Live in West Chester? Want to? Follow along.
After 150 years of going unrecognized, organizers of Juneteenth events are making up for lost time. By some counts there are over 40 events planned in Chester County over the coming weeks. I talked to author and Chester County Community Foundation Community Engagement Officer Malcolm Johnstone about the role West Chester played in the lead up to the events of 1865. Plus, a list of recommended events to help you celebrate.
As one side of the Melton Center’s E. Miner Street property is being cemented over, the other is being dug into garden plots. Two halves tackling a couple of rather lofty Borough goals: affordable housing and food insecurity. While every row home that sells over asking price serves as a reminder of the need for affordable housing, one might not think putting food on the table would be a problem in the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, but you’d be wrong.
We are about to embark on a new pool adventure. After years as members of the YMCA outdoor pool, we have decided to break off and try something new, or rather, something old. Goodbye waterpark. It’s back to basics. A pool, some grills, and a basketball hoop, but I am hoping the opportunity to run around with friends (and the peace that comes from fully-entertained kids) will more than make up for it. Need a place to dip your toes this summer? Here are your options.
With primary elections less than a month away, it is time we take a look at who exactly wants to run this town. We have a packed local ticket: mayor, four borough council seats and our representative on the West Chester Area School Board. These positions often don’t often have big names, but they carry a lot of influence and that influence hits awfully close to home.
It’s been a strange year for Mother Earth. Carbon emissions dropped then returned. Oil prices plummeted. Creating new plastic became cheaper, while recycling got harder. So, now on the verge of another Earth Day, I was curious where this upheaval left West Chester’s plan to ban single-use plastic waste in the borough. Turns out, in the middle of a lawsuit and at the mercy of the business district.
Is it possible we are once again inundated with the news of so many new West Chester dining establishments it is worthy of another roundup? Could it be the West Chester dining scene is growing even more robust during a year when many so establishments were forced to close their doors?
Well, yes, my friends, I believe we are and it is.
Sure, zoning might not be the most exciting topic out there but these changes could affect your drinking, your parking and your property values. So, maybe worth a few minutes of your time?
You may have arrived home this weekend to find a door hanger breaking down the benefits of a community-owned grocery store. Benefits like walkability, healthy, local food options, and convenient hours. This has long been a goal of the West Chester community, yet results remain elusive. Now six years after forming, the West Chester Co-op is ready to make some moves. See what’s next in our quest to shop local.
I don’t know if I’ve ever frequented an establishment based solely on the color of the owner’s skin but I do know a community is better served when it is served a variety of cultures, experiences and viewpoints. Special thanks to Heather Bee of the Odd Bee for letting me share her list of West Chester black-owned businesses so we can keep that diversity strong.
Last month the West Chester Area Council of Governments launched its West Chester Area Clean Energy Future campaign. The campaign is made up of four community engagement modules designed to walk constituents through lessening, then greening their energy consumption. Think of this as the first step toward shrinking the town’s energy use – one resident at a time.
