Chester council reviews package of resolutions on appointments, street renaming, utilities permits and contract amendments

City of Chester council members met Jan. 21, 2025, to consider a package of resolutions that included an appointment to the Chester Housing Authority Board, an honorary street-sign request, permits for new PECO natural gas service lines, several land-development and reverse-subdivision requests, an award for grant management services and an amendment to the city’s crossing guard contract.

The items announced for council consideration included Resolution 12, to appoint Alicia Stewart Martin to the Chester Housing Authority Board to fill the unexpired term of Sheila Church through Dec. 31, 2029; Resolution 13, to install an honorary street sign renaming a portion of Stiles Street to Henry Davis Way (council asked to remove explicit mention of Route 291 from the item); Resolution 14 and Resolution 15, to issue road opening permits to PECO for new natural gas service lines (one permit covers about 750 feet with openings along Walnut Street, East 17th Street and Chestnut Street; the other covers 570 feet along 10th Avenue and 260 feet along Rainy Street); Resolution 16, a preliminary/final land-development approval for city construction of a 13,228-square-foot garage and office, a 4,500-square-foot salt shed and a 48,100-square-foot covered maintenance facility at West Second Street and Penne; Resolution 17 and Resolution 18, two reverse-subdivision requests that consolidate adjacent parcels (601 and 603 Penn Street into one parcel for Duane Bryant; 2711 and 2713 Layman Street into one address for Roman Viracocha); Resolution 19, an award of grant-management services to Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions, ERS Inc., not to exceed $100,000 for initial years of service; Resolution 20, a first amendment to contract C0000-86938 with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to provide $100,000 for grant-management services related to Resolution 19; and Resolution 21, an amendment to the crossing guard vendor contract to add four crossing-guard locations and additional hours.

Council discussion clarified implementation details but the transcript does not record formal vote tallies or final outcomes for the resolutions. On Resolution 21, staff identified the vendor as SCM Management and said the additional hours give the city flexibility to pay crossing guards when school buses are delayed; the additional hours could be as much as a half hour to an hour. “It just extends it so that we have the ability to pay the vendor, in this particular case, which is SCM Management, for those additional hours,” said the Chief of Staff. The chief of staff also said the cost is split between the school district and the city, estimating “roughly a little over $12,000 for each.”

On the PECO road-opening permits, council asked whether the utility would repave curb to curb where it opens roadways. City staff said the city’s road-opening ordinance (passed earlier) applies and requires repaving under the ordinance’s parameters; staff said PECO has complied with the requirement on other projects.

On the grant-management items, staff explained that Resolution 19’s contract award will be funded by an amendment to an existing DCED grant (Resolution 20) so the $100,000 will be paid from DCED program funds rather than the city’s general fund.

The meeting transcript records questions and clarifications from council but does not show the motions, seconds or vote results for these resolutions. After the items and a separate discussion about road maintenance (see separate story), a motion to adjourn was made and seconded and the meeting ended.