New Garden Township opens meeting with swearing-in ceremonies
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Tairy Melendez (left) holds the Bible for her husband, Pedro Melendez, as he is sworn is as a part-time police officer in New Garden Township.
As if on cue to complement the celebration, a rainbow preceded the swearing-in Monday night of an interim supervisor and three part-time police officers in New Garden Township.
After receiving the oath from Magisterial District Judge Matthew Seavey, Peter D. Scilla, a pharmaceutical manager and volunteer firefighter, joined Supervisors Stephen Allaband, Betty Gordon and Bob Norris at the front of the room. Supervisor Robert J. Perrotti did not attend Monday night’s meeting. Scilla is filling the vacancy created by former Supervisor Warren E. Reynolds, who resigned on June 5.
New Garden Township Police Chief Gerald Simpson said he was pleased to be adding a collective 50 years of law-enforcement experience to the force with the hiring of three part-time officers. Michael King, who retired this past spring from the state police as a corporal after 25 years; Philip J. Magorry, a 25-year veteran of the City of Newark Police Department, where he works as an assistant patrol supervisor; and Pedro Melendez, a bi-lingual township resident who worked part time in East Whiteland Township, are part of a pilot program to increase police coverage to 24 hours a day while stemming overtime costs.
Magisterial District Judge Matthew Seavey (left) swears in Michael King, a retired state police corporal, as his wife, Cathy King, holds the Bible.
The supervisors recognized Barclay Hoopes, a township resident and former supervisor, as an example of effective environmental stewardship. Hoopes worked with the township, the Chester County Conservation District, United Water, and the City of Newark to improve water quality and reduce erosion by adding features such as stream bank fencing, a riparian forest buffer, and cattle crossings to his 62-acre farm.
“This project was a cooperative effort,” Hoopes stressed. He said he was pleased that the work had been so well-received and would likely serve as a model for others.
Barbara Underwood, director of the township Parks and Recreation Department, said What-Knott Farm would provide a petting zoo for residents at this Tuesday night’s free Family Fun program, which starts at 7 p.m. On July 30, entertainment will be provided by Jungle John’s balloon show followed by a science show with a rocket launch on Aug. 6.
The supervisors also heard from Andy Rumford, the father of Kacie Erin Rumford, a 23-year-old Kennett Square resident who lost her life to a heroin overdose in March. Rumford, who has launched a crusade to raise public awareness about the deadly proliferation of heroin in the area, said 95 percent of his daughter’s supply came from New Garden Township. “You don’t have to go to Philadelphia or Wilmington” to buy heroin, he said, adding that a $7 bag can be purchased easily in White Clay Creek Preserve.
Township resident Barclay Hoopes, a former supervisor, was applauded for working with a variety of agencies to improve water quality and reduce erosion on his 62-acre farm.
“We come here demanding not a thing, but requesting to be part of the solution,” Rumford said, explaining that he has disseminated flyers, established an educational website – www.kaciescause.com – and held forums to raise awareness. He said he hopes to schedule a town hall meeting at Avon Grove High School in September to serve New Garden Township, Avondale and West Grove residents.
Supervisor Bob Norris said he recognized that the township building could not accommodate the crowds of several hundred that Rumford’s meetings have attracted; however, he urged Rumford to reach out to the supervisors for whatever else he might need. Norris said he had done a ride-along with police, an experience that opened his eyes to the severity of illegal drugs. Norris said he could not imagine the depths of Rumford’s pain. “We’re grateful for your passion,” Norris said. “We’re with you as a township and as a board.”
After listening to comments about the problematic intersection of Sharp and Sheehan Roads, the supervisors voted to get input from the township’s traffic-engineering firm regarding a possible temporary solution, recognizing that the permanent fix in the works will likely take five years. “I think to do nothing is wrong,” Allaband said.
Magisterial District Judge Matthew Seavey (left) swears in Philip J. Magorry (right) as a part-time New Garden Township police officer while Police Chief Gerald Simpson holds the Bible.
During the approval of disbursements, Norris respectfully questioned the approximate $200 cost for a new POW/MIA flag, saying he thought the supervisors had agreed not to replace it. Echoing the sentiments of several residents, Public Works Director Kenneth Reed told the board that the flag was definitely needed as well as appreciated.
Norris also wondered whether the supervisors could save time and money by eliminating the paper copies of township materials hand-delivered before each meeting to each supervisor since the same materials are available electronically. Several supervisors expressed reluctance to relinquish the hard copies but said they would be willing to pick them up themselves.
The supervisors scheduled a work session for Wednesday night to resolve some funding issues, primarily police-related. Allaband said the meeting will include discussion regarding police contract negotiations and the police building, an interim facility that is now mold-plagued and must be replaced as soon as possible.
At their last meeting, the supervisors, lamenting the lack of a long-term solution, agreed that the quickest way to remedy the situation was to rent a trailer for about $20,000, which could be in place within two weeks; they also expressed hope that the estimated $33,000 installation cost could be reduced if some of the work was performed by township personnel. Those details remain unresolved.
“What worries me is overburdening our Public Works Department,” the police chief said after the meeting, explaining that the hookups for computer and phone service have to be performed quickly.
The short-term fix also raises questions about whether the township should modify the 10-year loan it has on its main building to include funds for a permanent police station. Possibilities under discussion include a new building at the current site, retrofitting the basement of the main township building, or finding a new location. Township Manager Spence Andress said the township, which missed a July 13 balloon payment, received a 90-day extension.
The work session is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday
