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Council reviews Gay Street Phase 2 timeline as borough seeks $1 million DCED grant

West Chester Borough Council · November 19, 2025

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Summary

Council discussed RVE’s timeline for Gay Street Phase 2, including imported bollards and a phased April–July construction window to limit downtown impacts, and was advised to apply for a $1 million DCED local share grant for bollards and ADA mid‑block improvements.

Borough staff and council reviewed the project timeline and funding plan for Gay Street Phase 2 at the Nov. 18 work session, including a recommended application for a $1,000,000 DCED Local Share Account grant to support bollard installations and ADA mid‑block improvements.

A staff member summarized the DCED request and timeline: the grant application is a $1,000,000 ask with a submission window that had previously been Nov. 30; staff said awards on this program can take 14–16 months to be announced. Councilors supported placing the resolution on the consent agenda for the upcoming voting session.

Public works staff and the consultant RVE provided a construction schedule that showed procurement and shipping timelines for bollards and related materials (several bollard components are shipped from the U.K.). Staff said the plan calls for phased work to minimize downtown impacts and suggested starting at the outer sections (Matlack and Darlington) then sequence toward High Street. Council members recommended developing a communication plan for businesses and residents and considering night work specifications in the bid if nighttime construction is desired.

Councilors asked staff to prepare contingency strategies for summer events and high-traffic periods and to stagger closures where practical. Staff noted that phasing would reduce concurrent closures but that some daytime disruption was unavoidable; final construction sequencing and bid specifications will be developed as procurement and shipping dates are confirmed.

The council moved to authorize staff to include the DCED application and related Phase 2 items on the consent agenda for the vote session; the committee’s recommendation was 3-0 at the finance committee level.