Three new businesses to open in borough’s commercial district; Library operation praised
By Jacqueline Kennedy, Correspondent, The Times
KENNETT — On May 5, 1862 The Mexicans defeated the French army at The Battle of Puebla. On May 3, 2015, Kennett Square hosted its 15th Annual Cinco de Mayo celebration — and both were rousing successes.
The festival’s organizer, Arturo Gomez Rubio reported during Monday night’s Kennett Square Borough Council meeting that the event — cited by many now as one of the top such events on the East Coast — was exceedingly successful. There were more than 10,000 people celebrating Latino culture in Kennett Square. All merchants, vendors, and consumers Rubio said were pleased with the sizable attendance rate.
And while Kennett Square’s national reputation grows thanks to festivals such as Cinco de Mayor, the borough’s downtown area will be growing, as it introduces the community to three new shops. Mary Hutchins, Executive Director of Historic Kennett Square, reported during the meeting that that a new skin care and make up store will take the place of Frolic boutique at 101 West State Street.
Secondly, a beauty bar named Blown Away will be located at 110 South Union Street, in place of Liz Marden Gourmet Cakes and Desserts.
The next new establishment is Red Clay Design, a home motif and gift shop, much like its predecessor, Vignette at 123 East State Street.
New red, white, and blue pole banners were ordered for downtown Kennett to direct residents to the Historical Commission website. The borough is hoping to display them in time for the Memorial Day Parade on May 25, 2015 at 10am.
Although the future of the Kennett Public (need Bayard Taylor Memorial) Library remains something of a controversial issue, following the resignation of a number of library board members last week and growing opposition to the library’s name change and planned move out of the borough, there seemed to be fairly universal praise for the ongoing operation of the library and its director, Donna Murray.
Murray came in for strong praise during Monday night’s meeting. She was lauded for having done much for the local community, while making the library a great place for both children and adults. The Kennett Public Library has multiple resources for the community, such as, adult literature, one on one tutoring, GED classes in Spanish, ESL classes at TOJO Mushroom, play group, video game club, Lego club, children’s practice reading sessions, and camp.
Murray’s staff was also praised for its ability to secure invaluable programs for the community.
There has been some negative feedback on the renaming and relocating of the library, Murray allowed during the meeting, but said that. those who provide continuous support are very positive about the new changes.
In the meantime, the library board approved renovations to the existing building that are almost completed. This includes a new lobby area with new carpeting, seating, a new front desk and tech bar. Library users can now easily come in and plug in their digital devices.
“The focus was on making the lobby and much of the first floor more functional the way libraries are used,” Murray said.
Murray noted that a question she gets frequently is why make these renovations when the library is expected to move to Kennett Township? She said that the current plan, based on fundraising, would keep the library in the borough for about the next five years. The long-needed renovations will serve the public for a number of years, she said.
The Grand re-opening celebration for the renovations is this Thursday at 6:30pm.
Borough Council President Leon Spencer, complimented Murray about keeping a positive attitude toward her commitment to the Kennett Public Library and that clearly, rear residents are taking notice. The trend of library usage among individuals is generally down in some areas, in part because of the Internet. In contrast, Kennett Public Library had an increase of 2.3% in usage, despite some closures for the renovations.
“It has a feel of a big city library for just a small town,” Borough Council member Brett Irwin said.
Murray said that the library staff is looking forward to increasing the amount of card holders and building a stronger community.
