Commissioner announces $1.35 million in lead-remediation grants to address 47 homes, distribution of air purifiers

Commissioner Dr. Kristen Motley updated council Oct. 20 that Chester has secured new grant funding for lead remediation and indoor air-quality work.

Motley said the city received $350,000 from the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative and $1,000,000 from the William Penn Foundation, for a total of $1,350,000 to remediate 47 homes for lead hazards and to distribute 158 air purifiers. She said the grants come with a two-year timeline for completing deliverables.

Motley said the Community Action Agency has provided guidance that remediation can cost up to $30,000 per home in some cases and that the program will attempt to keep remediation work within local labor networks. She told council: "We have 2 years to address the deliverables for the grant." She also advised residents on where to seek existing assistance: "If there's lead in our home and there's a child that's less than 6 that lives there, they can call the health department, the Delaware County Health Department, that also has HUD funding to address lead remediation, or they can call Community [Action Agency] for $3,500,000 of HUD funding as well. That decision, obviously, we haven't heard back from them yet, but we'll see." (Transcript formatting preserves the speaker's phrasing.)

Motley said the city has an existing lead ordinance that has not been enforced in about two-and-a-half years and that enforcement and remediation efforts will be pursued to protect children.

Provenance: - topicintro: excerpt where Motley announces the grant amounts and program scope (transcript excerpt). - topicfinish: excerpt with guidance on who to call and the $30,000 per-home remediation ceiling (transcript excerpt).

Ending: The city will roll out the program and coordinate with landlords, Delaware County Health Department and local partners; details on exact per-home funding and landlord contributions remain to be finalized.