Screenshots from a public post on Facebook. Quarry Road in Chester County – Downingtown.
This is our world today? ICE is following landscaper trucks around now?
I wonder was there an underlying traffic reason for stop?
So what happens if these are people who have legitimate green cards/work permits etc? How long before they stop being terrified and are released? If they can prove legitimacy to be here, how soon before they are believed?
When the development dwellers complain to HOA about their grass? Look no further….
No, I did not these photos. These are publicly posted screenshots.
This morning Bob from Fox29 went to Historic Yellow Springs to visit Life’s Patina Mercantile and Cafe, and it makes me wonder aloud does West Pikeland Township appreciate the treasures in this township?
Now everyone knows I love Life’s Patina and the simply marvelous things Meg Veno and her team do. A fun fact is I really was the person who told Meg at one of her barn sales that the late Charlie Orlando (He died a while back and remember Yellow Springs Inn?) had lost the Jenny Lind House (now the Life’s Patina Mercantile and Cafe) to foreclosure and the site was up for grabs. Meg had been speaking about wanting a new project, and I said the Jenny Lind. That was 2018 maybe late 2017, I forget.
here are some photos I took during a visit when the renovation was occuring:
It was so exciting to watch the Jenny Lind come back to life! I took a little video in 2023 when she opened. I do not remember if anyone from West Pikeland Towsnhip was there or not. I do not know the elected officials, so I wouldn’t recognize them.
I was there a couple of weeks ago again:
It was such a long and involved process and my favorite part is not even open yet: the upstairs guest rooms. They are ensuite and just perfect. I haven’t wanted to pry so I have not asked why the rooms are not open yet, but knowing what other people have gone through living in West Pikeland with that odd township, you have to wonder, right?
If West Pikeland was more savvy, they would better cultivate these new businesses pouring money into expensive renovations for the right reasons wouldn’t you think? After all they also have Jeff Devlin (HGTV etc Stone House Revival) there with Sycamore and Stone, as well as Meg… although the Life’s Patina team saw the potential in Yellow Springs Village before Jeff arrived. Ironically, he opened ahead of them and I totally adore Jeff and his wife Janelle, but there is no denying star power motivates local government. I saw it happen on the Main Line all of the time, and it probably still does happen, sadly.
West Pikeland is just odd and Pennsyltucky in their ways. No other way around it.
It’s like West Pikeland favors some over others. In that township they have had musical chairs with managers, they can’t seem to record meetings, meeting minutes are problematic, and oh yeah they are trying to ditch their local police department and you are never ever sure what is going on and it’s truthfully sad because it is a lovely slice of Chester County there….. but what is new to me is their 90% tax increase? Oy.
And then there is the police of it all and to that end what happened at a recent meeting:
West Pikeland Township, you need to appreciate what’s in front of you, including the police. You are a township of treasures, undervalued by you.
I just unfriended someone I know on social media, an older man as a matter of fact, for his obnoxious commentary about the former president’s prostate cancer diagnosis. My father died of prostate cancer that eventually metastasized elsewhere and I want to think that people should be able to be better humans about anyone’s cancer diagnosis.
Plastic assholes who play oncologist on the internet.
Some people will be very open about their cancer, no matter what their status in life is. Others will not I have been very open over the years about having had breast cancer and my recurring battles with skin cancer. My father was the opposite. He kept it from everyone for a long time, and even when he died, a lot of people never knew he had been sick. That was his personal choice. As a family member and his daughter I found his choice hard, but I honored it because it was his story to tell not mine. I think that is why I was so open about my own cancer. I did not want people burdened by keeping my cancer a secret.
Leave your goddamn politics at the door because cancer doesn’t recognize gender, politics, socioeconomic level, or anything much other than it ravages your body. And if the cancer doesn’t beat you to a pulp, sometimes treatment actually does. 
