Chester council approves air monitors, GoGov app grant and land-development approval; hears vacant-building safety plan

Chester City Council on Feb. 12 approved a series of resolutions including a license for five air-monitoring stations by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, acceptance of a Delaware County gaming-revenue grant to pay the first year of a municipal GoGov mobile app subscription, and final land-development approval for a six-story self-storage building at 1020 Morton Avenue after a legal review showed the prior delinquent owner no longer held equitable interest in the property. The council also heard a presentation from the fire commissioner on a vacant-building placard system and an update on neighborhood blight surveys.

The resolutions and votes followed presentations and public comment during the regularly scheduled city council meeting. The vote on the self-storage project drew the most discussion from council members, who said they would have preferred a different use but were told by the city solicitor and planning director that the city was legally constrained from denying the application because ownership had transferred and the applicant met zoning and land-development requirements.

The DEP air-monitoring resolution instructs the city to enter license agreements permitting the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Protection to install, operate and remove air-monitoring stations, at DEP expense, at five intersections selected in Chester. Council members and staff described the move as a source of “real data” the city can use to understand local pollution levels. The resolution cites the Air Pollution Control Act and related DEP authority.

The council accepted a $13,860 grant from the Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority to cover the first year of a GoGov subscription for a branded Chester mobile app and citizen request management (CRM) system. Vince Rangione, vice chair of the authority, said the board “take[s] very seriously our responsibility to reinvest this money in communities of most need” and that the application from Mayor Rootes was “right up that alley.” Andrew Nelson, treasurer of the authority, said the authority would “continue to make sure we get those dollars back to the communities where they’re needed the most.” The GoGov agreement is contingent on final review by the city solicitor and, if the pilot is kept, would be considered for inclusion in next year’s city budget.

On land use, the council voted to grant final land-development approval for a 32,100-square-foot, six-story self-storage facility at 1020 Morton Avenue, to be developed by Dino Thomasetti. Paul Fritz, Chester’s planning director, explained that the original applicant and owner of the parcel had transferred the property and “it does appear that that delinquent property owner is fully divested from this property and no longer has any equitable interest,” leaving the city without a legal basis to deny the application. Council members repeatedly said they would have voted against the location if they could, but that their options were limited once planning and zoning approvals were complete and the legal ownership record was clear.

Fire Commissioner John Paul Shirley presented the city’s planned vacant-building placard system, part of a FEMA-funded program tied to the 2018 International Fire Code. Shirley described three placard levels to indicate structural condition and firefighter risk: a solid red background for structurally sound vacant buildings, a “single white slash” for buildings with hazards and the need for caution, and a marker for buildings so hazardous firefighters should not enter. Shirley said the city’s 911 dispatch software already includes digital flags for hazardous properties and that fire crews will reverify entries from a Cyclo Media blight survey and a previous streetside firefighter survey. He said the department identified “a little over a dozen” properties slated for prompt demolition and that an older list in the 911 system showed roughly 500 “no-go” entries from an assessment two years earlier; Shirley said crews will reverify and scrub that list before placards are deployed. He said the physical placards will be weather-resistant coroplast-style signs rather than metal to discourage theft.

City Treasurer Eleanor Goldson briefed council on 2025 tax-bill timing changes and payment deadlines. Goldson said discount periods have moved to March 30 (previously April 30) and the base payment period ends May 30 (previously June 30). She said 2024 tax bills remain due in mid-February and that the city is moving toward treating new tax bills on a calendar-year basis, with the 2025 bills considered late after Dec. 31, 2025.

Other routine actions included authorization for promotional testing for fire department captain candidates, the transfer of 900 West Second Street to the newly formed Chester Redevelopment Authority for redevelopment, formal designation of Santander Bank, N.A. as a depository with named authorized signers, and authorization for the Chester Economic Development Authority to publicize drafts of the city’s 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan and 2025 CDBG/HOME action plan. All resolutions presented for vote carried by unanimous roll-call votes in the meeting record.

Council members and staff said they will follow up on implementation steps: comparing Cyclo Media data with firefighter field surveys, refining the city’s vacant-building list, pursuing demolition of buildings flagged as immediate hazards, and coordinating with DEP on monitor locations and legal agreements. Mayor Rootes and staff said if the GoGov pilot is successful the subscription would be considered for the city’s FY2026 budget.

Public comment included an inquiry about the Dwight-City Group redevelopment and façade-improvement program downtown and a petition campaign proposed by community members to add a referendum question to the May ballot on whether council members may serve simultaneously as city department heads. Council said it would discuss the petition and consider placing the issue on a future agenda.

Votes at a glance

- Promotional testing for fire department captains: resolution approved (roll call: Councilor Gibson Williams — Yes; Councilor Green — Yes; Councilor Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: authorize civil service board promotional testing for captain candidates. (No mover/second named in transcript.)

- Final land-development approval, 1020 Morton Ave (Asset Realty/Thomasetti): resolution approved (roll call: Gibson Williams — Yes; Green — Yes; Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: grant final land development approval for a 32,100-square-foot, six-story self-storage facility; transcript record: applicant met planning/zoning and ownership requirements; outcome: approved.

- GoGov municipal app agreement (first-year subscription funded by Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority grant of $13,860): resolution approved (roll call: Gibson Williams — Yes; Green — Yes; Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: authorize agreement with GoGov to provide software subscription services contingent on city solicitor review; grant to cover first year.

- DEP air monitoring license agreements (five intersections): resolution approved (roll call: Gibson Williams — Yes; Green — Yes; Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: authorize city official to execute license agreements permitting DEP to install air monitors at specified locations; contingent on solicitor approval.

- 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan / 2025 CDBG and HOME action plan public-notice authorization (Chester Economic Development Authority): resolution approved (roll call: Gibson Williams — Yes; Green — Yes; Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: authorize CEDA to complete public-notification steps and advertise drafts per federal regulations.

- Transfer of 900 West Second Street to the City of Chester Redevelopment Authority: resolution approved (roll call: Gibson Williams — Yes; Green — Yes; Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: transfer property for redevelopment purposes.

- Santander Bank depository/resolutions and authorized signers (Richard Troutman, CFO; Eleanor Goldson, City Treasurer; Joy Taylor, City Controller): resolution approved (roll call: Gibson Williams — Yes; Green — Yes; Davis — Yes; Mayor Rootes — Yes). Motion: designate Santander Bank, N.A. as a depository and set authorized signers.

What happened next / implementation notes

Council and staff said they will: (1) work with DEP on final location details and license agreements for the air monitors; (2) reverify and refine the vacant-building and “no-go” lists before affixing placards and before any demolition action; (3) consider GoGov subscription funding in next year’s budget if the pilot is successful; and (4) follow up on the Dwight-City Group negotiations and façade-improvement design work with property owners. The planning director said the city would be more diligent in future to verify ownership and tax-delinquency status earlier in the permitting process to avoid similar disputes.

Sources and attribution

Quotes and attributions come from meeting participants: Mayor Rootes; Vince Rangione, vice chair, Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority; Andrew Nelson, treasurer, Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority; Paul Fritz, planning director, City of Chester; John Paul Shirley, fire commissioner, City of Chester; and Eleanor Goldson, city treasurer. Public commenters included Reverend Thaddeus Kirkland and Nolan Fontaine. All votes and motions are recorded in the Feb. 12, 2025 Chester City Council meeting transcript and minutes.