Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives


Source: October 1995 Volume 33 Number 4, Pages 168–170


Notes and Comments

Page 168

Top

Old Chester Valley Right-of-Way to be Bikeway

In mid-July the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation began dismantling the 140-year old Chester Valley Railroad preparatory to converting its right-of-way to a hiking-bicycling trail. The railroad passed through the entire length of Tredyffrin Township as part of its 15-mile line between Bridgeport and Downingtown.

The project is expected to continue into early next year, and will involve the removal of three overhead railroad bridges and the elimination of fourteen grade crossings altogether.

Top

County-wide Reassessment Program Underway

Chester County is conducting a reassessment of the 160,000 properties in the county in response to an order from the County Court of Common Pleas, which ruled that the current property assessments are not uniform and are therefore inequitable. The last reassessment took place in the early 1970s and the property values established at that time have been used as the base for real estate taxes since the 1975 tax year.

It is expected that process will take a little more than two years to complete.

Page 169

The County has hired the firm of Cole*Layer*Trumble Company to do the work. It is described as the oldest and largest mass appraisal firm in the country, and is widely recognized as the leader in the field. The firm recently completed the reassessment of Berks County, and is currently also working on reassessment projects in Lancaster and Montgomery counties.

Collection of residential data was started on March 2, 1995, and is to be completed for the whole county by March of 1996. After the collection of the data is completed, each property owner will receive a Data Verification Mailer for review. This computer-generated form will list the information gathered during the data collection, and each property owner will be asked to review the information for accuracy and then return the form "in a timely manner".

Data collection for the county's 4382 commercial properties and 407 industrial properties similarly began in May, and is also expected to be completed by next March.

After the data are collected, Cole*Layer*Trumble will conduct a process called value analysis. During this process, which will continue through May of 1996, the company will analyze property sales, income information, and other valuation factors. The result will be the establishment of a preliminary market value based on current sales. Certified Pennsylvania evaluators will then be sent into the community to make one last verification of the property values and make sure that all appraisals are consistent.

A final review of the appraisals will then begin in May 1996 and continue through February 1997. Appraisers will visit properties one last time to review the preliminary valuations in conjunction with comparable sales. If everything goes according to schedule, the appraised value will then be mailed to the property owners in February 1997, An informal review process will then take place from March through June, and on June 30, 1997 the county-wide reassessment program will have been completed.

Top

Long-time Berwyn Business Closes its Doors

After serving the Berwyn community for nearly sixty years, the Berwyn Lawn Mower Shop closed its doors on June 30th when John Clark, its owner, retired. The building, at 1000 W. Lancaster Avenue, built in 1965 to house the business, will be leased.

The business was started by James B. Clark, John Clark's father, who came to Berwyn in 1935 after living for a time in Chester and Haverford. He started the business the next year, in the old fire house building on Berwyn Avenue, now occupied by McAdoo Electric. Betty Clark, his wife, handled the office duties. The business grew as residential development spread over the area, making the move to the new, larger quarters on Lancaster Avenue necessary.

Page 170

On August 15th the inventory, equipment, and fixtures of the business were disposed of at public auction, and the sign that had identified the business for so many years taken down. The sale was conducted by the Landis Auction Service of Ephrata.

All that is left to be done is to find a new tenant for the building!

 
 

Page last updated: 2009-05-12 at 10:09 EST
Copyright © 2006-2009 Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Permission is given to make copies or personal use only.
All other uses require written permission of the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society.