One of the comments on this man’s post was something along the lines of well they guess if they could’ve hidden the diagnosis they would have. It’s cancer and cancer is very personal. It has a public face as a disease but when it’s happening to you, trust me because I know personally that you don’t know how it feels and you should not tell anyone how they are supposed to handle it or go through it.
If as human beings, we can’t show respect and compassion for anyone with a cancer diagnosis, then that is pretty freaking pathetic.
I really get tired of the simpletons who tell me I must not have lived here long and that certain places have flooded for decades. Yes, a lot of places have flooded for decades and does that make it OK and do these people ever look beyond the edge of their own noses to see what is all being built and developed around these flood locations that just make it worse?
West Chester
Development and climate change play a big part in our flooding during storms. And the developers develop these projects and they say they’re going to do stormwater management but is it ever enough?
And while Harrisburg and Josh Shapiro are trying to shove HB-502 down our throats, do they do anything ever proactive like enact and act of the State Constitution to overhaul the Municipalities Planning Code to protect us?
And what is HB-502?
As Ginny Kerslake explains after East Whiteland publicly objected to it:
Thank you East Whiteland Township for standing up for your residents and local government. We need every township to do likewise:
East Whiteland Township recently issued letters to local legislators opposing PA House Bill 502, which would strip local governments of the power to make land use and zoning decisions related to large scale energy production facilities—handing it instead to a politically appointed board in Harrisburg.
Local officials know our communities best. We use careful planning and resident input to protect our environment and quality of life. This bill threatens that balance and could open the door to unchecked development—even on preserved land.”
How can you help stop this bad bill?
✅ Urge your Township Supervisors to follow East Whiteland’s lead. ✅ Contact your State Rep and State Senator and urge them to vote NO on HB502. (Find your legislators: https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legislator).
So back to stormwater. These storms with freakish amounts of water keep happening and in part that’s climate change.
The flooding is increasing. There IS also a connection to development, and it doesn’t mean development right where the flooding occurred but adjacent to it. Water seeks its own level.
Yesterday was yet another example as to why mankind needs to change the way we do things. Overdevelopment and climate change are real. Together they cause us more and more issues.
In August 2021, above screenshot was the headline news in Berks County, where Chester County’s head of voter services came from:
WEST CHESTER – Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline announced the appointment of Karen Barsoum as director of Chester County’s Department of Voter Services.
Barsoum brings to Chester County Voter Services more than 10 years of experience working within municipal government, including seven years as assistant director of election services for Berks County.
OK this. This is off the hook. This is the absolute BEST gem of the week and if the media or public had watched the recent Chester County Commissioners meeting this is all anyone would be talking about.
A woman made a public comment regarding the Voter Services director, Karen Barsoum. She was a former employee. One of my sources today told me that this woman was so excited to join voter services at first she felt like she was taking a job that made a difference.
So this lady is one of the former employees. I think she is really brave is coming forward the way she did.
She spoke about how Barsoum supposedly reacted to staff about the prothonotary being left off of the ballot and employees were treated, the high turnover rate, supposedly how HR has been involved and has done nothing and how can that be?
There has been an insane turnover rate and this woman who spoke said that only 3 seasoned employees remain since she was hired. A total of 27 left and/or got fired. The total number of employees for the department is now about 22?
There have been other issues with candidates getting on the ballot, etc., for this upcoming election that they haven’t talked about publicly and it seems to me there’s more going on here than has actually been discussed publicly and doesn’t public deserve to know what’s really going on in County Row?
So I know who one of the other elected officials is who is not on the ballot. It is the current chair of the West Whiteland Supervisors, Rajesh Kumbhardare.
Rajesh Kumbhardare, Raj as he is known to most is a very nice, hardworking man. He gives his all for his township and he decided to run for reelection. So he did contact voter services. I am told by my sources voter services was contacted to make sure he had everything in order to file. What I didn’t know until all of this is that it’s a bit of a different procedure as an incumbent versus somebody running for the first time.
