I do not have a horse in this race but this is one of these properties that if it all gets chopped up for development it would be horrible. This property is in Willistown Township and Great Valley School District. The Great Valley School District is bursting at the seams already, so all of these developments add up.
So according to what I saw posted in Willistown Community Page it is like 14 houses. Big questions include: if the property is 222 acres per realtor and media descriptions are these homes all going to be on like 15+ acre lots? Or will these McMansions be built on smaller parcels and what happens to the rest?
If you are interested in this meeting the Willistown Planning Commission is TONIGHT June 9 at 7:30 PM. It is a ZOOM meeting and you can register for it here:
Hopefully a good chunk of this land is in conservation, but given what we have see happen with other large parcels including what is still being fought over at Crebilly in Westtown, the devil is in the details. Tune in!
People should be tuning into Willistown now anyway given all sorts of things like….why are there only TWO supervisors now????
Billboards are ugly. I was struck by that once again as we were driving back from the flower show.
That first photo above? It is a “monument” sign. Not sure a monument to other than ugliness.
Smile More? Sure if there were fewer billboards on highways. There are so many in certain parts of Philadelphia especially along the highways it is somewhat astounding…. and distracting.
Say no to billboards. They are not about our communities. They are about greed IMHO.
Coming back from the Philadelphia Flower Show traffic has been hideous on 76 West/ Schuylkill Expressway. Then all of a sudden a slew of Pennsylvania State Police start flying by, including an unmarked car.
We have no idea who or what they were after. Can’t tell if there was an accident, unsure if guy in photo was in cuffs.
I will note that there is a BIG police presence on highways today.
As my readers will recall I wrote about Whitetail Disposal a few months ago. It concerned their door to door reputation during COVID-19.
When Whitetail Disposal showed up at my door last summer. The guy was clean cut and neatly dressed. No complaints there. He was easily identifiable as one of their employees. No complaints there. But when a homeowner (me) says she is uncomfortable with a door to door solicitation during COVID-19, and you should leave and here is what you shouldn’t do:
1. Don’t tell the homeowner you aren’t doing anything wrong. You are by arguing. 2. Don’t keep standing there waving your badge and saying you have a permit to solicit when the homeowner has asked you to leave. That’s called trespassing. 3. Don’t go to leave by cutting through people’s properties to get to other properties, that is still trespassing!
I wasn’t the only one who had this experience and I went to my township and so did a lot of other people. A lot of people called my township out of concern. Aggressive door to door solicitation is bad enough in regular circumstances, this was during full-blown COVID-19.
One of the things that bothered me the most about Whitetail doing this during COVID-19 is if you said no to one person soliciting, a lot of times another person showed up a day or two later. When a homeowner says no, no means no and you market on a list that it’s do not solicit.
This even came up as a topic for discussion at one of our township meetings. (See East Whiteland 9/9/2020.) I would say their company rep was a smacked ass on that Zoom meeting. He told them everything they wanted to hear as far as I’m concerned how they do better and they do this and they do that but what do they do really if they keep sending reps back to places they were asked not to return to?
Flash forward to literally 10 minutes ago. I have to tell you even I am astounded by the brass balls on these people at Whitetail as they showed up on my street…AGAIN. And the neighborhood text chain went off immediately when they started door to door (a young woman with long dark hair, black t-shirt ) and I said to my neighbors I know exactly who it is and NO you don’t have to open your door to them —-it’s probably that trash company Whitetail…and sure enough it was.
This time it was a young woman with dark hair probably I would say early to mid 20s I’m about 5’ 6” so I would say she was probably close to my height.
When she got to me I was holding my phone, and I think she thought I was recording her but I wasn’t. Not that I would be outside of my rights to do so on my own property and on a public street.
I asked her what she was doing here. She said she was from the “trash company.”
I said which trash company.
She said Whitetail.
I said to her you already solicited on the street and she said “oh well we come back every year.”
I said everybody on the street asked you not to come back. Not you (her) personally of course but whomever was soliciting at the time. And I also said I went to the township about it, so again please tell me why you’re back here. She did not have a response to that question.
