I think I need to open this post with a good AC/DC song. Because maybe it’s the one that applies here? There is a lot of chatter in Radnor Township and Garrett Hill about folks who have lived in rental units on Conestoga Road across from Rosemont Beverage and being told that leases are not going to be renewed?
So the property / properties changed hands it looks like in March 2023.
A post appeared on Nextdoor and now there’s chatter on Facebook.
I would think it was just idle social media chatter except I’ve heard about it in the real world too and I don’t even live in Radnor Township. Anyway, is it true these people are losing their leases, and the leases won’t be renewed and supposedly it’s going to go to student housing? and then people are also talking about notices being banged on doors of rental properties on Rockingham as well within the past few weeks?
Do you all believe in coincidence?
Is there a connection to the Conestoga Road properties and the Rockingham Road properties that people are talking about?
Are there other properties that seem to be ejecting tenants in Garrett Hill?
And what about the big huge rumor not about Garrett Hill but about Radnor Township in general concerning the use of Cabrini campus and property once Villanova takes it over 100%? People keep saying that they think Villanova is going to put a new stadium complex on Cabrini’s campus? I mean, if that actually happened what would happen to the magnificent old buildings of historic import on that campus as well as all of the trees?
I will note I am not asking about anything that people aren’t already talking about and you are allowed to ask questions about rumors. When it comes to Garrett Hill what is the 7th Ward Commissioner saying and does he care?
Is Garrett Hill slowly being made to disappear?
Is Radnor Township supposed to be the Catholic Happy Valley? If so, does that mean that the nonprofit university is going to pay any more taxes?
So these properties on Garrett Hill appear to have been bought by an LLC?
If you backtrack the address and suite for the limited liability corporation on Google it goes to a viable website doesn’t it?
I feel really badly for the people in Garrett Hill because it’s like they have to keep their eyes open every single second. Looking all around every five minutes. It’s like you can’t relax where you live because you don’t know what’s going to happen next.
I always have a soft spot for what I like to call front porch neighborhoods. And Garrett Hill used to be that and a lot of it still is. I have written about Garrett Hill before.
Garrett Hill deserves to be what the residents want it to be and it always seems like somebody’s trying to change it doesn’t it? Also, if it is one of the few areas in Radnor Township that has anything resembling affordable housing these days, what does that say about a township that’s not taking care of all residents equally?
I also thought there was a student housing ordinance? Is it followed?
I have nothing but questions on this, so hopefully somebody will be able to provide answers.
How many times is Garrett Hill going to have to be saved before people leave it alone?
Oh Garrett Hill. Time to stand up and fight again. First of all check out the oddness from the recent planning commission meeting which occurred August 7th, 2023:
What you need to pay attention to is Wentworth Lane (again) and then scootchy forward to sidewalk dining in Garrett Hill on Conestoga Freaking Road which is fakakta level insane. Don’t let Farhy do your talking. He is dead wrong about sidewalk dining.
Wentworth Lane is also fakakta screwballs with a preliminary plan that wasn’t a preliminary plan but was it a sketch or a figment of our imaginations? And what is the planning commission or township attorney who was there talking about as far as litigation on that site? Who is suing whom and where? Something about clear title needing to be proved before plans get submitted?
But please for the love of all that is holy, listen to both the sidewalk dining and Wentworth Lane of it all and wonder if Garrett Hill needs to storm the Radnor Township proverbial Bastille again? I kind of think so.
And while we are talking Radnor Township, how many lawsuits is the Township of Radnor embroiled in at present?
I will start – I found this still active:
Case NumberCV-2022-002234TitleMNG 2005, INC. d/b/a CBD KRATOM et al v. Township of Radnor et al
Anyway, have fun Radnor residents in general. You are living in times more screwy than the Bashore years. Have fun. You elected them.
I will start this post with an editorial I wrote in 2007 (and Main Line Media News’ hedge fund owners shaved off my actual byline. If former Editor Tom Murray were still alive, he would tell them. Main Line Media News didn’t write it, I did):
As 2007 winds down, I find myself contemplating what a long strange trip it has been from Bala to Malvern, and everywhere in between and beyond. In my mind, 2007 will be remembered as the “Year of the Neighborhood Group.” You see, to me, it isn’t just about the individual stories reported (and not reported), it is about the people behind the stories. The ordinary people who had the courage to step forward and be counted; not just one individual or group, either. I credit everyone who has had the courage to speak out and participate in the betterment of their communities.
