LONGWOOD GARDENS: Goodbye, Belin

Longwood Gardens' "ambassador cat" Belin died on Wednesday, Sept. 23, after a short illness. What a wonderful life the beloved creature had, and how much he contributed to the ambiance at the Gardens! He will be missed.

Belin, the beloved Longwood Gardens cat, died on Wednesday.

LIBRARY: What should the Library task force do?

Elsewhere in this paper you can read Fran Maye's story about how Kennett Square Borough Council voted to work with East Marlborough and Kennett Townships to form a Library Task Force. Its goal is to clear the air and speed the healing after all the issues involving the Bayard Taylor Library's board this year.
I liked Mayor Matt Fetick's quote as he spoke in favor of getting a group from outside the library board involved: "It's very difficult to be able to self-heal."
If you've been following the issue, you know that the library board, headed by Susan Mackey-Kallis, has been embroiled in controversy since this spring, when they surprised the town by hanging a banner across State Street declaring that they had changed the library's name to the "Kennett Public Library." That decision led to increased public attention to, and concern over, how the library was being run. A feasibility study for the proposed new library shows that the public is not likely to donate money, largely because of lack of trust in the board. (No one, however, disputes the quality of the library's programs.)
It's still unclear how the Task Force will operate or what they will focus on. Its members so far include Collis Townsend of Kennett Township and Tom Swett of East Marlborough, both of whom served on the library board many years ago.
The suggestions I've heard for getting the board back on track are (1) changing the name back to Bayard Taylor Memorial Library; (2) bringing new members onto the board, ideally people from different circles of the community who have expertise in nonprofit management and fundraising; (3) refocusing the "culture" of the board so that it is more open and less divisive; and (4) safeguarding the library's valuable historical collection.
Joseph Lordi, a town historian who served as library director for 30 years, told me he would be happy to serve as a resource person for the task force, especially in terms of the latter objective. The safety of that collection has been a subject of concern since it became public that the 1911 Wanamaker tall-case clock, donated by the Darlington family to the library, was removed during this spring's renovations and has been in library vice-president Karen Ammon's house. Library director Donna Murray said the clock would be put back on display at the library as soon as a suitable place could be found for it; no firm date was given.

LANDFILL: Capping work proceeds at SECCRA

Here's an update to the item I wrote a few weeks ago about the ongoing work at the SECCRA landfill in London Grove Township. A portion of the landfill is being "capped" or sealed off. Huge black tarps were laid down along the steep slopes and temporarily held in place with white sandbags. Now the tarps, which block rainwater from getting into the full garbage "cells," are being covered with a layer of soil. Next grass and other plants with shallow roots will be planted.

A bulldozer covers the black tarps with a layer of soil.

 

PLANTATION: Another fantastic equestrian event

Organizer Katie Walker likes to refer to the Plantation Field International Horse Trials as the "Best Event Ever," and the thing is, she's right: not only is there amazing, Olympic-level competition in a beautiful Unionville setting, but there's also great socializing.
We were there Sunday afternoon to watch the cross-country portion of the three-day event (dressage and stadium jumping are the other parts). Our party (four people, two Corgis) hung out at the water jump, where in the space of only a few strides the horses had to negotiate first one large jump on land, go downhill and into a small pond to jump another, make a sharp right turn and jump out of the pond and then head uphill for the final jump of the combination. Then they took off at a gallop to the next jump. It was just astonishing to watch, especially when the highest-level riders made it look easy.
There were a fair number of mishaps (not surprising, given the difficulty of the course) and "holds on course" for fence repairs, and we saw the occasional riderless horse running around. We joked that the British-accented announcer had a checklist of euphemisms for "fell off" that he kept rotating through: "parted company," "went their separate ways." Fortunately I didn't hear about any serious injuries to horses or riders.
Congratulations and thanks to the organizers and volunteers -- what a massive undertaking it is to pull this event together!

LIBRARY: Feasibility study shows the public isn't likely to donate

A banner on State Street highlights the importance of preserving the town's history.

In this week's library news, the feasibility study commissioned by the library board showed that there is not enough support in the community to launch a capital campaign to build a new, multimillion-dollar library. The people interviewed for the study, although they thought a new facility was a worthwhile project, cited a lack of confidence in the board's leadership and abilities. The controversial name change to "Kennett Public Library" was also mentioned as a problem.
I spoke to several people who were contacted, and they told the interviewer that the board is out of touch with the community and just doesn't have the necessary experience or connections.
The board will release the study after editing out the names of those who were interviewed. I'll get a copy and will let you know the details.

WEST GROVE: A chicken BBQ and a walk in the park

What a nice meal we had at West Grove United Methodist Church's annual chicken BBQ on Saturday: chicken, a baked potato, applesauce, coleslaw, a roll and a whole buffet of home-made desserts. We were hungry and arrived a few minutes early, so we watched the Boy Scouts, working in assembly-line fashion, put together dinners for take-out customers.
When they were ready for us in the "dining room" (actually the church's worship space), we sat down at a table with several older folks. After eating (priorities!), we struck up a conversation with one of the gentlemen, a farmer. He told us how proud he was to be a member of the growing church congregation, which he said is full of enthusiastic people and many young families.
After such a hearty dinner (I even took home a doggy bag of chicken) we felt the need for some exercise, so we headed to the southern part of Goddard Park on Route 841 in London Grove Township. The northern part of the park has a dog park, a little playground and a paved walking path, but the less-developed southern half is just woods and fields, with gravel and dirt trails.

KENNETT SQUARE: "Rock the Park" at Anson B. Nixon on Sunday

Did you attend those wonderful free concerts in Anson B. Nixon Park this summer? Here's your chance to show the park a little love.
Love Seed Mama Jump is going to play a "Rock the Park" concert from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, September 27, with proceeds going toward planting native oaks, maples and sycamores in the park. Tickets are $10, with kids under 12 free. Food trucks and Victory Brewing will be there for refreshments.
I am really looking forward to it.

NEWLIN: A farm lane created for a movie

Autumn is the time when the farm lane at the intersection of Scott and Powell Roads in Newlin Township really stands out. The lane was created for the 2008 movie "The Happening" because director M. Night Shyamalan, shooting on location in Unionville, wanted the intersection to be a complete crossroads, so he had to add another road. The lane goes only as far as the crest of the hill, when it would disappear from the camera's field of view.
Speaking of Newlin Township and earth-moving projects, this morning I saw township supervisor Rob Pearson at the Unionville roundabout, driving a giant flatbed truck. He always looks so happy when he's at the helm of one of his company's pieces of heavy equipment.

 

A film director took matters into his own hands to make this a crossroads.

BICYCLISTS: Hills are all a matter of perspective

I have some hard-core bicyclists in my family, so I shouldn't be surprised at what a tough breed these athletes are. On my way home from errands this morning (Walmart for buttons, Foxy Loxy for iced coffee) I saw a guy pedaling doggedly up the long, steep hill on my road. (Just walking up this hill gets your heart rate going.)
I rolled down my window as I drove past him.
"This is a tough hill. Good job!" I said.
"This is an easier one," he replied. "I gave up on the hard ones."