My sources told me today that Raj turned his financials in to the township. When he filed his paperwork at voter services, however, they told him he had everything. Then after the fact they told him he didn’t have his financials and rejected him. His only recourse was to basically appeal to the courts, and at that point I was told that even some people from voter services did try to help him.
However, when he went to court and in front of Judge Verway , the judge denied him. Now people have to write him in on the ballot during the upcoming election to get him on the ballot for the fall. He should be on in the first place.
Now I know nothing about these filings so I asked someone else about the financial form. Someone said that the requirement to turn that financial form in with the other paperwork to voter services is a stateregulation. But what concerns him he said is that no one caught that.
So if that’s a state regulation, why wasn’t he told when he called voter services initially this is a person who I am told is very detail oriented, so I am siding with him, although I really don’t know the man.
Further and to the point, I am told by other people that this has happened quite a few people this election season.
I think this is a county office in deep trouble. And I’m guessing a lot of of us would like to be a fly on the wall about what happened in the voter services office after these comments at the commissioners’ meeting, right?
Look, I don’t know what’s going on with County Row, but we deserve to feel secure in our elections, and after these mistakes and the recent county commissioners’ meeting, I now have legitimate concerns that we are.
My opinion is probably not going to be popular with some in the county, but that woman who spoke was even and calm and measured, and it was obviously very hard for her to have to speak her peace on this. I respect her for coming forward and I think everyone should. 
I will tell you in all fairness, that there were a couple of times when I had to call voter services and the people who answered the phone were very nice. But I can also tell you that the first time I called I was so impressed by the woman who answered the phone, that I wrote her name down.
There was a significant amount of time between when I called the first time and when I called the second time that lady wasn’t there anymore. And the second time I called is when this new director had taken the job. Coincidence? I honestly have no idea.
And again, I’m not trying to start a witch hunt here, but something is obviously very wrong with this office. Now, because there are problems with this office, there are people that have gotten left off the ballot who shouldn’t have been left off a ballot and I think that’s ridiculous.
Is my opinion that the county commissioners have to stop doing things like hiring CFOs and CXOs and start paying attention.
I also find it sad that not one single commissioner at that May 5 meeting even thanked that woman for the courage of standing up and leaving a public comment. I was also astounded at how empty the meeting was and how the media hasn’t picked up on this.
Less photo ops more governing, please. And while we’re talking about things, you never hear about Chester County any longer isn’t it interesting how the whole Advaite of it all has just disappeared?
I swear things happen in this county at the county level and you hear about it early on and then it all disappears doesn’t it? So what happens when you take the dust out from underneath the rug where things have been swept?
So NO to dirty politics and YES to smaller government. Say YES to not raising taxes on our seniors and those on fixed incomes. My opponent is still obsessing about a debate. Her moderators are 1)a guy from outside our community who is engaging my opponent’s supporters to stump for her and 2) below is the picture of the front yard of the other guy. Yeah, I not falling for your tricks 😉
Just one question yes man bobblehead talking hoodie: are you drooling while you post this nonsense?
Yes, thug politics in Honey Brook Township has reached a new level of absurd. I won’t say new low because dude’s knuckles are already scraping the ground.
What we see here is a desperate man controlled by another desperate man and bully, Supervisor Sal DiBloviator. And yes thug life, I can have these opinions on politics. It’s all part of those inalienable rights. (I have to remind them because they forget.)
I also need to remind the thug politics life in Honey Brook Township that I’m not part of any campaign. This is just how I feel on politics in that municipality so yes, I am a horrible person from the other end of the county.
Whatever.
What isn’t whatever however is the fact that they are basically posting photos of people who have Valerie Shultz lawn signs up and why are they doing that? Can it be construed they’re doing that to intimidate residents?
And let’s break down his post a little more he’s talking about some “guy” who is engaging (supposedly) people to vote for Valerie Shultz? He’s talking about a radio show host at WCHE where he was invited to come on and he’s too much of a pussy to do so so he can’t have it both ways can he? Equal time was offered, but the hoodie is running his campaign off of Facebook, and adding the occasional lawn chair event like it’s the pork shop out of the Sopranos, and that’s his choice and comfort level, right?