I will start with a group I am proud to be part of that is dear to my heart: The Save Ardmore Coalition.
The Save Ardmore Coalition continued on its journey in 2007 by being recognized with two prestigious awards: The 2007 Stewardship Award for Historic Preservation from the Historic Architectural Review Board and Historical Commission of Lower Merion Township, as well as the nationally recognized David Award from The Institute for Justice in Washington, DC.
The Save Ardmore Coalition has also earned a place on the Ad Hoc Committee for Ardmore’s revitalization process, our members have participated in the comprehensive plan workshop process, we are a part of First Friday Main Line, we were proud to play a part in the fundraiser to aid Moira Shaughnessy, and have just launched a new initiative called “Be Vocal/Shop Local: Discover MORE in Ardmore.” Our hope with this year-end initiative is to further promote and support Ardmore’s local and independently-owned businesses. We also continue to lend our voices to other issues in Lower Merion Township and beyond.
I also want to recognize other citizen groups like Protect Berwyn, Save Ithan Coalition, WHOA from Gladwyne, the residents of Rugby Road in Bryn Mawr, the residents of Righters Mill and River Roads in Gladwyne, the residents of Cricket Avenue in Ardmore, Friends of The Barnes, the Garrett Hill Coalition, and the Daylesford Neighborhood Association. I salute these groups along with the many other citizens and groups along the Main Line and beyond who had the gumption to stand up and be counted.
And in addition to the organized groups, I would like to draw your attention to some new citizens seeking positive change as 2007 draws to a close: two brave ladies from Ardmore named Deanna Miller and Donna Dundon. Main Line Life Staff Reporter Cheryl Allison introduced us all to them in her recent article concerning a missing community room at the apartment building for limited-income seniors at Ardmore Crossing, now known as “Greenfield Commons.”
These ladies are senior citizens on fixed budgets who are members of our community. As the story is told, these nice people moved into this building so they could afford to grow old in Lower Merion Township, which increasingly, is no easy feat. When they looked at the building, they were told they would have a community room with a kitchen where they could play games, gather, have parties, special events, and community events. This is something fairly common for developments of any level, churches, as well as senior and assisted living facilities.
Well, the holidays are here, and apparently these seniors still don’t have their community room. According to Cheryl Allison’s article, there is much contention over this topic and I wonder how this can be?
I think it is most unpleasant to read stories like this especially during the holidays and mere days before Christmas, a holiday which is supposed to embody goodwill towards all mankind. But instead we are wondering if this new Ardmore story will become a tale of Dickensian proportions? Where are the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future when you need them?
A community room with a basic kitchen can’t be such a big deal or other places wouldn’t have them. And with all the great thrift stores, generous people along the Main Line, and furniture outlets in this area, how hard would it be to furnish such a room nicely? There are also sales all over right now on stereos and televisions. Surely this all can’t be that difficult and wouldn’t it just be the right thing to do? Wouldn’t it be nice for these seniors to get this room as promised from the new owners and for it to be decorated for the holidays? If I could have another holiday wish, it would be for these senior citizens in Ardmore, and I would hope others would share my sentiments.
In conclusion, many thanks again to everyone in 2007 who had the courage to stand up and be counted. I know it can be difficult to have a voice that may differ from the general consensus, or might be contrary to what government is comfortable hearing. I want all of you to also remember that positive change can happen, and ordinary individuals can make a difference in their communities.
So Tom Murray, when you are counting your readers’ votes for the “story of the year” this year, if I could ask you to think differently, it’s not really about just one story in particular, it’s about all of the terrific citizens who made a difference. So maybe voting 2007 “The Year of The Neighborhood Group” is the way to go. To me, this year, it is just too hard to pick ONE story.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!
I stumbled across that while looking into Garrett Hill in Radnor and remembering the good things accomplished years ago by a group called the Garrett Hill Coalition. The Garrett Hill Coalition fought so hard to save where they called home, much like the Save Ardmore Coalition back then fought to save Ardmore, PA in Lower Merion Township. Today in 2022, I wonder what we worked so hard for because like Ardmore is constantly at risk, so is Garrett Hill.
As of today, I think Garrett Hill is at risk again. There is this whole thing going on about well, paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Utterly cliché, but so apropos. This all came up at a Radnor meeting August 15th, and then there was an outside, not recorded meeting in Garrett Hill.
