Scene in West Chester CLICK TO ENLARGE Council Committee Agendas Are Available [Posted July 3, 2009 ] The agendas for the Borough Council committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday, July 6-7 at 5:30pm have been posted. View agenda or go to the news archive D-Day for Demo [Posted July 2, 2009 ] The Mosteller Garage, slated for demolition starting July 13, is just one in a long list of stuctures that have disappeared over time. Read the complete story or go to the news archive Bike Race Set for Sat. July 11 [Posted June 30, 2009 ] The Iron Hill Criterium bicycle race will return to the Borough next month. Read the complete story or go to the news archive Recent Posts * Keeping (parts of) Chester County Open (June 17) * WCU Presents Its Building Plans (June 16) * WC Railroad Headed to Philadelphia (June 13) For other recent stories, click here.	Community Calendar Saturday, July 4 -- Chester County Parks & Recreation presents "Freedom Fest" at Mottingham County Park, 150 Park Road, Nottingham, 5-11pm. Visit www.chesco.org/ccparks for more info. Sunday, July 5 - INDEPENDENCE DAY concert at Albert C. Miller Park (220 Miller Way, Exton), with the West Chester Band ( 7:15 pm) & Fireworks ( 9:30 pm). For more info, call 610 738-7101 or visit www.westwhiteland.org. Fireworks rain date: July 12) Monday, July 6 -- Fitz-n-Jim "Talk About West Chester" on WCHE (1520 AM), 3-4pm. Monday, July 6 Borough Council committee meetings (Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Parking), Borough Hall, 401 E. Gay Street, 5:30pm. [See agendas] Tuesday, July 7 Borough Council committee meetings (Public Safety, Finance, PZBID), Borough Hall, 401 E. Gay Street, 5:30pm. [See agendas] Tuesday, July 7 -- Movie night at Marshall Square Park presents Hancock (Superhero comedy, PG-13 92 minutes), 8:30pm. Rain date: following evening. Wednesday, July 8 -- AHSI instructor Suzanne Vietri presents certified babysitter class for ages 11-13 at West Chester Mun. Building, 401 East Gay St, Room 240, 9am- 2pm. Cost $50. Call 610-436-8010 to reserve a place. Thursday, July 9 -- Commonwealth Classic Theater Company presents William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Everhart Park, 500-block W. Union Street, 7pm. Rain date: Tuesday, July 14th, 7pm. Visit www.commonwealthclassictheatre.org for more info. Saturday, July 11 -- Breakfast and guided historical tour of West Chester, at The Lincoln Room, 28 West Market Street, 8am. Call 610-696-2102 for reservations. Visit for more info. Saturday, July 11 -- Iron Hill Criterion bicycle race, in the center of town, 5-9pm. [More Events]	Local Radio is back at WCHE 1520-AM. Listen on the Web! On My Mind (June 27) This past week, I spent several days in the City of Lancaster while attending the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities. Most of the time was devoted to workshops that all seemed to focus on survival in tough economic times, but one of the most interesting was a bus tour of economic development projects in Lancaster. A few of the sites were empty lots that had been approved for projects whose financing was delayed, but we saw a pre-World War II multi-story building that has been converted into a college of art and design, a rail yard that was relocated to make room for a mixed- use development near Franklin & Marshall College, a warehouse that was converted into a 65-room hotel, a factory complex that is being converted into apartments, commercial space and another hotel, and of course, the centerpiece of Lancaster's redevelopment, the 210-foot high Marriot hotel and convention center built to incorporate three historic houses and the old Watt & Shand department store in the center of town. By the time the tour was half over, we'd seen two hotels (and a third under construction), a working train station with Amtrak service to Harrisburg and Philadelphia, a 6000-seat sports stadium, a convention center, one downtown indoor food market and a second that recently began to open on Saturdays. A moment's reflection revealed that these are all things that we would like to have in West Chester, but have so far failed to attract. I wondered why, and if it indicated some sort of failing in West Chester. While it is possible that the answer is yes, several questions revealed other circumstances that help to explain the difference between the two County seats. First is size -- Lancaster has more than three times as many people as West Chester, 55,000 to 18,000. There is also more land in Lancaster -- over five square miles to West Chester's 1.8. Second, the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors never abandoned rail service to the City, and in fact, continue to operate a freight rail yard that services a dwindling number of local industries within the City and a significant number located in the surrounding townships. West Chester lost its rail service in 1986 and retains only two manufacturing plants -- National Foam and Sartomer -- since Wyeth closed in 2004. A third difference concerns the type of local government. Lancaster has a "strong mayor" who serves as a leader of redevelopment efforts, aided by a City Commerce Director, two separate business improvement districts, and a municipal budget of more than $44 million (compared to West Chester's $16 million). Their zoning also allows buildings of any height to be constructed in the four blocks surrounding the town's main intersection, even though that also includes the 19th century building that contains the historic "Central Market." Parking may be different too. There are permit parking districts in residential neighborhoods, meter parking along downtown streets, and surface parking lots in several locations. The big difference is their parking garages -- Lancaster has four within a three-block radius of the center of town -- whose design was evidently unaffected by any desire to preserve Lancaster's "historic character" (i.e. they look modern). That doesn't mean that Lancaster no longer looks historic -- quite the contrary -- but with more city to start with, they've found a way to build new things without worrying about preserving everything that is old. All this means is that with more land, a larger tax base, and substantial private investment, a county seat like Lancaster has managed to preserve or acquire things that we dream of here in West Chester. This can be interpreted in two ways -- either as a list of reasons why West Chester will never achieve the same, or else a blueprint for how to go about it.
Copyright 2009 by Jim Jones