Council President highlights graduation and landscaping work of Kennett High School students
By Rick Marts, Correspondent, The Times
John Thomas and Police Chief Zunino discuss life in Kennett Square before Monday night;s meeting of the Borough Council at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square.
KENNETT — Monday night’s 20-minute meeting of the Kennett Square Borough Council was a relatively subdued event with the council approving several items of business, including approving the last meeting’s minutes and paying routine bills.
Among the “action items” that the Council approved was the appointment of John Thomas as the newest member of the Architectural Review Board.
The council recently created this board under a new ordinance, Act 167, under which it also created a new historic district within the borough. The board and the district are designed to protect the borough’s historic resources and promote them in a way that reflecs the borough’s cultural, economic, social, political, and architectural history; improve property values; and strengthen interest in our historic past.
Thomas is a long-time resident of the borough and an avid follower of council proceedings, attending nearly every meeting. He is also keenly aware of what happens and how it happens in the borough, and he brings that knowledge to council meetings where during public comment periods he frequently offers his assessment and advice about borough administration, code enforcement, and life in general.
In Police Chief Ed Zunino’s Public Safety report, the chief noted that crime is still following a generally declining trend compared to the same months last year. Of the 68 offenses recorded in May, 25 arrests were made as shown in the table below.
Arrests in Kennett Square Borough, May 2014
|
Robbery |
1 |
|
Larceny-Theft |
1 |
|
Assault-not aggravated |
6 |
|
Fraud |
1 |
|
Vandalism |
1 |
|
Drug Abuse |
3 |
|
DUI |
2 |
|
Liquor Laws |
1 |
|
Drunkenness |
2 |
|
Disorderly Conduct |
4 |
|
All other offenses |
3 |
|
Total |
25 |
The Chief also reported that 83 traffic citations and 48 written warnings were issued in May, with police calls at 680, fewer than the 708 in May 2013.
Council President Leon Spencer’s report was also uplifting, as he gave kudos to 303 seniors at Kennett High who were graduated this year. As an aside, Police Chief Zunino confirmed that there were no “incidents” during or after the ceremonies. Spencer’s report also highlighted 17 Kennett Square High School juniors who, as a public service, performed an outstanding job of installing a great deal of landscaping around the public works garage.
The third paragraph is inaccurate. The HARB ordinance was not adopted. The ARB has been in place many years and was one of the boards the HARB would have replaced.