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This section provides an inventory and evaluation of public
facilities and services provided by the Borough of West Chester. Emphasis is on
public services; however, private-sector health and human services are also
discussed. In order to project municipal resource demand for the Community
Facilities and Services Plan, the service requirements for future residential,
recreational, and economic growth, and other needs are analyzed. Demand for
services determines the number and kinds of future schools, recreation
facilities, public infrastructure, police and emergency services as well as
administrative resources that will be provided. Map 4 shows the location of
community facilities and services.
The Borough is organized and operates under the 1994
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Home Rule Charter. West Chester is governed by a
seven-member Borough Council, elected by wards for four-year, overlapping
terms. In January of even-numbered years, Council conducts a re-organization
meeting when it elects a President and Vice President of Council. Council
directs Borough activities through the appointed Borough Manager in all
departments except the Police Department.
In addition to Council, voters elect a Mayor every four
years. The Mayor directs the activities of the Police Department through the
Chief of Police. While Borough Council controls Police Department hiring and
finances, all operational control is vested in the Office of Mayor. The Mayor,
under the Home Rule Charter, may participate in Borough Council meetings but may
only vote in tie-breaking situations. Finally, the Mayor has the authority to
veto acts of Council that are legislative in nature. Council may override the
veto with a two-thirds vote.
Figure 1 shows the Borough of West Chester organizational
structure. The organizational chart also shows the functional duties and
responsibilities of the departments.
Figure
1: West Chester Borough Government
The Borough also supports a recreation program and provides
police protection, fire protection, building, zoning and code enforcement,
public parking facilities, a public library, and other services typical of a
municipal government. In addition, the Borough maintains inter-municipal
agreements for police protection, sanitary sewer capacity, fire protection, and
recreation programs.
Borough owned buildings and properties include:
Public Works Department, 401 Lacey Street.
West Chester Library, 415 North Church Street
Goose Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is one-quarter mile
southeast of the Borough at 351 Snyder Avenue in West Goshen Township.
Taylor Run plant is a half-mile northeast of the Borough at
795 Downingtown Pike.
The West Chester Police Department provides for public
safety to the Borough and to East Bradford Township under a renewable contract.
The facility includes administrative offices, briefing rooms, locker rooms,
storage, an evidence room, a processing area, interview rooms, a
photo-developing area and a holding cell facility.
The Police Department employs fifty-one (51) people,
including a police chief, two lieutenants, one juvenile officer, one detective
sergeant, one detective corporal, four (4) detectives, five (5) sergeants, five
(5) corporals, twenty-two (22) patrolmen, and nine (9) non-sworn personnel. The
Police Department owns eight (8) police cruisers, a van for community policing,
a motorcycle, three (3) unmarked detective cars, three (3) staff vehicles, one
emergency team van and ten (10) bicycles. The Department purchases three
vehicles in odd-numbers years and two vehicles in even-numbered years.
The Community Oriented Policing Unit develops and
coordinates projects that positively impact the community. These activities
provide for community contact as well as education. A foot patrol and a bicycle
unit with ten (10) fully equipped bicycles supplement the existing patrol
activity. Bicycle and foot patrols are used to provide accessibility, to
maintain a presence and to provide support for police efforts.
Nearly 60% of housing units in the Borough are renter
occupied, which creates some special concerns for police. The Housing
Partnership was established to have regular interaction between police officers
and property owners of these units. The Partnership facilitates communication
between property owners and checks backgrounds of prospective tenants, assists
in quality of life issues, and provides a landlord training program. Table 1
shows current participating properties owners:
Table 1: Housing Partnership Program
The D.A.R.E. program includes education and training for
the West Chester School District, which consists of (5) D.A.R.E. officers.
West Chester Borough is served by three volunteer fire
companies, which make up the West Chester Fire Department. West Chester Fire
Department has a thirty-six (36) square mile service area from the southern West
Whiteland Township border to the Delaware state line. It is a multi-stationed
district, which incorporates First West Chester, Good Will and Fame Fire
companies. First West Chester Fire Company is located on South Bradford Avenue
in East Bradford Township, Good Will Fire Company is located on Gay Street in
downtown West Chester, and Fame Fire Company is at 200 East Rosedale Avenue,
West Goshen Township. Each is privately held and owns its facilities; the
Borough owns all equipment and apparatus. Each fire company has a primary
district. Through the Countywide 911 central emergency communication/dispatch
system, each fire company responds to fires in its primary district. The
computer aided dispatch center allocates the appropriate fire protection
according to the type of call and location.