Garrett Hill is like a ping pong ball on Radnor Township’s ping pong table. Some years this community is left alone. Some years snide commissioners refer to it as essentially a poor section not worthy of much attention. Some years Radnor Township wants to do something stupid there, and 2022 is like revisiting the early 2000s.
Wentworth is a road I thought was not all township dedicated in Radnor or possibly private? And did ALL neighbors potentially affected by a shoe-horned in parking lot get notice of this? I heard quite to the contrary? So this land is not a taking in the eminent domain sense, but it is being taken/purchased at market rate for a….parking lot. Here look at these screen shots to get an idea of the “where”:
Yup that is a tiny street. It leads to more tiny streets. Sounds like a cluster fart of epic proportions waiting to happen. Here are some resident comments after the outdoor meeting where Radnor BOC President Moira Mulroney was overheard saying certain things, right? Like she thinks this is O.K.? Well of course she would, not her ward so does she really care?
This lot will not benefit anyone in the neighborhood. It will only increase traffic going up and down Wentworth and Williams!! We need to stick together neighbors!
~ garrett Hill resident
I always avoided, at all cost, trying to turn onto Conestoga Road from Summitt Terrace/Wentworth Land due to poor sight lines. If they put a lot where Mike and Lorrie’s house use to be, I can see any unfamiliar drivers parking there having a challenge getting out to the main drag.
~ garrett hill resident
Adding both a parking lot entrance and exit to a very narrow residential street does not increase safety for those who live on the street.
~ garett hill resident
Since the property is owned by the same developer who already owns 910 and 912 Conestoga, I feel like we’re just footing the bill as taxpayers for his parking lot. Let the developer spend his own money.
~ garrett hill resident
While I agree GH needs parking, is almost $50k a spot the usual cost in Radnor for a parking spot? How long will it take Radnor to recoup that amount for each spot thru the parking meters?
~ garrett hill resident
What the hell … we were told 2 homes were going up we didn’t want the parking lot was there any discussions with the neighbors on Summit Terrs.?
~ garrett hill resident
It looks like it was only introduced, so you & other Summit neighbors have a chance to speak up at the Sept 12th meeting.
~ garrett hill resident
That is a horrible idea to put a parking lot there!! There is no easy way to enter/exit the property!! And the late night noise that will follow Think about the residents still there that are retired and the new ones with little ones raising kids in school. You want a parking lot put it on your street next to your house!
~ garrett hill resident
Over $800,000 for 17 parking spots
~ garrett hill resident
I don’t know how many times I have called the Radnor Police for people breaking into cars or stealing catalytic converters from Cars over on Meredith Ave. ….But anyway, I have lived here for many years and Lights are out all the time we need them updated to LED light won’t use a lot of power and, how about our roads so many things beak on peoples cars all the time anything they can do there, or is that a state road. But I also think that draining systems are very bad. The tunnel floods every bad rain, the road from my Apartment…. floods all the past the park and peoples cars around the area get messed up in our neighborhoods. And the ….delivery guy in is blue Subaru flying down Conestoga in the middle of the night all night and they haven’t done anything to him. And Villanova kids from the campus yelling when they leave Flips. But things like this need to get taken care as well. I agree with you people I’m sure people around here won’t like me saying that ether, cause statements that I spoke about that my kids told me about the parade. But little do they know I had some great ideas that I shared for next year. But why can’t they park at the Business campus? That parking lot is gonna be backed up….
~ garrett hill resident
Now, how about some photos of Garrett Hill sourced from everywhere on the Internet like Facebook and Google so people can see Garrett Hill for what it really is: a small, still tight knit multi-generational area that doesn’t need supersizing or “:”improvements” that don’t actually help the residents:
A problem in today’s Radnor Township is the current manager sees his narrow abacus-rued world view and nothing else. I don’t think he actually cares so much about the residents, and I am allowed that opinion much like I am of the opinion he is always seemingly unwilling to listen to residents. He was fine as the finance guy, not manager. But this is not the only problem. One of the LARGEST problems is the current commissioners know very little of the past and past history and past problems with the way Radnor Township has attempted to treat Garrett Hill.