And umm 🤔 he’s the one obsessing over everything. Debates, because he’s the one whose jaws flap the most about it and he is running the pussy first campaign of literally debating his opponent on Facebook because he is afraid to debate her in public, correct?
Then there is the bizarre thing that even if they want to tell people it’s dangerous to put a polling place in a school when public schools everywhere do it because that’s actually a lie isn’t it?
He talks about being open and for the people yet he wants to keep people who can’t make a meeting from speaking at public comment times on zoom? In spite of the fact it happens every week all over the county and even at county commissioner meetings?
He refers to points his opponent makes as a “manifesto” to try to make it sound bad or dangerous and doesn’t he get he just sounds like a fool? Hey why not just flat out say women who have independent opinions and voices are just bitches? Isn’t that also what is being inferred in this misogynistic guide to local politics l?
And then the attempt with crayon and sidewalk chalk to say a second class township contemplating going from 3 to 5 supervisors is bad for government? In this case it would level the playing field and give more people in the community fair representation and how is that a bad thing if current politicians and government have nothing to hide?
Water always seeks its own level so he for sure has people that think he’s right, however, there are a lot of people who do not and just because they don’t have a Valerie sign on their lawn or are being quiet it doesn’t mean he’s going to get their vote. As a matter of fact, I will take this opportunity to remind every resident of voting age in Honey Brook Township that what you do in the privacy of the voting booth is your business, not theirs. and people who essentially are telling you to vote like they told you are not people you want in office.
If this guy had a backbone and an ounce of independence, I probably never would’ve said anything. If this guy and the people who run him, yes run him, hadn’t started thug politics with this primary I wouldn’t have said anything. But these people are basically just trying to beat you all down into their version of reality.
If Honey Brook Township residents don’t like being treated like they are in a bad adult daycare, stop voting for people who make you feel that way. And that would be this guy and the people who are running him.
For me, writing this post, he will roll up and do another one of his inane videos about the horrible outside. People influencing the community. I’m just expressing my opinion and I’m calling bullshit on them. This guy is not independent. He will never have an independent voice and he’s a current supervisor’s puppet. (I’m really thinking little be-atch, but I don’t want to be rude.)
And this whole thing over lawn signs being dirty politics? Let me break it down without using crayons so they understand. If you own a property in a municipality you can put up a sign for a campaign. That’s your choice.
Now, for the comments on this post:
So I don’t know who this John is, but it sounds like he’s being harassed doesn’t it? Isn’t harassing a private resident in a municipality who’s not running for office just exercising their right to have a lawn sign bad?
And if somebody has a house in the mountains or a house at the beach or a house anywhere that they go to for vacation does that mean they can’t have a lawn sign at their primary residence?
These people are bullies. And they’re getting more desperate every day that goes by because Valerie Shultz presents a real threat to what they perceive is their personal kingdom.
Of course they are now going to make a big deal because I’m talking about them again. But they wanted to be talked about didn’t they? They just wanted to be able to control the narrative. Guess what guys, you have created through your actions a narrative you cannot control now and people are seeing you for what you are actually about.
God don’t like ugly and these are some of the ugliest most disingenuous types I have seen in a while. Local government should not be about fear, retribution, and retaliation.
There really is a difficult post to write. I also know for writing it I will receive hate mail and be vilified. But as someone who spent my Judy Blume years until my late 40s living in Lower Merion I am watching here and there on the sidelines as this craziness to ME evolves and continues. And it is so ugly.
So yes, the limited commentary in this post is opinion based. It doesn’t make me an antisemite for asking the questions, but to the people on this crusade it will. I’m sorry I do not feel I can be responsible for their feelings. I’m honestly not sure that anyone should be responsible for their feelings. I think they ask a lot of people and I think they’re making demands that might not necessarily be fair to everyone.