Next she said to me “well we have permits.” I said I am aware of your permits . But I am also aware of the fact that if residents ask you not to solicit them and you come back repeatedly that becomes a problem for your permits.
(I did not point out my no solicitation sign which is out plain as day.)
I told her to leave my neighborhood. (Yes I actually did because I was definitely pissed at Whitetail’s disregard for my neighborhood and the neighborhoods of others.) And because I was holding my phone and because she wasn’t sure if I was recording her or not she left.
So no I don’t have her on video but I have her car. I am sorry at this point I wasn’t close enough to get a picture of the tag. Also technically she was probably parked too close to our stop sign. I will note that Whitetail solicited a friend of mine who also has a no solicitation sign was also re-solicited. They also told Whitetail last year not to come back. Yet like spotted lantern flies, here they are again?
And I just called my township again. I just can’t believe that when they are asked not to come back they come back. I wouldn’t use them for that reason alone. People who do that have no respect for residents.
Whitetail is aggressive and as the screenshots I am including indicate, they still seem crappy.
Whomever you choose to provide services to your home is ultimately your business as the individual. But I will tell you that I am not going to have somebody performing any kind of services for me who doesn’t respect anything except the sale they are trying to close. I would never choose Whitetail or recommend them due to their door to door tactics alone, and it is my right to say so.
UPDATE: I am going to update this post to let you know how truly impressed I was by Lowe’s executive escalation customer service. I don’t know exactly what they call themselves but they come out of corporate and they were amazing.
My second part of my delivery went off without a hitch last evening, and the driver came from the Reading area which is usually where Lowes deliveries seem to come from for me. This driver (as opposed to the one I had a problem with who came from someplace else) was so nice, pleasant, professional, and really skillful with a big truck and forklift on a small street.
🚚🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🛻🚚
Dear Lowes,
I also sent this to your CEO Marvin Ellison. I am also going to hit him up on Twitter.
I pay for Lowes to deliver heavy things. It’s a bit pricey for delivery. Usually everything is flawless, but today has been a disaster and I’m pissed.
I ordered bagged gravel and rocks. I order gravel and rocks for my garden pretty much every year.
Today’s issues began with your XPO delivery service calling my house at 6:45AM this morning. An automated call. That is not satisfactory. It woke everyone up.
I had a Ryder rental truck show up about 20 minutes ago. With a partial delivery and the guy did not speak much English and was visibly annoyed with me because he couldn’t understand me, and he almost took out my mailbox! And a really big flower pot!
He wanted to just dump 30 LB bags of rocks on my front walk and go. I NEVER TAKE HEAVY DELIVERIES THERE! Why? Because blocking a front walk is a problem. Deliveries actually go less than 15 feet to the left. It’s not like I’m asking them to cart stuff all over the property so what’s the big deal? I’m still a customer correct?
The second part of my order is somewhere. I am not sure when it will arrive.
So I also try to call XPO. The first time the woman can’t hear me for some reason and just hangs up. The second time I reached a man in the Philippines who seem to understand me pretty well and was very nice but he wasn’t really helpful.
Then I try to call your Lowes corporate offices and I can’t get anyone on the phone because magically your offices are closed even though it’s still the business day. Did I mention I work from home and you are causing me not to be able to work from home because I had to put everything on hold to figure this out?
Let’s go back to the first driver not only was he not speak English he wasn’t wearing a mask I guess it’s hot so I guess he won’t want to wear it while driving, but when he speaking with a customer face to face he should be wearing a mask, or offer to. I don’t know if he’s vaccinated.
Please note I am giving you a picture of the truck and how close it was to my nice new mailbox.
If I am paying for a service I expect that service to be good. I don’t expect to have to figure out why I have a split delivery when nobody told me I was having a split delivery and I also should not have to deal with delivery people who do not speak English and it makes you wonder if they have a valid drivers license?
The battle to save Crebilly in Westtown is perhaps at its crescendo tonight. I am asking if you have the time to be at this virtual meeting, please do so. You don’t have to speak, but please bear witness. Let Troll Brothers and the Robinson family know we are all still out here.
~Courtesy of Neighbors for Crebilly and that scan code is awesome!