(Oh and as a related side bar to the two Radnor Commissioners who said non-residents shouldn’t speak at commissioner meetings? What planet or alternate reality do you all hail from? I for one have addressed this governmental body as a non-resident including in 2009 when I went before the board to get a historical market that benefitted Radnor and her history approved. Oh and I raised the money for that project although I was never sure everything we raised money for actually happened, but I can’t control that. )
Radnor Township is regressing and that is not a good thing. I wish the Garrett Hill Coalition still existed. ( See October 26, 2009 meeting video and start at 17:26 time mark for public comment about Garrett Hill – oh and Radnor Township will not allow their videos to be embedded, you have to watch on YouTube or their website and didn’t always used to be that way. It’s about control. Control to the point of questioning actual freedoms, I wonder?)
Radnor only wants their videos so public. So I found some others, like:
I will admit I am not quite sure what the League of Women Voters is doing down there for elections, but here is another Garrett Hill video:
Now. Time for more history. Maybe, just maybe the current Radnor Township Board of Commissioners might learn something. Some of the articles are written by friends, so I will excerpt one in particular liberally:
by By Mari A. Schaefer, Inquirer Staff Writer Published Oct 13, 2009
Joe Marchesani, owner of Garrett Hill pizza, sweeps clean the entrance to his restaurant before opening. ( Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel / StaffPhotographer )
Imagine a place in suburbia where neighbors check on each other, shovel snowy driveways together, and deliver soup to the sick.
It’s a spot where children walk to the two local parks, a group of retired guys meets for cheap coffee and conversation before starting the day, and the neighborhood mechanic will drop what he’s doing to listen to a funny-sounding engine.
People with Ph.D.s and others with blue-collar jobs live side by side, families reside on the same streets that their grandparents did – in some cases, in the same houses – and everything shuts down for the Fourth of July parade and picnic.
Sound a bit too Leave It to Beaver to be true?
The residents of Garrett Hill in Radnor Township will tell you it’s not.
They have it that way, and they want to keep it that way.
Residents have worked tirelessly over two years to ensure they have had a say in zoning changes proposed in the township’s master plan for the neighborhood. Countless hours of televised meetings and volumes of paperwork attest to their commitment.
On Monday, Radnor commissioners will hold a hearing and vote on the master plan. Residents feared that, without their input, the plan would change the culture of their neighborhood.
“There are not too many places like Garrett Hill left in this country,” said Bill Kingsland, 57, owner of the local Bywood Seafood for 25 years.
While McMansions have sprung up across suburbia, Garrett Hill has apartments, twins, and single homes set close to the street on small lots with deep backyards built for vegetable gardens.
The small business district has changed over the years. What once was a general store is now a college bar. The post office is gone. A cleaners, a few small restaurants, auto repair shops, and a trophy store are at the epicenter of the neighborhood.
What defines Garrett Hill’s boundaries is probably more a matter of opinion than a firm border.
Garrett Hill owes its beginning to an Indian trail running between the Schuylkill and the Susquehanna River. The path later became Conestoga Road, the heart of Garrett Hill, which about 14,000 cars now use daily.
Carved from a land grant by William Penn, the area was once known as Methodist Hill. In the 1800s, the land was subdivided and became known as Garrettville after Dr. Lewis T. Garrett, a property owner. In 1907, a rail line – now the R-100 – cut directly through Garrett Hill.
The small properties of Garrett Hill were purchased by laborers or railway workers, many of Irish or Scots-Irish descent. A number of Italian families eventually settled in Garrett Hill, and there was an African American enclave.
The first African American elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Emlen Tunnell, grew up in Garrett Hill.
The neighborhood is the epitome of diversity on the Main Line, said John Fischer, vice president of the Radnor Board of Commissioners.
“There are people from all walks of life living together – all nationalities, religions,” he said.
“Everybody played together and ate together,” recalled Joe Marchesani, 58, a life-long resident and owner of Garrett Hill Pizza, where the sauce has changed, but the crust has been the same for 19 years. “There were no problems. We all kind of stood up for each other.”….Bob Adams, 48, a third-generation Garrett Hillian, describes it as Mayberry – a safe place surrounded by plenty of family. When he was young, Adams explained, if you did something bad, a neighbor threw a shoe at you.
Adams and his wife, a fourth-generation Garrett Hillian, bought his grandmother’s house; a cousin, who now lives behind him, bought his grandfather’s house.
“This community is so close-knit,” Adams said, “you know everybody.”..
In 2003, Radnor Township’s Comprehensive Plan suggested making zoning improvements to the neighborhood’s small business district. A $48,000 grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and $12,000 in township funds were earmarked in 2007 to create a Garrett Hill Master Plan and Overlay District.