I started thinking about this yesterday when I was sent these screenshots:
The person who sent me the screenshots said to me and I quote :
They truly don’t understand that humanism is not anti-Semitism.
Then came all this stuff about a gift from a student in I guess Lower Merion High School (screenshot is above and below in the gallery along with comments.)
According to school district spokesperson Amy Buckman, the gift (a handmade piece of pottery) that was created by a former student when they were 15….and it was given to said teacher 17 years ago. The information is it’s been there for 17 years. Without incident until the witch-hunts started.
Oh and the student artist is Jewish. It was a gift to a beloved teacher, and now these people in their zeal for whatever their glory is they are seeking are trying to make it into something ugly and dirty, and I have a problem with that. So I will post what the school district had to say, and they were going to ask the teacher to take it down, although it is sat in a classroom since it was given as a gift with no problem.
So this is what I don’t understand. And it’s pretty simple. Do these people actually understand what antisemitism is and I know they’re going to hop all over me because they’re Jewish and I’m not and I know nothing according to them, but I do know what antisemitism is and a teacher displaying a pot with a star of David and other symbols created by Jewish student is not antisemitism. It was that student’s artistic expression. He was interpreting things as someone who is Jewish and was he wrong? I don’t think we can be the judge of that. I don’t think they can be the judge of that. It was a gift given in caring to a teacher. I don’t understand how these parents can’t focus on the fact that this is a teacher that a student thought so well of, they gave them this gift.
And I think the thing that is getting to me the most and Lower Merion is all of this infighting. I don’t know how else to sum it up as it’s Jewish people fighting with Jewish people over who’s a better Jewish person. I think that’s God’s judgment, or maybe a rabbi’s for interpretation, but not everyone else.
But these people are turning Lower Merion into a sea of ugly. And I also think because it all surrounds the school district and the upcoming school board races that it also has to do with politics. These people don’t like the Democrats and they’re pushing a more Trumpian agenda and I think that is what is behind a lot of of this and I think that’s flat out wrong.
Now, I will be honest and say that I think a balance of both parties on a school board is something that’s a good thing but that’s just my personal preference. But given the way extremes and politics seems to rule the day. I don’t know what works anymore. I just think it has to be the right candidates. This is another office where I almost wish that people could run for school board without a party affiliation so you could just judge the person by their qualifications etc.
However, with politics, especially in Lower Merion it has always been whomever gets all the toys wins, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that is a good thing. But I think it’s really duplicitous to post a slate of Republican candidates for school board under a window with a star of David for a visual when you don’t even know anything about them and they’re not identified as being Republican.
Oh and on the GOP slate running for office is a high school student from Harriton. My gut instinct says he really wants to make a difference, but he’s being used by the adults around him. He’s like a more annoying Alex P. Keaton without the wit and depth of that TV character as portrayed by Michael J. Fox.
Now I think it’s a great idea to have high school representatives to the school board, but we went through this in Great Valley a few years ago where some extremism woman put her daughter up who was a teenager in college for school board. Her teenager never really went anywhere. Everybody laughed at it and the girl lost miserably. The mother then also tried to run for state representative unsuccessfully, and school board unsuccessfully in her own right. And we think that was what it was all about: just her ideals and ambition not actually her daughter’s.
People don’t seem to understand that while it’s great to have kids as representatives to the school board from high schools wherever they live, these are kids. They’re not emancipated minors, paying taxes and living in their own homes and paying for everything they’re at a stage of their life where OK maybe they have jobs after school and what not but they’re being supported by their parents. Their hearts might be in the right place, but they lack the expertise and real life experience to serve in anything other than a student representative capacity.
I don’t really have anything more to say. I have admitted since the first word in this post that I am out of my depth here because I am not Jewish. But I do care, and I wish these people could just meet and lay down their weapons and their keyboards and try a humanist approach. After all together, they could achieve real good. But this crusade of everything is antisemitic mixed with Trumpian politics isn’tworking and it diminishes in my mind again as a mere mortal and a shiksa what antisemitism really means.