Anyone is welcome to virtually attend this meeting. Westtown has provided simple instructions HERE:
Instructions for Westtown Board of Supervisors Toll Bros./Crebilly Farm Conditional Use Hearing #12 Virtual Public Meeting via the Zoom Platform Wednesday, May 26, 2021 Meeting Start Time is 7:00 PM
Anyone wishing to attend the virtual Conditional Use hearing may do so by calling this phone number: 1-646-558-8656 When your call is answered, you will be required to enter the meeting ID#: 843 6206 3236
If you are prompted for a participant ID, press # (a participant ID is not required).
OR you can watch a live-feed of the meeting by clicking on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84362063236 When you are prompted for a pass code, enter: 246277
You may connect to the meeting up to 15 minutes prior to the start time. All attendees will be placed in a waiting area before being permitted into the hearing.
The hearing audio and video will be recorded and be used by the Court Reporter to assist in transcribing the testimony. Following the completion of the hearing transcript, the Zoom recording will be destroyed.
If you have party status, please ensure that you enter your full name so that the host will be able to recognize you. The parties will be recognized individually, and given the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses. If you have party status and join by phone, please indicate your presence by pressing *9 for the hearing host to recognize you. You will then have to press *6 to unmute yourself when prompted by the host. The non-party members of the public will have the opportunity to observe the hearing, but public comment is deferred until the end of the evidentiary portion of the hearing.
Due to the online nature of the system, there is a slight delay, so please take your time and be patient. There will be a slight pause when one person finishes speaking and another person starts. While in this virtual hearing, we ask that you conduct yourself in a civil manner. Any conduct deemed inappropriate (language, etc.) will result in your being removed from the hearing.
No in-person attendance at the Township Building will be permitted.
Now I am going to share thoughts from two women I know and call friends:
From Kathleen Brady Shea:
And from Mindy Rhodes (and I am including a plea she made to the Robinsons back when this first began:)
Dear Friends,
This coming Wednesday, May 26th at 7pm will be the 12th Conditional Use hearing regarding the Crebilly II application and the agreement of sale between Toll Brothers and the owners of Crebilly Farm. THIS hearing needs all hands on deck because public comment will begin as soon as Toll completes their rebuttal of last hearing’s witnesses. This is an opportunity for every single one of us to make our voices heard. It does not matter where you live. It does not matter whether you have party status. It does, however, matter that every single one of us rise to this opportunity and speak up by stating how this development will negatively impact our community and why the Westtown Township Board of Supervisors should deny Conditional Use to Toll Brothers.
HEARING #12, WEDNESDAY, MAY 26TH, 7PM to be held virtually
To attend via zoom, click on the link below and enter the passcode if/when prompted:
Below is the link to my last message about how important Massive Public Outcry is now more than ever; please review and be prepared with written statements to read for public comment; how will you be negatively impacted and why the BOS should deny Conditional Use to Toll Brothers: https://crebillyfarmfriends.com/2021/04/28/crebilly-farm-update-4-28-21-a-call-to-action/
The time and energy all of us have invested over the last (almost) five years, needless to say, has been substantial. When compared to the permanent impact a development of this magnitude will have on our community, American history and the devastation it will do to land, nature and nearby waterways- the time and energy is invaluable. I still believe the owners of Crebilly Farm have every right to sell their land for profit. However this plan and this developer is simply unacceptable. And it is up to the rest of us to continue to speak up and stand firm: Westtown Township must deny Conditional Use to Toll Brothers.
If not you, then who?
Sincerely,
Mindy Rhodes
And one last thing? This YouTube about the history of the land. It’s not just about saving a spectacular swath of land from greedy Toll Brothers and their horrible developments, it’s about our very history:
We all lead busy lives. But it requires nothing of us to spend a little time on a virtual meeting. I don’t have standing, but I will tune in out of solidarity for those who do and who have been valiantly fighting the good fight here. We drove past Crebilly on 202 and 926 not so long ago. You couldn’t help but notice the deterioration of the structures on the edge of Crebilly….and that horrible forest of development signs at the corner of 202 and 926. We need to come together as a county every damn time one of these projects is featured at a meeting. It doesn’t matter what township we are from, we are all affected by this crap.
And all of this new development is crap. Pure and simple. Chester County is losing more and more open space and farmland by the day. And with the potential for more crap coming out of West Chester Borough regarding the Wyeth site, this is even more important from a traffic standpoint alone.
I know, I know, it’s like yes we are coming out of a global pandemic, but apparently it hasn’t slowed down the developers, has it? And with virtual meetings we really can put in an appearance occasionally as residents.
Please make time for Crebilly tonight. It cold be the last time. Take a stand Chester County, Take a Stand. Don’t let Crebilly become the next Foxcatcher Farm/Liseter.
“A 17-year-old boy took a fatal leap from the Route 322 bridge in Downingtown (Chester County) Monday afternoon, PA State Police told Daily Voice.
Lanes in both directions on Route 322 between Bradford Avenue and Downingtown Pike were reopened as of 4:35 p.m. after being closed for nearly two and a half hours, according to Patty Mains, spokeswoman for the Chester County Department of Emergency Services.
The boy, whose name has yet to be released to the public, committed suicide by jumping from the bridge, Trooper Kevin Kochka told Daily Voice.“
~The Daily Voice 5/24/21
This occurred in Downingtown , but a similar railroad trestle teen suicide also occurred in Berwyn in 2015. Also male.
Why I am mentioning Rose? Because her poor bereaved friends and family had to suffer again in May of 2019 when she was left out of the yearbook. Now according to the school district she will be in the 2022 yearbook which would have been her senior year. I remember Rose’s story. I think Rose needs to be remembered, and all of these other kids who left the world too soon.
I have not seen the news pick this latest tragedy up yet except for The Daily Voice. I went back to PA State Trooper Kevin Kochka today to see if there were any updates. Truthfully I didn’t expect anything, because it’s too new but thought I would ask.
Trooper Kochka is an incredibly thoughtful human being and he replied to me in part:
“I agree, this year has taken a terrible toll on all of our children and mental health is not only a major issue right now with our teenagers, but this pandemic is going to have a longer effect than just the virus itself.
Education and services for mental health is more important now then ever and we need our kids to know that there is NO SHAME whatsoever in talking about it. We have to make mental health feelings/episodes are something people know are ok to have and completely normal to get help for.
More importantly training/education for early identification is key. The early identification of signs/symptoms that someone may be having a mental health/crisis event, could save someone’s life and keep themselves and or others safe. I’m sorry I can’t provide more on the actual incident but want you to know this is something that is important to me.“
~ PA State Trooper Kevin Kochka
Trooper Kochka is so right about the need for mental health services and resources. And it is so hard at times for parents to pick up the cues. I have written several times before on teen suicide. I will note another wrinkle COVID has caused is often how almost impossible it is to get a professional your kid can talk to. I know people who had to wait weeks to even get someone to contact them back. And contacting them back, didn’t mean granting an appointment in most cases. Or that the parents can afford the costs of therapy.
Yesterday, former Downingtown Mayor and Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said:
“Our hearts are broken today. In this community we’ll do everything we can to help our neighbor, our friend, or a child.
As we mourn, let’s find ways to help.
Chester County has resources that I hope you’ll share with your network.
If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health crisis, call 610-280-3270 available 24/7.
If you are feeling lonely, depressed or anxious and just want to talk, call Chester County’s warm line, 1-866-846-2722. This line is staffed by trained individuals in recovery.
Teen Talk Line ensures seamless referral to Mobile Crisis for youth in need of immediate or higher-level support. The call line is 855-852-TEEN (8336) and the text line is 484-362-9515.”
~ Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell
Of course when Josh posts this there is immediate discussion of the endless circle of headaches of the PRO-open school set vs. the STAY AT HOME-keep schools closed set. To those people I say for Christ’s sake! Get your political jollies elsewhere no matter which side you are on! A family is grieving, this poor child’s friends are grieving. There are no winners in this equation right now, it’s a devastating local event that speaks to a problem within many communities.
