Encourages residents to ‘get to know Kennett Township’
By Kim Chiomento, News Editor, The Times
KENNETT – Whitney Hoffman says she is “the new kid on the block” in reference to being newly elected as one of the three Kennett Township Supervisors. During her campaign, Hoffman ran on a platform that included offering Kennett Township residents increased transparency and access to government. Three months later she explains how she is taking simple steps to make that pledge happen.
“I really want the community to get to know the Township better…I keep asking myself what can we do to make the Township more user friendly?” says Hoffman, “It’s important to me that the residents feel a sense of forward momentum and that communications are constantly improving…I want to know exactly what I am getting for my taxes and I think most people feel the same way.”
Hoffman served as ‘co-pilot’ aboard a Kennett Township plow truck during the recent massive winter storm. She decided to document the experience for residents via live FaceBook posts and video from her cell phone, “It started out as quick experiment as a way for me to keep residents updated from a safety perspective, but then turned out to be really fun, people would come outside to wave and message back when they knew our plow was getting close.” Township Roadmaster, Roger Lysle, helped coordinate her first-had look at winter storm management from a public works perspective.
“When I was first elected, I took went on a road inspection tour to better understand and evaluate the schedule of upcoming repairs; riding aboard the plow brought a whole new perspective to the roads within our Township,” says Hoffman, “Our Township employees are so dedicated, most people have no idea that they were working 12 hours shifts, and some were sleeping on cots in the Township’s garage between shifts…all with public safety as a top priority, especially keeping main arteries open and passable for emergency services vehicles.”
She also noted that snow removal was incredibly time consuming and estimated it took crews eight hours to clear just the cul-de-sacs located throughout the Township. Hoffman praised caring residents who offered drivers coffee, water and moral support as they travelled neighborhoods, and also Township Manager Lisa Moore, for bringing the road crews her (now famous) Chicken Parmesan.
Hoffman explained that the storm was an “all hands on deck” event and that each employee had specific assignments and geographical zones to care for. “In addition to managing the constant clearing of the roads, plow maintenance is a huge issue…preventing plows from overheating due to heavy usage, refueling and allowing drivers enough time to rest to head back out and perform their duties safely were all a part of it…I felt like I was witnessing an episode of ‘How it’s Made’ (a reference to the popular Discovery Science Channel TV show.) I was really happy to see how many residents watched the videos and saw the pictures of the event; the use of social media was an easy and cost-effective way to increase transparency and access to our taxpayers.”
Kennett Township Supervisor – Whitney Hoffman
Prior to her snowplow ride, Hoffman also toured and videoed the historically significant Fussell House (also commonly referred to as The Pines property) located at 723 E. Baltimore Pike, Kennett Township. The Federal style, Colonial Revival house was a once stately property and was built in 1823 by local physician, William Gillingham. Home to numerous physicians and prominent members of the community, the Fussell House was a known stop on the Underground Railroad with its owners assisting countless enslaved African Americans to freedom until about 1879. The home featured access to primitive secret passageways from its basement. The property assumed its current name after Bartholomew Fusell purchased the house in 1827.
Today, the Fussell House stands in disrepair and Hoffman felt it was important to document the condition of the structure, not only from an archival perspective, but so that people have a full understanding of what it would take to restore the property. “I think the video I took will give people insight and be helpful when making budget decisions.”
Regarding technology, Hoffman is in support of making the Kennett Township website more user friendly and is in the process of re-working the Township Directory to include additional local services people may want to have information about. She estimates the updated e-directory to be accessible on the Township’s website later this winter. She also noted that members from the Kennett Consolidated School District’s technology department came and spoke at a recent Supervisor’s meeting on various tech initiatives, how tax dollars are being spent, as well as the direct link between the Kennett Public Library and local schools’ technology.
In February she will be attending a course for new supervisors run by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors and is looking forward to receiving additional training to help her succeed.
Hoffman concluded “The broader the perspective I have on happenings within the Township the better I can be at making decisions and work to ensure that planning is not happening in a vacuum. I am proud of how hard our employees work and how their dedication makes the Township run much like a caring family.”
To watch Hoffman’s video documentaries click on the following links:
Fussell House / The Pines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH-jqBn9QoU&feature=youtu.be
Blizzard 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XsdLOpGhXM