May we merit to bring about the day when war and bloodshed cease,
and a great peace embraces the whole universe.
“No nation will lift up a sword to another,
and the art of war will no longer be studied.” (Isaiah 2:4 )
May we live to see the leaders of all the nations
inspired to do good with their peoples
and with all other peoples of the world,
bringing about the fulfillment of the Scriptural blessing,
“I will bring peace to the Earth,
and you will lie down with no one to terrify you,
and I will bring calm to all vicious creatures on Earth,
and the sword will no longer pass in your Land.” (Leviticus 26:6)
An unfortunate post-script to this post is how folks in Lower Merion who make people’s lives hell over these topics just can’t help themselves:
And they keep on sending in their nasty comments. This latest one? Oh my. Not a paper, a blog. Merely expressed my opinions, which they do not like. Also, not doxxing, they chose to write to my blog.
And now the other comments. I love being told I can’t say anything because I am not them, essentially. And golly gee whilikers, I am sophomoric at best according to a mansplainer, yet they all can’t stop reading this? Thank you kindly, to the nice lady who gets my post. These people are putting this stuff out everywhere and expect people to accept what they say as just gospel and well heaven forbid you don’t. And yes Harry darling, I am a shiksa, yawn, we have already established this.
And the hits they keep on coming. This is fascinating and another excellent study in mob mentality on Facebook. Like the guy above who thought he would incite me because he mentioned Israel wasn’t at the Pope’s funeral? I mean for real? Am I supposed to have a fit of the vapors and start waving my rosary beads around and spraying the internet with Holy Water?
Then there was this:
Say what? Another unsolicited private message from him and yes there have been others. Usually trying to get me to share his posts. This isn’t on Facebook and he and others have been beating this drum, wanting their manufactured issues (can I call it propaganda?) out there, but because my opinion is different from what is acceptable in their social media echo chambers it’s bad? I ignored the comment (and my sources tell me this guy is still on some kind of cruise to Iceland and this is what he’s doing with his time?) so then he had to write this blog:
And then this:
Gerry, Gerry, Gerry I am not publishing anonymously. And his or her? That’s actually funny. Every post is signed AND besides YOU KNOW MY NAME. And no, my blog page is not a group on Facebook, it’s a page, and so what if I point out the distinction? It’s public and you see it, unless of course I remove you which is my right, just like if I decide I don’t want more hate mail from someone I can restrict that and what’s the big deal? Also, none of these screenshots have been shared by me on Facebook.
Oh but wait, he got a very funny reply:
Then there was this:
Gerry has a son (who knew?) who didn’t like another topic I wrote about. Now more people are reading this blog….so thank you son of Gerry.
And this guy Todd Hall. I was waiting for this. Oh gosh someone brought up the Save Ardmore Coalition. Shockers. I am proud of my part in the ORIGINAL Save Ardmore Coalition. We did a lot of good, cool stuff, and stopped eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore and marched alongside Susett Kelo in Washington DC. But his facts are skewed. I spent most of my life in Lower Merion but yes I did move. My husband is from Chester County. I love Chester County so when he said he was not willing to live on the Main Line of today because it wasn’t his scene, I was fine with that. I mean I get it because all of these nouveau Main Line people who live in the nasty echo chambers of Facebook who live in especially Lower Merion today? Not my country, not my people.
Next the person who claims I did bad bad things only I do not have a clue as to meeting them but they are ok slandering me? Ok honey, get your 60 seconds of Fakebook fame, you obviously need it:
Every hour of every day someone somewhere is sharing screenshots from Facebook on Facebook. But when I do it, it’s bad.
And the saddest thing of all? Because these people have had their vitriol and nastiness and intolerance exposed, they are on the war path and miss the point of what I wrote in the first place. But they can have their sad bubbles and echo chambers of nastiness. It’s their right to behave like savages I suppose, but they seriously expect people to just take their abuse? And these are the people who will holler to the rooftops about bullying in the schools? Gosh where do they think the kids learned it from?