West Chester Fire Department provides 100% of fire
protection to Thornbury Township, 49% to West Goshen Township, 83% to East
Bradford Township, 45% to Westtown Township and 50% to Birmingham Township under
a five-year contract. It has a 120-person volunteer force and does not expect
to need paid personnel in the future. It also has a fire school consisting of
a 2.5 story burn building and a 5-story tower at 300 Snyder Avenue. The three
fire stations have fifteen (15) pieces of equipment: five (5) engines, a ladder
truck, one heavy rescue truck, one tanker, one field piece, one mini-pumper,
three squads, and one air-light unit. Operating and capital expenses are
projected for a five-year period. Major pieces of fire apparatus are have a
20-year replacement schedule. Two new engines will be replaced in 2000.
Good Will Fire Company is dispatched to the eastern side of
the Borough, and First West Chester Fire Company responds to the west. Fame
Fire Company responds to both east and west. Some fires require the response of
all three companies.
The trends for response data show an average of thirteen
(13) fire personnel per call. When only structure fires are calculated the
average personnel response rate increases to 62.
Good Will Fire Company may need to relocate to new
facilities to accommodate parking needs. One issue is the availability of
parking for volunteers at the time of a fire call. It currently has only 3-4
available parking stalls. The Department has purchased an adjacent building in
order to expand at its current location.
Good Fellowship Ambulance Club, 600 Montgomery Avenue, West
Goshen, is an independent emergency medical service staffed by four full-time
ambulance service employees during the day and by a 170 member reserve volunteer
pool at night. It maintains six ambulances, one training vehicle and one
supervisor vehicle.
Great Valley Health EMS provides advanced life support and
medical assistance. The response unit is located at the Chester County
Hospital. It has two advanced life support units, six basic life support
ambulances and fifty (50) paid personnel.
Ambulance services are sufficient for the current and
future needs of the Borough.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code (35 Pa.
C.S. 7101 et seq.) mandates that West Chester Borough prepare and maintain an
emergency operations plan public protection and the minimization of injury and
damage caused by a major disaster. The Borough has prepared an emergency
operations plan to provide prompt and effective emergency response procedures in
the event of an emergency or disaster to protect the health, safety and welfare
of the Borough residents.
If evacuation is required, temporary shelter will be
provided in West Chester area schools. The Borough operational procedures and
the dispatch of emergency vehicles will be coordinated by the West Chester
Police Dispatch Center and the County Emergency Operations Center. The
Emergency Management Coordinator will mobilize the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
at Borough Hall. If Borough Hall and the Emergency Operations Center must
evacuate they will relocate to the Public Works building, Taylor or Goose Creek
Sewer Plants, or the West Goshen or East Bradford Township buildings. When more
than one county is affected by an emergency, the Pennsylvania Emergency
Management Agency (PEMA) will provide overall coordination, direction and
control.
The Borough Emergency Operations Plan requires an update.
The last plan was adopted in 1996 and it should be updated yearly.
HAZMAT is assigned to deal with hazardous materials
emergencies in Chester County. The team is dispatched through the 911 dispatch
center. The team responds along with the appropriate fire company personnel in
West Chester. The team is equipped with a wide range of special materials to
deal with hazardous chemicals. However, HAZMAT does not clean up spills,
rather, spills are contained and immediate dangers or hazards are controlled so
that clean up by a Federal, State or private contractor can be performed. West
Chester Fire Company also dispatches experts to the site.
The Public Works Department is responsible for the
maintenance and repair of Borough facilities, public infrastructure and
equipment, with the exception of public water service, which is maintained by
Philadelphia Suburban Water Company (PSWC). Services include sanitation,
recycling and bulk collection, maintenance of streets and alleys, parking lots,
garages and parking meters, Borough buildings, parks and recreation facilities,
storm sewers and stormwater management, sanitary sewers; equipment maintenance
and the Urban Forestry Program.
The Borough Geographic Information System (GIS) is being
utilized to provide accurate infrastructure data in the forms of maps and
attribute data. Computer models are being designed to plan for infrastructure
systems such as water, sewer, drainage and streets. New procedures are being
planned to refine the master planning capabilities for infrastructure systems,
and better integrate them into the Borough’s planning.