The neighbors felt threatened. They signed petitions, and more than 100 residents went to the township meeting to ask for better representation and to have a voice on any zoning changes. “Save Garrett Hill” posters sprouted up on lawns.
The Garrett Hill Coalition was formed, and it appointed nine residents to a steering committee to represent the neighborhood’s interests.
“We were worried that this [zoning] would be used as a tool for developers,” said Rick Barker, the chairman.
PATCH: Garrett Hill Group Gets Grant For Stormwater Project
Workshops will help tackle stormwater pollution and beautify properties.
By Sam Strike Posted Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 7:42 pm
ROSEMONT — Garrett Hill Coalition (GHC), a local civic organization, has been awarded a $4,100 grant by the Water Resources Education Network, a project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund for its project titled: “Managing Stormwater in Our Back Yards: Valley Run, Radnor Township.”
Funding will support educational workshops and demonstration projects for residents of Radnor and Lower Merion Townships to learn about ways to reduce polluted runoff and remedy flooding problems using landscaping amenities like rain gardens and rain barrels.
~Sam strike patch 2012
Now stormwater is a big fear in Garrett Hill much like other parts of Radnor Township. Radnor seems to have a selective memory when it comes to stormwater management. Not lip service, actual stormwater management. As in where you actually have to do it, not add to the problems.
Radnor Township has stuff on Garrett Hill zoning on it’s website, CLICK HERE. Sometimes the links don’t work though. I swear their website was redesigned to NOT work.
The next excerpt is screen shots from a book on the history of Garrett Hill that appeared to be maybe circa 1977 that I found on Ancestry.com – I couldn’t download in PDF so I took some screenshots. The book is significantly more pages I believe. Some old timers may remember it – A history of Garrett Hill on its 100th anniversary by Phyllis C. Maier.
Well that’s all I have got. I think Garrett Hill is about to be told to bend over, and pardon me for being crude, but it kind of is. Radnor Township is a funny place, and it is full of pretensions. They don’t like that Garrett Hill exists anymore than other parts of Radnor like “Little Chicago” in North Wayne. It doesn’t fit the Main Line image they have which includes kind of sort of forgetting they are part of Delaware County.
Garrett Hill is like it’s own small town. It doesn’t need to be super-sized, overly urbanized, paved into oblivion. “Leave them be” a friend of mine said earlier today who doesn’t live in Garrett Hill but appreciates it’s character. What the current commissioner can’t see is it doesn’t need to have some puffed up unsustainable artificially enhanced business district. They should figure out a way to make nice with Steve Bajus for parking on the Rosemont Business Campus, otherwise known as “where a cute school once stood.”
Or maybe Radnor buys the private lots owned by the petty towing czars? Or maybe they just table the whole thing for now instead of spending money that some say this township really doesn’t have to spend?
I don’t know. All I know is Garrett Hill, you have like 14 days to rally. It may be time to storm the Bastille err Radnor Township Building. But don’t be freakish about it like Willistown residents. You have a big board room, pack it. The media is out there, start lobbying for coverage.
And other Radnor Residents, do you was what will amount to easily $800,000 taxpayer dollars to be spent on a parking lot in Garrett Hill in this uncertain economy? A parking lot which will be monopolized undoubtedly by the over abundance of Villanova off-campus students that Radnor Township also conveniently forgets about a lot of the time?
Garrett Hill, it’s time. I know you all are tired of this. But once again you have elected officials and township officials who don’t want to listen to you and really don’t care what you think.
Save Garrett Hill one more time. For your own sakes. Keep your character. You don’t have to be Wayneunk East.
Next to the Ocean City, NJ July 4th parade I remember decorating my bike for as a little girl, one of my favorite July 4th parades ever, ever, ever is Garrett Hill’s in Radnor Township. It’s awesome, old fashioned, about kids, and community.
Or it was.
Apparently….Commissioner Lisa Borowski wants to politick at this event. You see this political desperate Dora who spends most of her time looking like a perky muppet with her bangs in her face is trying to run for State Rep in the 168th. The lines for this district were recently redrawn. She’s as bad as Elaine Paul Sing Song voice, err Schaefer. Now Elaine had a failed run for State Rep in 2016 I think it was, now she sits on Delaware County Council doing who knows what other than shameless self-promotion, but I digress. (Bet she shows up for her gurrrl Lisa, right?)