These people have taken a sensitive topic and weaponized it against even people of their own faith. I think that is really sad.
Honey Brook Township is the thug politics gift that keeps on gifting, or is that grifting? Haven’t seen any grifting but who knows, right?
My favorite “truth” this Tuesday comes from the lips of the guy running for Honey Brook Township supervisor when he essentially said Valerie Shultz his GOP opponent is bad because she’s a (shock and horrors) COMMUNITY ACTIVIST!
A community activist? Can you IMAGINE? Oh my gosh does she have horns?
And then there is all of the drivel about for whom Valerie works, a pharmaceutical company and why is that bad when her opponent’s wifey ALSO works for a pharmaceutical company?
And lest we forget, he’s a PERFESSIONAL. And if you listen to what he says if you want a bobblehead yes man for your dashboard, he’s your guy. Personally I think dashboard bobbleheads are tacky.
But what is really and truly disturbing is politician and current stupidvisor Sal DiGiacomo. Is he terrified of Valerie Shultz or just an asshole? Hard to tell. And yes, in case the Captains America are wondering I can have these opinions.
Now Stupidvisor Sal really goes out of his way to have conduct unbecoming. He literally trashes Valerie Shultz and claims things are “proven” about her and I would like to know who is this sly dog executioner? I mean besides him, right?
Also in the mix? Mrs. Honeybrook Residents Group Admin who has recently banned politics in the Honey Brook Echo Chamber after essentially getting hoisted by her own petard, yes?
But back to Sal who loves getting his photo taken holding checks. He is astounding and a prime examplewhy Honey Brook Township needs MORE Vals and NO Sals.
Change can be hard for communities, but the way these people are reacting makes you wonder what they are hiding, doesn’t it? And oh by the way there is someone named Cheryl who likes to opine on all things Honey Brook Township like she’s an expert on the area, and hey that’s cool except the little lady doesn’t actually live there…she just works with Stupidvisor Sal’s wifey so does that make her a ringer for the dark side?
And best of all I think I know WHY the stupidvisors hate her other than when people ask normal questions and expect truthful answers from local government it’s a problem is because of the ballot referendum in 2023 that probably scared the crap out of them. In 2023, she initiated a petition to place a referendum on the ballot to add two supervisors to the three-member board. I think that is a great idea and WISH more 2nd class townships would do this. Val is also for having a local police force because the Pennsylvania State Police are so overburdened. That is just common sense, and what I don’t get is why her opponent doesn’t embrace that as a member of Upper Uwchlan’s police force? I mean you would think he would get it, right?
I hope you check it and her out…and remember they are trying so hard with nasty divisive thug politics to keep her off of the ballot and THAT is exactly WHY if you live in Honey Brook Township, you SHOULD vote for her.
It’s time to shake the cobwebs off of the lack of sunshine in this municipality and take out the trash.
So Ravine Road in East Whiteland, which runs between W. King Rd. and Phoenixville Pike has been closed since March 23rd. The reason it’s closed is because of one of the lovely abandoned railroad structures that dot our land landscape in Chester County.
And every time there’s an issue with an underpass, an overpass or a bridge or a tunnel or anything having to do with what the railroad used to be, municipalities have to figure out what to do when there are problems. I do believe this is what East Whiteland is facing right now.
Engineers are assessing this overpass thing that was built in 1915. It periodically gets hit, periodically sheds pieces of crumbling concrete. There’s nothing running above it now as far as a train and ownership of course is always a question. It used to be part of the West Chester Railroad I do not believe that Immaculata owns it and I really don’t believe that East Whiteland owns it. I think it is straight up abandoned, but now because it’s straight up abandoned and falling apart, who takes care of it??
In my humble opinion, this is where the state and county could be of more assistance.
A couple people I know are digging into this for me. I don’t know if they’ll come up with any answers, but in the meantime, an East Whiteland Township road is closed.
