Saturday, September 5, 2015

POST OFFICE: Looking for the owner of a deceased pigeon

The staff at the Kennett Square Post Office is looking for a pigeon fancier who might be missing one of his or flock. Alas, they have some bad news for you. It seems that a pigeon was hanging out in the parking lot behind the post office for a while and on Thursday met its demise underneath the tires of a large mail delivery truck.
A friend who works at the P.O. told me the staff noticed that the bird had a white band around one of its legs with the letters "LPC," and a red band around the other leg. They just wanted to try to track down the owner.
"We do ship homing pigeons for a customer on a regular basis. Wonder if one got loose and thought the PO was his home?" speculated my friend.

LIBRARY: Using Bayard Taylor's name to try to raise money

I received an annual appeal letter the other day from an institution calling itself the "Kennett Public Library." You'll recall that earlier this year, the library board changed its name from the "Bayard Taylor Memorial Library," prompting much outrage from the public (and from this columnist). I still have people coming up to me and saying how upset they are about the change, and some have even said they will refuse to give any money for that reason alone.
The board said they changed the name partly to reflect a forward-looking image instead of looking backward. Nonetheless, in their fundraising letter they mention Bayard Taylor several times, even stating that "A favorite son from the 1800's, local literary Bayard Taylor, would appreciate our efforts."

It seems he's good enough to use in the fundraising letter.


And was your letter personalized? Mine wasn't. I know when I was on the library board, we spent hours writing little personal notes on appeal letters, especially if the recipient was someone we knew and who had donated in the past.
The next library board meeting is Tuesday, September 15, at 7 p.m. at the library. No agenda has yet been posted online, but perhaps they'll discuss (1) their negotiations with the borough of Kennett Square to site the proposed new library on the Weinstein property on East State Street, just a few doors east of the current library, and (2) the results of the board's recently completed feasibility study assessing the likelihood that they'll be able to raise millions of dollars for the new library.

KENNETT YMCA: An upgrade for a heavily used facility

Doesn't the Kennett YMCA look spiffy? During the annual "shutdown week," among a lot of other upgrades, new lockers were installed, the wooden floors in the gym and the aerobics studios were resurfaced and the signage in the parking lot was tweaked (the directional arrows were repainted, but I'm sure people will still ignore them). The new blue lockers are nice, and I didn't realize how well worn the floors had gotten until my sneakers, knees and hands experienced the pristine, gleaming new surfaces.

LONDON GROVE: Part of the SECCRA landfill is being capped

Several local people have asked me what is going on at the SECCRA landfill in London Grove Township: huge black tarps are being laid down along the steep slopes and held in place with white sandbags.
What I learned is that a portion of the landfill is being "capped" or sealed off. The tarps, which block rainwater from getting into the full garbage "cells," will be covered with a layer of soil, and then grass and other plants with shallow roots will be planted. Underground pipes collect the methane gas that the decomposing garbage produces.
There is a lot more information online about the capping process for those who are curious, including a 700-page document, dense with legalese, that was prepared for the SECCRA project bidders.
I drive by the landfill frequently and am always amazed at how talented those heavy equipment operators are, piloting their giant machines along the landfill's terraces and steep slopes.
This is the part of the SECCRA landfill that is being capped.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

LONGWOOD GARDENS: Local clubs are sponsoring a flower show

Laurie Reynolds Taylor asked me to mention that her garden club, Spade and Trowel, along with The Country Gardens, Four Seasons Garden Club, and the Garden Class of the Woman’s Community Club of Uwchlan will be sponsoring a flower show at Longwood Gardens on September 19 and 20 in the Conservatory’s Exhibition Hall. 
Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, September 19, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, September 20. "Don’t arrive before 1 pm on Saturday because the panel of judges will still be judging," she cautions.
There will be a class of "fascinators," those charming mini-hats that we love seeing at British weddings and royal events. There is also a Horticulture Division, a Design Division, a Photography Division, and a Youth Division called “Disney Land.”


 

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Police news and zoning permits

Not a lot happened at the September meeting of the West Marlborough Township board of supervisors. Supervisor Hugh Lofting Sr. said that the maintenance crews have been busy mowing the road banks and trying to keep the dust down on the township's gravel roads.
Township police officer Chief Robert Clarke reported that there were 14 incidents in the township in August (11 speeding tickets, two stop sign violations, and one unregistered vehicle), and he issued seven warnings.
Township engineer Al Giannantonio reported that the township's Zoning Hearing Board approved the installation of a generator at a house in the 500 block of Upland Road. Those homeowners also obtained permission to put in a three-car garage.
He also approved zoning permits for the construction of (1) a one-car garage at a house at Greenlawn Road and Route 841; (2) an addition to a Mosquito Lane house; and (3) a run-in shed, a farm shop, and a storage building at a Bartram Road farm. That homeowner's request to install three windmills is pending.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: This township meeting was bugged!

Thankfully, the West Marlborough Township supervisors meeting on Sept. 1 was a brief one. Because it was hot, the township garage in Doe Run (which serves as the board's meeting place) had its doors wide open. As soon as it got dark, thick swarms of gnats -- I mean, thousands of them -- invaded the place, attracted by the overhead lights, and crawled all over those of us in the audience. I flailed around with my reporter's notebook trying to smack them. Baz Powell, normally the gentlest of Quakers, pointed with pleasure to the pile of corpses she had swatted. The normally stoic mushroom farmer sitting next to me left early, and all the gnats that had been crawling on him turned their attention to me.
The instant the meeting ended, I escaped to the comparative darkness of the parking lot. Bizarrely, my first thought was of Erich Fromm's psychology book "Escape From Freedom," in which he contrasts negative freedom ("freedom from") with positive freedom ("freedom to"). Most definitely the former, in this case: freedom from gnats!


UNIONVILLE: A story about doing the right thing

Reading the news can get really depressing: violence, dreadful behavior, destruction.
And then there's a story like this.

Stephanie Boyer, in the blue coat, leads in the foxhounds before a Hunt Meet.

Stephanie Boyer, who whips for the Cheshire Hunt, was in the Unionville Post Office the other day and found an envelope on the floor. It contained about $2,500 in cash. She immediately turned it in to Postmaster Bill, who was able to trace the owner through a check that was inside the envelope.
The customer, who was incredibly relieved, was an elderly gentleman, a military veteran who still pays a lot of his bills in cash. He told Bill that recently a bank teller had given him twice the amount she was supposed to, and when he discovered the error he promptly returned the money. She, too, was incredibly relieved, as the error could have cost her her job.
This pair of vignettes kind of makes you think that there is something to the notion of "paying it forward," doesn't it.
Well done, Stephanie, and well done, elderly veteran. Kudos to Postmaster Bill for doing the legwork and sharing the story.