Photo by Richard L. Gaw         The basement meeting room in the Kennett Township Building recently completed a five-month rehabilitation due to excessive moisture and mold that forced it to close last August. The room officially re-opened for the March 1 Board of Supervisors meeting.

By Richard L. Gaw, Staff Writer

On the very day Ted Otteni began his new job as Kennett Township’s new Public Works Director on Oct. 3, 2022 – taking over for long-time director Roger Lysle -- he inherited a mess.

No, not an administrative mess, but a functional one that forced the township to close its lower floor meeting room last August due to extensive moisture and a subsequent mold problem. During its closure, the board was forced to hold its meetings at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square, the West Marlborough Township Building and at the New Garden Township Building.

At the township’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting on March 15, Otteni provided the board with a top-to-bottom overview of what it took Otteni and several contractors to remediate and rehabilitate the room to prepare for its re-opening at a board meeting on March 1.

Over the five-month period of restoration, the township was forced to spend $50,658 on necessary work that included the installation of 80 feet of underdrain, sump pumps and a commercial-sized dehumidifier; waterproofing; the demolition of a stage, bathrooms, carpeting and drywall; the rehabilitation of studs and drywall; the painting of drywall; the installation of new flooring in the meeting room and bathrooms; repairs to the room’s audiovisual components; and millwork.

Otteni said that the moisture issue in the room was caused by a blocked perimeter drain that likely led to the build-up of water under the slab and around foundation walls of the building. Subsequently, the water began leaking through the east wall in the building’s mechanical room, introducing moisture into the meeting room and accelerating the deterioration of metal components, such as studs, framing and supports.

New projects at Anson B. Nixon Park

In other township business, Liz Swain and Eric Gaver of the Kennett Parks and Recreation Authority (KAPA) gave a presentation that shared the history of KAPA’s long-term partnership with the township and the Kennett Borough in its continuing development of Anson B. Nixon Park, that began when the group as formed in 1987.

Swain listed a number of projects KAPA has developed at the park over the past decade, most of which were spelled out in its 2013 strategic plan: the installation of a vehicular entrance and a pedestrian entrance; increased parking; repairs to the tennis courts and basketball courts; the installation of two pickleball courts and two dog parks; the installation of lighting throughout the park; the repair of 4,400 linear feet of the Red Clay Creek and other tributaries; the refurbishing of athletic fields; and the expansion of the community garden, which was moved to a new location.

Swain and Gaver said that 2023 promises to be another busy year of projects and the start of new initiatives at Anson B. Nixon Park:  

• KAPA is planning to install new ADA accessible playground to replace an older playground that was dismantled and removed, funded in part by grant award from the DCNR’s Other Parks programs;
• As part of its strategic plan, KAPA is working with an architectural firm to restore the historic Water Works buildings in the park for use as a public plaza, water feature, open-air community space, offices for KAPA, and maintenance and storage; and
• The park will be the site of several events that include the Annual Brandywine Red Clay Red Clay Valley Clean Up on March 25 from 8 a.m. to noon; the Annual Trout Rodeo on April 29 beginning at 8 a.m.; a public celebration of the park’s 30th anniversary that is tentatively scheduled for June; a free summer concert series scheduled for Wednesday evenings from June 21 through August 9; and KAPA’s Rock the Park fundraiser that is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 26.
• In addition, the park will also be used as the site of the annual Kennett Run on May 6, Kennett Library’s Juneteenth event; and the Kennett Township Police Department’s annual National Night Out event in August.

In other township business, the board agreed to renew the township’s agreement with the law form of Kilkenny Law, LLC for legal services during 2023, for a monthly fee of $8,500. Legal services that will be covered by the firm will include meetings, phone calls, drafting of ordinances and resolutions, emails, acquisition of open space and related work and general legal advice.

The township’s Historical Commission recommended the name Spar Hill Farm Preserve as the official name for the 103-acre property that the township purchased for $3.2 million in 2018 and establishing it as an historical and educational center that helps preserve the township’s heritage and character.

Otteni said that the demolition of several structures deemed unsafe on the property has been completed and is now open to the public. He said that a community work day is tentatively being planned at Spar Hill for April 22, and that a formal opening is being planned for May 13.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].