White Horse Village, partners mark project completion
Last week, representatives from White Horse Village, R. Titter Roofing, Revolution Recovery and CertainTeed building products, a division of Saint-Gobain North America, gathered to celebrate the completion of a visionary pilot project to recycle 140,000 square feet of PVC vinyl siding, weighing more than 45,000 pounds, removed from 186 residences on the White Horse Village campus at 535 Gradyville Road, Newtown Square.
The campus-wide renovations were a collaboration between R. Titter Roofing and CertainTeed and included new siding, stonework, and windows for 186 residences. The vinyl recycling program kicked off last year with the exterior renovations of 70 garden cottages and continued in 2023 on 116 villas in spring, according to a press release.
As new siding was installed, R. Titter collected the old tear-offs as well as construction scraps and placed the vinyl into storage bins.
Bins full of vinyl were transported to CertainTeed’s regional partner, Revolution Recovery, to crush and bale the material. It was then hauled to CertainTeed’s PVC recycling partner for repurposing into raw material for new siding and other vinyl products.
SEPTA transit fair in Essington
The Septa Transit Fair is Friday, Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tinicum Memorial Public Library, 620 Seneca St., Essington.
There will be free information on SEPTA schedules and maps, the senior ride free card and senior key renewal. Walk-ins are welcome No appointment is necessary. Cards can be renewed up to 90 days prior to expiration. Bring proof of age and expired key card.
Also learn about replacing lost cards.
Contact MaryAnn Sandone at 484-445-2076 for more information or email msandone@dctma.org.
Presentation on Gen. George Custer
Gen. George Custer is remembered mainly for the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Little Big Horn, historians know that during the Civil War, Custer was known as the Union Army’s most accomplished cavalry officer.
In the Battle of Gettysburg, Custer’s regiment, nicknamed The Wolverines not only defeated Confederate General Jeb Stuart’s forces, but may have saved the Union itself.
Anyone interested in Pennsylvania and Civil War history are invited to a free presentation of “Come on you Wolverines: Gen. George Custer’s Civil War” on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the West Goshen Township Building at 1025 Paoli Pike.
The free talk will be given by local historian David Walter, a member of the Brandywine Valley Civil War Round Table. Visit the group’s Facebook page.
Test smoke alarms at time change
Daylight saving time ends this Sunday morning, Nov. 5, and the American Red Cross encourages everyone to test their smoke alarms as they turn their clocks back to make sure the alarms are working.
In 2023, local Red Cross volunteers responded to help nearly 2,000 people in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties affected by at least 600 home fires, which account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually across the country.
When turning your clocks back this weekend, test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries if needed.
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to create and practice with your family, or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores. Tips:
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.
• Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
• Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late.
• Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.
If you cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help.
Visit soundthealarm.org/ philly or call 215-299-4029 for more information.
Neumann joins Common App program
Neumann University said Thursday that it has joined the Common Application direct admissions program, which will provide hundreds of regional first-generation and low and middle-income students who are interested in college with proactive admissions offers, according to a press release.
Through the platform, first-time and transfer applicants can apply to multiple colleges at once. The result is that students fill out details that most schools require — name, address and extracurricular activities — only one time.
Since 2021, Common App has piloted a direct admissions program, offering admission to students who created a Common App account and provided enough academic information but had not yet completed their applications. The latest iteration of the pilot showed that the impact of the offer was strongest for Black, Latino, and first-generation students.
“More than half of Neumann University’s undergraduates are first-generation college students,” explained Francesca Reed, university vice president for enrollment management and marketing in a press release. “If an admissions offer can inspire students to enroll, we can support them on their journey to a college degree and professional career.”
“We are excited for Neumann University to join our direct admissions program, where even more students will now know that they are worthy and wanted on a college campus,” said Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of Common App in a press release. “Overall, direct admissions is about changing the narrative of a college education from one of scarcity to one of opportunity, by ensuring students know that college opportunity is an abundant resource — and one that’s available to them.”
Chester group gets urban farming grant
Pennsylvania Farm Bill’s Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program has invested more than $2.7 million in urban agriculture since 2019.
In total, 139 projects in 19 counties across the state are expanding fresh food access in locations often served by a single convenience store.
The program funds microgrants of $2,500 in matching funds for onetime projects or a single entity, as well as collaboration grants. Collaboration grants provide up to $50,000 in matching funds for cooperative or regional efforts to share resources, support community development, and combining products of small farmers, building collective power of to supply fresh food in underserved neighborhoods.
Eligibility to be considered urban was determined by criteria from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Among the awards:
• Delaware County: Chester Housing Initiatives, $50,000 for installation of greenhouse and design of urban rooftop garden
Daily Times
Program on the athletic recruiting process
The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum presents a free seminar on “How to Navigate the College Sports Recruiting Process.”
Tom Kovic, president and founder of Victory Collegiate Consulting, will offer advice to those interested in knowing the inside game of negotiating the athletic recruiting process. By the end of the seminar, families will understand the strategies that college coaches use when recruiting prospects for all sports, according to a press release.
The museum in the Radnor Township Municipal Building, 301 Iven Ave., parents and their student-athletes to the free seminar on Sunday Nov. 12.
Doors will open at 1 p.m., with the seminar to begin at 1:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.delcosportsmuseum.org or www.victoryrecruiting.com.
Although the seminar is free, those planning to attend should register in advance. To register, contact Jim Vankoski at (610) 909-4919 or vankoski21@comcast.net.
Aston Lions have bingo on Sunday
The Aston Township Lions will present bingo on Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Aston Community Center on Concord Road.
Tickets are $20. Doors open at noon and bingo begins at 1 p.m. There will be cash prizes, raffles and door prizes and refreshments will be available for purchase.
Must be 18 years old to play. Proceeds will benefit the children’s party and community food baskets.
Hunting set at Ridley Creek State Park
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will hold two days of regulated hunting for whitetailed deer on Thursday, Nov. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 7 at Ridley Creek State Park.
In an effort to increase the ecological diversity of the park, these hunts will be conducted for antlered and antlerless deer by permit only. To ensure the safety of all park users, all of the park and a portion of Gradyville Road through the park will be closed to all activities on these dates for the entirety of normal park operating hours.
Park rangers and wildlife conservation officers will be stationed throughout the park during the hunts.
Hunters applied for permits and will be selected by a random drawing.
Before the regulated hunts, successful applicants will receive complete packages of safety rules, procedures, and maps showing open-hunting areas. Immediately prior to the legal hunting time, participants will be required to attend a mandatory information and safety session conducted by DCNR state park staff and Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers.
For more details, call 610-892-3900.