This is not on any historic bridge inventory that I can find although technically it probably is because the dates to 1915. But is it anything special? Can we just take the top off of it so East Whiteland stops having structural issues? But if you take the top off of it, you have to cap the sides and deal with making sure water doesn’t undermine it right?
This bridge is a reinforced concrete slab overpass of short length. It has pipe railings. The date of construction is cast into the side of the superstructure. The superstructure rests on concrete abutments. It is part of the old West Chester Railroad, which is long-abandoned in this section, with this bridge being a rare reminder of what used to be. A preservation group still maintains a different section of this line.
On their 10 point scale of historic value, it’s a one as in 1. So most do not consider it much of a historic asset. I personally like this the least of the three underpasses you go through on this road. I’ve taken lots of photos over the years, but mostly I take photos of the ones down near Phoenixville Pike.
Two more underpasses on Ravine, but these are the ones I like closest to Phoenixville Pike
Now many moons ago, Immaculata had a train station on her campus. A few years ago, there was a study to try to recreate it. It’s not happening. I was told that back then by the outgoing general manager of SEPTA before Leslie Richards came in. (Of course, at the time no one believed me. But hello it’s 2025 and it didn’t go anywhere did it? Just more wasted study money.)
This was someone I had known since he had been an engineer fairly high up in septa. He had always been really helpful and responsive to community things. I met him when I had written about the Wayne train station and flooding off of the tracks and a big drainage pipe that had no grate on it- it is so big that kids and dogs could get into etc. He had read what I had written and in the end the Wayne train station in Radnor Township got some much needed stormwater management underneath the parking lot when they redid it. And then a simple yet effective grate was placed over a concrete drainage tube on the Pennsylvania Avenue side, which of course dissuaded dogs and kids.
And before COVID when I asked about a station again at Immaculata he told me that realistically, we weren’t going to see a train station revived at Immaculata because there was one in Malvern and it was already taking long enough to get past Malvern to the stations west of Malvern . Then there was the fact that Immaculata didn’t really want a train station with the public parking on their campus for that, because hello it poses a safety concern, doesn’t it? I thought maybe since they put the money into the study they would look at oh I don’t know putting a train station somewhere over around 3 Tun Rd., but nothing ever happened and then Covid happened.
Now this Ravine Road underpass/railroad bridge or whatever I believe, belongs to exactly no one. And what that means realistically is getting it dealt with is going to be a monumental pain in the ass for East Whiteland. I think it would behoove Chester County and the state to help them out with this.
So until it gets figured out the road is closed. You may not use Ravine Road in East Whiteland.
And as I have said multiple times before, not just in this post, there are structures like this all over our region and they need to be better documented. And I get really tired of the abandoned of it all when there are existing railroads which could help us with the costs of dealing with these things.
And having to do with the April Fool’s at all? There are so many gullible people. Where do you think I’m going?
So…a little follow up for the no-no queen and the ostrich collective…err I mean supervisors and staff in Tredyffrin. I don’t mean to be so municipally sarcastic but somehow Tredyffrin brings it out in me regarding the do nothing attitude of helping Mt. Pleasant and a lot of other stuff these days. But hey you now have an art committee to do I am not quite sure what, right?
Anyway, Erin McPherson, Tredyffrin’s director of planning and zoning seemed like she so couldn’t possibly about anything at last week’s meeting that I wondered if this brand new photo would encourage her to get out from behind her desk and lumber on over to Mt. Pleasant and see for herself? She can use Waze if she doesn’t know how to get there, or ask Manager Bill Martin because he definitely knows where Mt. Pleasant is located, right? He lives in the township, correct?
The next photo is from the summer of 2024 and I was wondering how Erin McPherson, Tredyffrin’s director of planning and zoning thought everyone was going to navigate this?
Tredyffrin Township, your slip is showing….again. And your zoning notices about developers wanting taller fences over on Vincent Road are also amusing…perhaps people really don’t want McMansions backing up to 252 after all?
Welcome to Tredyffrin where officials seem to drool and/or make excuses?