West Chester Borough owns and operates all sanitary sewage
collection and conveyance facilities in the Borough. Almost the entire Borough
has public sanitary sewer service. The system consists of 40 miles of sanitary
sewer mains, 4,050 connections and four pump stations. According to the
Director of Public Works, only one house on New Street is not supplied with
public sewer.
Two drainage areas divide the Borough roughly in half, from
the southwest corner to the northeast corner of the Borough. Wastewater is
conveyed to two treatment plants. Wastewater on the southeastern side of the
Borough is conveyed to Goose Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in West
Goshen Township. Wastewater on the western side of the Borough is conveyed to
Taylor Run Wastewater Treatment Plant in East Bradford Township. The Borough of
West Chester has an agreement with East Bradford Township to accept residential,
light commercial and industrial waste, and is at 96% capacity of the original
agreement.
Currently, no industries discharge to the Taylor Run
Collection system. The Taylor Run WWTP is in compliance with National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements. Goose Creek WWTP has three
major classified industries and one special client discharging to its collection
basin. Goose Creek WWTP meets NPDES discharge parameters and has excess
capacity.
Since 1993, Eldredge Wastewater Management, Inc., West
Chester, has had a renewable special discharge permit for approximately 40,000
gallons per day, not to exceed 99,000 gallons per day. Pre-treated septage is
trucked in and off-loaded to a four-inch standpipe upstream of the Goose Creek
headwaters. Accurate records are kept of transfers and in-house laboratory
tests. Permit compliance is regulated solely on industry-based standards,
sampling, and testing.
Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Inc., a pharmaceutical
manufacturer, discharges to Goose Creek WWTP. Wyeth is permitted to discharge
0.504 million gallons per day (MGD) but averages about 100,000 GPD. Under the
industrial pre-treatment program, Wyeth is required to submit monthly reports on
plant discharge and quarterly reports for toxics. Approximately 62% of the
average daily volume of discharge consists of untreated wastewater sources and
about 38% is pretreated wastewater. Sartomer Company manufactures resins and
discharges to Goose Creek WWTP. Under its discharge permit, it may discharge
0.060 MGD, and it must also submit monthly reports and quarterly toxic reports
to the Borough's Director of Environmental Compliance. Chubb National Foam
Systems manufactures fire-fighting chemicals and is permitted to discharge 0.020
MGD and has averaged about 5,000 GPD. Chubb is also required to submit monthly
reports and toxic reports quarterly to the Director of Environmental Compliance
for the Borough of West Chester.
In 1998, a TV inspection vehicle was purchased that is
sometimes shared with West Goshen Township. Fifty miles of pipeline has been
viewed and the Department of Public Works is planning a system-wide
rehabilitation program of two blocks per year.
In 1999, West Chester reinstated public trash collection.
Municipal waste is collected one day per week and bulk trash collection is
collected during the first full week of each month on the regular trash
collection day. Solid waste is transported to the Lanchester Landfill. A 1999
survey determined that the Lanchester Landfill has a permitted capacity for
solid waste until the year 2008.
The Public Works Department’s seasonal leaf collection
system is provided weekly, generally November through late December. All
residents and businesses in West Chester are required to recycle leaves. They
are collected curbside by the Public Works Department with leaf vacuum machines
and street sweepers.
The Borough's recycling program involves the curbside
collection of mixed glass, aluminum cans, steel/bi-metal cans, plastic jugs and
bottles, and mixed paper. Residents utilize Borough-issued plastic containers,
and service is provided once per week with regular trash collection.
Additionally, scheduled collections are provided for tree limbs, leaves and
tires.
Act 167, the Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Act of
1978, governs stormwater management practices. The Act requires adoption of
ordinances and other measures to regulate development in municipalities in a
manner consistent with watershed management provisions.
Numerous stormwater management studies have been prepared
since West Chester’s Growth Management Plan in 1986. In 1989, BCM Engineers
prepared the Stormwater Management Planning Study. The study’s objectives were
to research and make recommendations regarding the extent of flooding and stream
bank erosion in several Borough locations. The Borough did not implement the
study recommendations and hired Herbert, Rowland & Grubb Inc. (HRG) to recommend
alternate solutions, which the Borough is in the process of implementing. HRG
also prepared a comprehensive storm drainage study of the Marshall Manor
Tributary (North Franklin Street) in 1991.
