring communities are also fighting data center issues in Colorado.
For me it really hits home that this is a place that doesn’t have water to spare, yet government wants to look the other way and allow data centers in the vicinity which suck water and energy.
Also, why am I posting this because I have friends that live there. This is personal.
