Chester County Association of Township Officials

In a first-of-its-kind appointment, Michael “Mac” Cotter, West Chester Borough Manager, is the 2017 borough representative on the 56-township Chester County Association of Township Officials. Chester County is the first such organization in the Commonwealth to formally create a borough representative position on their Board. Chester County has 56 Townships, 16 boroughs, and one city.

“CCATO is reaching out to Chester County’s 16 boroughs to share common concerns and educational opportunities, and to achieve that via collaboration with the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs,” according to Ernie Holling, CCATO President. “We look forward to working with our neighbors to continually improve the county.”

Cotter has been a city management professional for 25 years. His educational background includes a law degree from Cleveland State. And while living in Belgium, he obtained an MBA from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Mr. Cotter previously served as the appointed manager for West Whiteland Township, Upper Pottsgrove Township, Solebury Township, and Westtown Township.

Fox Rothschild

Fox Rothschild has announced that John T. Capetta has joined the firm’s Exton office as a partner in the Corporate Department. Named a leading corporate/mergers and acquisitions attorney by a number of organizations, Capetta focuses his practice on the representation of funds, portfolio companies, and management in private equity transactions.

He has more than 35 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, including the representation of financial and strategic buyers, sellers (both entities and individuals), and management in public and private acquisitions and divestitures and joint ventures.

“We are thrilled to welcome John to our Chester County office,” said Todd A. Rodriguez, Managing Partner of Fox’s Exton office. “John’s strong M&A experience will complement the firm’s existing national practice, while adding a new level of depth to the department’s capabilities in the private equity space.”

People’s Light

People’s Light, a professional, not-for-profit theatre in Malvern, will receive an Art Works grant of $40,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the world premiere of Project Dawn by Karen Hartman.

The Art Works category focuses on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. This is the largest grant in the theatre/musical theatre category in the state of Pennsylvania in this current round of funding.

Project Dawn is part of the New Play Frontiers Residency & Commission program which has been supported by previous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2014 and 2015. The New Play Frontiers initiative cultivates longstanding relationships with acclaimed local, national, and international artists, and connects the art and these artists to numerous communities in this fast-growing region to foster local investment and civic dialogue.

Parkesburg Point

Dwayne Walton – the Executive Director of Parkesburg Point, a community center established to offer safe, engaging, and spirit-filled environments that empower youth and families to live victoriously – has received a national Christian radio station’s Community Service Award through its Give Gratitude Campaign.

Renata Bass, Promotions Manager from K-LOVE 106.9, presented the award to Walton at the Point. Having won the award for the Greater Philadelphia area, he was one of seven people nationwide to receive the prestigious award.

Click here to read previous VISTA Today coverage of Walton and the Parkesburg Point.

Click here to donate to the Point.

Phoenixville’s Colonial Theatre

The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville recently earned the top ranking from Philly A-List in the category of Best Indie Theater 2016.

Having opened in 1903, the Colonial is the only theatre of its kind in Chester County. It was first home to live stage shows, vaudeville acts, and musicals. World famous entertainers such as Harry Houdini and Mary Pickford performed there and the first stage show, The Beauty Doctor, starred internationally known actor Fred E. Wright.