Kennett Township supervisors vote to table demolition decision
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Susan Larmann (left front) listens as Kennett Township Supervisors’ Chairman Michael E. Elling pays tribute to her late husband, John Larmann. Behind them are Supervisors Scudder G. Stevens (back left) and Robert A. Hammaker.
Three 1920s bungalows commissioned by Pierre S. du Pont to house some of his Longwood Gardens’ staff got at least a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball at the Kennett Township supervisors’ meeting Monday night.
At the urging of the Planning Commission, the supervisors agreed for the second time to table a decision on Longwood’s request for a demolition permit until their May 7 work session, again falling short of the 90-day period the planners had sought.
Longwood wants the buildings razed, citing prohibitive costs to rehab them; however, members of the Planning Commission requested additional time to seek an alternative, pointing out that the homes have historic significance. Supervisors’ Chairman Michael E. Elling said a vote must occur within 90 days of the planners’ review and non-binding recommendation.
Denise Klein receives a replica of a road sign honoring her late husband, Stan Klein, from Kennett Township Roadmaster Roger E. Lysle.
Elling said the supervisors will have several options available at the work session: They can grant an additional delay up to 45 days, grant the demolition permit outright, or grant the permit with conditions, he said. “It’s essentially a 90-day clock,” he explained.
In other business, the supervisors said they are waiting to hear back from the county commissioners regarding a request for a meeting next month on the Chandler Mill Bridge, a controversial, two-way, one lane span that is currently closed. Supervisor Scudder G. Stevens said he hoped the commissioners would share the county’s engineering studies so that all options could be considered.
A 99-year-old county-owned structure of stone and steel listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the bridge sits next to the bucolic juncture of Chandler Mill and Bucktoe Roads. The county and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have argued that the bridge is unsafe and must be rebuilt and widened, a plan at odds with preservationists urging an “in-kind” replacement that won’t destroy the area’s character and tranquility.
The supervisors approved an agreement that will authorize Township Manager Lisa M. Moore to begin redacting personal information, such as Social Security numbers, from the township’s QuickBooks software. The exercise stems from an agreement to avoid a trial and dates back to the fall of 2011 when Stevens was running for office and filed a Right-to-Know request on township finances that spawned litigation.
“I’m looking forward to being able to put closure to this,” Stevens said. In response to resident requests, he said he would review the documents he has received so far and provide a report, but he said he found “no smoking guns.”
The QuickBooks information is not expected before the end of August, and an extension may be needed, Elling said. “It will take a good deal of Lisa’s time,” Elling said. He commented that Stevens’ analysis of the “net benefit” of the Right-to-Know material might help taxpayers “accept the $37,000 cost to date.”
Stevens took issue with Elling’s inference that the expense was Stevens’ fault, pointing out that the supervisors prolonged the case by appealing the decision. Elling said he was not trying to blame anyone for the expense.
Elling read a letter to residents in which he announced that he would not be seeking another term. He expressed pride in some of the township improvements that occurred during his 13 years on the Planning Commission and 18 years as a supervisor. They ranged from the construction of the township building in 2003 to the preservation of 400 acres. Citing the township’s professional staff and exemplary volunteers, he said, “One of my most important rewards was the opportunity to represent Kennett Township.”
Two residents were recognized posthumously for their contributions to the township. Roadmaster Roger E. Lysle presented a replica of a sign that will designate a portion of Hillendale Road as Stan Klein Memorial Roadway. “Stan’s work was seen by all and taken for granted,” Lysle said, citing the tons of trash Stan Klein removed from township roadways. Accepting the honor, his widow, Denise Klein, said her husband loved the community and worked tirelessly for it. “I’m sure if Stan were here, he’d be very pleased,” she said.
Elling presented a plaque to Susan Larmann in recognition of her late husband’s work on the township’s Safety, Environmental Advisory and Land Conservation Advisory Committees. Elling described John Larmann as a consistently, “stable, thoughtful person” who could always be counted on to consider all facets of an issue. “This brings tears to my eyes,” Susan Larmann said later, explaining that she and her late husband, who met as children, had a relationship that spanned 70 years.
Mike Elling actually filed petitions to run again but withdrew when political boss Tom Nale apparently wouldn’t give him any support from the PAC funds. Since Mr. Elling is perceived as “toxic”, Tom Nale has found a new person to deliver his political dogma.