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City highlights block captain cleanups, parking rules and abandoned-vehicle reporting
Summary
Council heard updates on neighborhood cleanup events and block-captain recruitment, discussed residential permit parking, and outlined abandoned-vehicle reporting and removal procedures.
City staff and volunteers on July 23 briefed council on neighborhood cleanups, the block captain program and residential parking, and outlined the process for reporting abandoned vehicles.
Justin Tibbles, special assistant to Mayor Ruth and representative of the block captain committee, announced a cleanup in the Holy City neighborhood scheduled for Saturday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to noon and said the committee will provide trash pickers, gloves and bags. He said the block captain program has recruited about 40 volunteers across the city and that residents can apply via chestercity.com or the Chester City Connect app.
Tibbles said Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit, now partners with the city’s block captain program and provides microgrants, materials and signage for adopted blocks.
Director of Public Works Andrew Hayman explained that several ADA curb ramps are being installed by PennDOT at intersections and that the city will seek clarity on sidewalk and ramp coordination where PennDOT work intersects city sidewalks. He said some ramp work appears to precede full sidewalk repairs and that staff will seek PennDOT guidance on how ramp placement is prioritized.
The council also addressed residential permit parking zones and a recent change that placed several blocks into a permit zone originally intended to limit overflow from Crozer Medical Center. The mayor said the parking company that manages permits has followed the existing rule book and that council will meet with the parking authority on Aug. 4 to revisit zone boundaries and permit requirements.
On abandoned vehicles, police staff described a two-track process: vehicles parked on public streets are handled by the police department, while vehicles on private lots are handled by licenses and inspections (L&I). Council was given the dedicated abandoned-vehicle email address for police reports: acapitalabndmv@chesterpolice.org. Police staff described an administrative process that includes investigating, tagging with an abandoned-vehicle sticker and a seven-business-day removal window for qualifying vehicles. Council members noted enforcement resources are limited and that one staff member is currently assigned to the abandoned-vehicle function Monday–Friday.
Council encouraged residents to report problem vehicles and to submit photos and locations to aid enforcement.
