By John Chambless
Staff Writer

A new East Marlborough Township supervisor was chosen on Oct. 1 to fill the unexpired term of former supervisor Christine Kimmel, who moved out of the township. Bruce Jameson, one of five candidates who were seeking the appointment, was chosen unanimously to fill the vacancy on the board through Nov. 2019.

Jameson was at the meeting, and said he chose to seek the nomination because he felt committed to public service, and because he has extensive experience as a member of a Delaware law firm for the past 28 years. Jameson said he lives in a barn that once belonged to Bayard Taylor, at Taylor and Fairthorne roads, and the experience of working with zoning and rehabilitation of the building gave him insight into the process that the supervisors regularly deal with.

The supervisors said they appreciated the public's interest in serving on the board, particularly thanking Shelley Mincer, who also presented her credentials to the board at the meeting. Board chairman Richard Hannum, Jr., said he was impressed with “the common commitment to the community” expressed by all the applicants. Jameson will be sworn in at next month's Board of Supervisors meeting on Nov. 5.

At the beginning of the meeting, during public comment, Michael Carlino, the CEO of Carlino Mushroom Company on Wawaset Road, complained to the board about the dust and mud from construction vehicles at the Longwood Preserve community being built near his facility. “I'm extremely concerned about the dust,” Carlino said. “The site manager says he'll fix it, but nothing has been done. Dust is like anthrax to a mushroom company. I have confronted some of the truck drivers and nothing has been done. This development will end up costing me money. The trucks have driven over the corner of my lawn, with no concern for my farm, that has been in operation for 75 years. I feel totally disrespected and put off.”

Joe Ruggiero, one of the developers working on the Longwood Preserve development, was in the audience at the meeting. He responded, “Did you ever tell me in person about the dust from the road? This is the first I'm hearing about this. I knew nothing about this until tonight, and I promise you that as of tonight, it will be taken care of. I promise you. Something will be done about it now.”

Carlino thanked Ruggiero for his response.

Also during public comment, a neighbor of a home on Poplar Tree Road in Kennett Square addressed the board about an 18-wheel tanker truck that has been parked at the home since early July. “I don't think it's right for a commercial vehicle to be parked in a residential area like that,” he said. “It's an eyesore, in my opinion.”

The owners of the home in question were at the meeting and responded to the complaint. They had purchased the home with a plan to enclose the truck in an appropriate garage structure, but since they are in a historic district, there have been snags about the kind of materials they could use, and the zoning process has been complicated. The truck is used to transport used cooking oil, but is nearly always empty when it is parked at the home. The oil is not hazardous.

Township solicitor Frone Crawford said he will study the zoning requirements and respond to the family within a week regarding what needs to be done about the truck.

The Northridge community that has long been in the planning stages, was brought forward for final plan review at the meeting. The proposed community of 27 twin townhomes will be at 203 Gale Lane, a 34.7-acre property that is currently the site of a warehouse for the Everfast company in Kennett Square. After prolonged negotiations about the layout and landscaping for the community, a plan has been finalized that will put landscaping around the community as a buffer, and trees will be planted 60 feet apart on both sides of the community's street. Invasive species of plants and trees will be removed from an area of undergrowth near the proposed community.

Facing a financing deadline, attorneys for the developer were seeking the board's approval of the latest revised plan, and received approval, with a few conditions.

The board also heard a final plan for a subdivision of a seven-acre lot at 223 E. Street Road that would put a new home and driveway on the property. A spokesman for the Traditions neighborhood to the northwest of the property expressed concern about possible flooding at the site, and whether a pond at Traditions, if it failed, could be a flooding liability to future property owners.

Crawford said, “You can't deny a potential subdivision on the basis of an upstream flood potential.” Township engineer Jim Hatfield suggested that a properly designed swale could divert any possible flooding away from the home site, which sits above a wetlands area where any flooding would likely be channeled. The property owner was asked to get an upgraded swale design and return for next month's Board of Supervisors meeting.

Township information is available at www.eastmarlborough.org.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].