The absence of in person interaction has had a lasting affect on kids, especially boys. Boys bottle stuff up more, are far less communicative about feelings than girls. That is not to say girls won’t clam up. They will. What I am saying is boys internalize a lot. Societal mores – men/boys don’t cry, right? Wrong. They should. Everyone needs a good cry every now and again. If we can’t get those feelings out, they poison us.
And yes, mental health crises for teens was around pre-COVID, and then COVID ramped up the issues because the kids feel isolated. We were all home because that is what we had to do. I am not entering the debate of schools open vs. schools closed but it had an effect, a profound affect on kids.
Ironically May is mental health awareness month. Independence Blue Cross actually sent an article out today to insureds:
Now I will be honest and say over the past few years there have been too many suicides within the Downingtown Area School District, right or wrong.
Schools need to talk about mental health. They need to talk to their kids about it and not talk down to them. Some school guidance counselors are wonderful, some I think are less so. I think school districts need to make sure their guidance counselors are taking advantage of continuing ed on mental health and school districts need to give these counselors and teachers more resources.
A woman on Josh Maxwell’s post left a comment which truly spoke to me:
“Why does it take a tragedy to get folks to discuss mental health? This should be an issue every school board and admin discusses at every meeting. They should all have a plan.
We desperately need school-based mental health services and family peers in EVERY school. Finding services can take months. Kids spend months on waiting lists. Hospitals haven’t had beds pre-Covid.
Let’s fix the system. The systems are falling our kids. Not enough services, poor pay, high turnover in staff, lack of staff been adequately trained. I can go on and on. Why is it no better than 20 years ago? I have been working on this for 30 years. When are our communities going to say “enough ” and demand change? How many more kids need to die, be hospitalized, not have services or services that are meaningful? What does it take? A hotline is great, but it is far from a fix.”
~ Concerned parent.
Freshman year in college the night before parents’ weekend a male friend jumped out of the top floor of the dorm I lived in. I was on the first floor, I woke to sirens and emergency lights. It was right outside where I lived. I never forgot. I was 18 years old. They offered no one for us (students) to talk to. I remember a student organized memorial service in the quad, and someone played the Genesis song Follow You, Follow Me over a loud speaker. I am 57 years old and I still remember this.
Parents in Chester County, please put your politics aside and realize that our kids need us.
Hopewell UMC in Downingtown has responded to this tragedy and is offering a safe space tomorrow for kids and parents to be together. 852 Hopewell Rd, Downingtown, PA 19335 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. It won’t solve the problem, but I applaud them for caring enough to wish to provide solace and community fellowship even for one night.
Swiss Pines is still a magical place although totally beat up looking now from the road. Last news I heard was that Swiss Pines is saved but I hope to God something happens with it soon.
It was a hot and steamy, but beautiful day. We went to a crawfish boil at Chef Paul Marshall’s house. Yes, it was the annual Marshall’s Half Hill Farm crawfish boil. And like everything else Paul and his wife Julie do, it was awesome!
People know Chef Paul Marshall locally because of Farm Boy Fresh. But he is a chef with incredible credentials.
From his childhood on the bayou in rural Louisiana, Chef Paul Marshall always showed a passion for cooking. During seven years under the watchful eye of Fernando Oca he learned classical French technique.
Chef Marshall then returned to his New Orleans roots to work under Emeril Lagasse at Commander’s Palace. There he further developed his passion for “the new” New Orleans cuisine; a melting pot of French, Spanish and American flavors.
Chef Marshall was part of the team that opened the Four Seasons in Florence, the Executive Chef at the Hong Kong Sheraton and Chef De Cuisine of Oscars, the French Brasserie in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel…and now he calls Chester County home.
My husband and I have been really lucky, and have been a guest of the Marshalls at their home. Paul’s wife Julie, has her own amazing credentials in world of food, having been with the James Beard Foundation for many years. She is also a terrific gardener.
So today was all about fun and food and friends and family. It was just so nice. And the food was, as always, off the hook.
The crawfish were flown in live and fresh from Louisiana. They weren’t those frozen little tasteless things that are called crawfish other places. These were fresh and succulent. Lobster’s little freshwater cousins were enjoyed by all!