I have a very strong dislike of politicians who use community and non-profit events for campaign gain. Years ago I yelled at now Mrs. Septa Leslie Richards when she used First Friday Main Line as a politicking event. That did not make me a fan favorite with some local Democrats back then, but I have no regrets, it sucked and was wrong.
What Lisa Borowski is attempting to do is also classless, tacky, and wrong. That she would use a beloved tradition for personal gain like this is despicable AND shows you what kind of a State Rep she would be. She has already proven herself fairly useless as a Radnor Commissioner.
Radnor Democrats should be ashamed of her and stop this.
If she goes through with having her campaign walk in a parade designed for kids and families, keep it simple: BOO LOUDLY and videotape/ record it. This parade is NOT ABOUT HER CAMPAIGN!
Coming to Radnor today to go to Penn Medicine, I took some back roads familiar to me and had to take pictures of what you see above. You’re driving on Plant Avenue in Wayne, and all of a sudden there is this hulking thing that looks like a jail basically.
What used to be there was a very ramshackle house. However at least the ramshackle house fit on the footprint of the property. I don’t understand how this thing was able to be built.
This thing is outsized, and the scale is so off for the little neighborhood it is in. I also wonder how down there where it floods when you blink your eyes during a little rain storm. I mean I’ve seen the flooding there when it happens it’s bad. The Gulph Creek shows no mercy.
And when I see a project like this it makes me fear for other areas where scale is very important like Garrett Hill. Because I have heard scuttlebutt that the current commissioner over there is all for changing the zoning. That’s nuts.
There’s nothing wrong with little neighborhoods remaining little neighborhoods. And this just makes me sad.
When I heard this news break I was in the car this afternoon, and I immediately thought well there it is:every parent’s nightmare, a missing child. And that is exactly what is unfolding in Radnor Township.
A missing teen. Now I have just heard Radnor might be calling another press conference for 9 pm, so I hope it is good news and the girl is found. She’s young – 13.
And this is some guy who is 20, and who appears to have multiple Facebook pages, along with Twitter and god knows what else.
This is the stuff that makes your heart sink like a stone to your stomach. I guess there were creepy people out there when I was 13, but maybe because there was no Internet and I had parents who were actively involved in my life (sometimes much to my chagrin), the seemy side of life didn’t touch me. Thank God.
Being a teen can’t be easy today, even if the technology is zippy. And young teens like this 13 year old missing girl want to be treated like grown-ups but they are still children.
It’s hard to figure out as parents where you draw the line isn’t it? You want them to be safe, yet you can’t wrap them up and keep the world at bay. And they don’t want to be babied even if they are your babies.
But given the age of this missing girl I am sorry, but I think it is important to keep an eye on the kids, who they are Facebooking, Face timing, tweeting at, texting. I think part of that has to be limits when it comes to the smart phones and computers. I think computers should be in a common area.
Talk to your kids. They might not want to talk to you all of the time, but better to know what is up. Yes I know, everyone wants to be a friend to their children, but sometimes you just have to parent.
Savanna Marie MacMullett is the name of the missing girl. I pray she gets home safely.
Makes you wonder what caused her to reach out to someone as screwy as they are saying she ran away with doesn’t it?
As of 9 pm There is a rumor running around she has been found in DC alive and the guy is in jail but I have no formal confirmation. I hope so.
By David Chang| Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012 | Updated 6:10 PM EST
Police are searching for a missing teen girl as well as the man who they believe took her after they met on the Internet.
Police say they spotted Ashley Hareford, 20, of Grottoes, Virginia standing outside the Radnor Township home of 13-year-old Savanna MacMullett on Sunday. Police say he looked suspicious and they stopped him while he was on foot to question him. However, after he was questioned, they let him go because they could not find a reason to hold him in custody.
On Monday police say MacMullet left her home around 4 p.m. and has been missing since then. MacMullet’s father told police his daughter met Hareford online and had conversations with him. Police believe MacMullet is with him.
9:15 PM : my source was correct – Savanna has been found in Washington DC:
13-year-old Garrett Hill resident Savanna Marie MacMullet, who went missing Monday afternoon, was found by U.S. Marshals in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
With her was Ashley Ryan Hareford, 20, who Radnor Police said met MacMullet online and traveled to Pennsylvania from Virginia.
Radnor Township received an anonymous tip that the pair were arriving on a Mega Bus in Washington, D.C. around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Hareford was taken into custody without incident, said Lt. Christopher Flanagan.
MacMullet is being evaluated by medical staff and will be interviewed by police. She may return home tonight.
Hug your kids, people. That is all I have to say.
UPDATE DECEMBER 5th 2012
I have decided to update this post yet again. Why? Because of something I read in Main Line Media News where the father of this girl named Thomas MacMullett is quoted. I find it all disturbing.
First of all, the father apparently ALSO spoke to this kid outside his home. Did he know the creepster was there for his kid? If he did, why didn’t he call the police THEN?
But what really got to me was reading where the father remarks that Savanna’s older sister took off with a 28-year-old guy when she was 14? I am sorry, but does that make the proverbial hair on the back anyone else’s neck go up ? Am I missing something where 13 and 14 year old girls routinely take off with 20 and 28-year-old guys respectively or is this a GIANT red flag that something might be wrong at home?
I am glad this girl is home safely. It could have ended quite differently. But does the story end there with that guy being arrested or was this really a girl running away with the wrong person because something isn’t right at home?
I am trying not to be all judgey here, but you read the article and decide for yourselves:
RADNOR — A missing 13-year-old township girl was found in Washington, D.C., traveling on an inexpensive Megabus with a Virginia man authorities believe she met online, possibly Facebook.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, a team of township and county detectives were on their way to escort Savanna MacMullett back to Delaware County…The teen, who was last seen when she left her home at 4 p.m. on Monday, was described to be in good condition but would undergo a medical evaluation making the return trip and reuniting with her family…..With MacMullett’s whereabouts no longer a mystery, the focus now turns to the relationship with Hareford….According to authorities, Savanna MacMullett left her home in the Garrett Hill section of the township at 4 p.m. on Monday and was believed to be in the company of Hareford. The teen left the house after telling her grandmother she was going to the library.
Flanagan said Hareford was questioned by police outside MacMullet’s house Sunday night, when an officer on patrol thought he looked suspicious. Thomas MacMullett, Savanna’s father, said he, too, spoke to Hareford outside his home….Thomas MacMullett said earlier Tuesday that he was “very afraid” for his daughter’s safety.
“Just the fact that she is not home,” he said.
According to her father, Savanna created a Facebook account exclusively for her and Hareford.
Thomas MacMullett said he found Hareford’s interest in a 13-year-old girl “disgusting.”…Thomas MacMullett mentioned an incident involving Savanna’s older sister, who was 14 when she went off with a 28-year-old man, to New Jersey. At the time, he said Savanna was angry with her sister for her behavior
Seasons evoke memories. Summer evokes hot days and a slice of juicy watermelon, slightly warm from being recently picked; juice trickling down your chin from a local peach; mouth blue from blueberries; fresh picked tomatoes waiting for a salad. In addition to the many taste delights of fresh local produce, many are finding plenty of other reasons to put locally grown produce and other items on their tables.
The current economy is pushing people to look for alternatives to the increasingly enormous supermarket chains. In addition, food that is locally produced is not only fresher, but often less expensive because it doesn’t travel great distances to get to market.
People are also growing increasingly aware of the effects of chemicals and pesticides, which also causes people to seek alternative food sources. There is something to be said for being able to check out who is producing the food you put on your table. Ever notice the increasing number of those little “Buy Fresh Buy Local” bumper stickers? The www.buylocalpa.org website is a wonderful way to do some exploring of all the varied local alternatives – it’s also not just produce any more.
If you grow it yourself you can choose to be pesticide free, and many of these farmers and producers at these local markets also strive to pay attention to pesticides and chemicals, and in many cases are truly organic growers. (Organic growers go through a certification process and you can learn more about it and even find farms on www.paorganic.org)
Many have also chosen to start growing their own food in addition to patronizing local farms and markets.
Community gardens and local farm markets are also community builders. These days, we often don’t have time for our neighbors, and farmers’ markets and community gardens are old-fashioned throwbacks to a simpler time. Given the popularity of markets and community gardens, many people seem to like the healthier ways of eating and socializing.
And of all the super coolness possible with this byline, it is also over on the main news stack under food. My byline right up near Craig LeBan. Who woulda’ thunk it? I love to write, and this is some amazing validation. And I am thrilled to be able to write about things I love!
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YGP57ZZ6OFB2LIO2DATA7ZU474.jpg?resize=427%2C285&ssl=1)
When I heard this news break I was in the car this afternoon, and I immediately thought well there it is:every parent’s nightmare, a missing child. And that is exactly what is unfolding in Radnor Township.