The Borough of West Chester lies along the ridge forming
the divide between Chester Creek and East Branch of Brandywine Creek
watersheds. The Borough has three tributary drainages. Taylor Run has two
tributaries, Marshall Manor and Hannum Avenue tributaries that are located in
the East Branch Brandywine Creek watershed. Goose Creek is a tributary to the
East Branch of Chester Creek in Chester Creek watershed. The urbanized drainage
areas of Marshall Manor, Goose Creek, and Hannum Avenue tributaries are
characterized by extensive residential, commercial, and industrial land uses.
They are described in detail below.
Marshall Manor Tributary
Marshall Manor Tributary drains approximately 143 acres
(0.22 square mile) at the Borough limits including areas in the Borough and
adjacent West Goshen Township. The headwaters of Marshall Manor Tributary
originate in the northeastern portion of the Borough north of East Marshall
Street. The stream generally flows northeasterly through residential
neighborhoods with stream crossings at Hillside Drive South, Marshall Drive, and
Goshen Road at the Borough boundary.
Hills, steep slopes, and narrow floodplain areas
characterize the topography of the Marshall Manor Tributary drainage area. Land
uses of this area are single-family residential, some multi-family residential,
institutional, and open space. With the exception of Marshal Square Park, the
drainage area is nearly fully developed.
The Marshall Manor Stormwater Project addresses stormwater
issues in this drainage area. The project diverts heavy concentrations of
stormwater from a small open stream area to two inlets at East Marshall Street
that drain the Biddle Street, Seven Oaks and Marshall Square areas. A 36-inch
diameter pipe at the northern inlet and a 48-inch diameter pipe at the southern
inlet transport the stormwater separately, and join a 48-inch diameter pipe at
515 Marshall Drive. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2001.
Goose Creek Tributary
Goose Creek drains approximately 642 acres (1.0 square
mile) at the Borough boundary including approximately 345 acres of West Goshen
Township. Goose Creek originates in West Goshen Township west of U.S. Route 322
and flows in a southwesterly direction to the Borough limits at East Gay
Street. The Creek flows through heavily developed commercial and industrial
sections in east-central West Chester and continues southeasterly through
residential sections at the southeastern-most Borough boundary. Stream
crossings are at East Gay, East Market, South Franklin, East Barnard, East
Union, Lacey, and East Nields Streets. The Creek is culverted under North
Worthington Street and also at points between Market and North Adams Streets,
and between South Franklin and East Barnard Streets.
The Goose Creek drainage area is characterized by
moderately to gently sloping terrain and a flat, heavily developed floodplain.
Upland areas of West Goshen Township consist of single-family residential,
commercial, and industrial land uses. Contributing drainage areas in West
Chester include single-family, two-family, and multi-family residential,
commercial, industrial, and municipal/public land uses. Goose Creek drainage
area is almost completely developed except for several playgrounds.
Infrastructure problems in the northern portion of Goose
Creek drainage area have been corrected by a new culvert that closes the
drainage channel and by new stormwater pipes from Chestnut Street under Gay
Street to Market Street. The Franklin and Union Street area floods and has been
mitigated by two approaches. Firstly, flow is diverted and enters the stream at
a lower elevation, and secondly a 42-inch pipe in Franklin Street acts as an
underground storm water retention system that holds water taken at the Minor
Street intersection. Additionally, a sediment removal project has increased the
stream’s capacity.
The southern corridor of Goose Creek floods at Lacey Street
and is eroded from Lacey Street south to Linden Street. The Borough has
submitted a permit application to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
for general streambank improvements for 2000. Streambank stabilization efforts
include removal of cinder block walls to be replaced with gabions. It will
affect ten properties along Goose Creek.
The Lacey Street and Nields Street bridges will be replaced
because they are structurally unsound.
Hannum Avenue Tributary
Hannum Avenue Tributary drains approximately 265 acres
(0.41 square miles) at the Borough limits including areas in the Borough and
East Bradford Township. The headwaters of Hannum Avenue Tributary originate at
the storm sewer outfall located east of North Everhart Street with Borough
stream crossings at North Everhart Street, Hannum Avenue, Old Downingtown Pike,
and Downingtown Pike/Hannum Avenue at the western Borough limits.
Hannum Avenue drainage area topography includes hilly
terrain with moderately steep slopes in the upland areas and relatively flat
floodplain areas. The drainage area is characterized by single-family and
multi-family residential land uses and extensive commercial and industrial
areas. Except for Hoopes Park, the majority of the drainage area is nearly
fully developed.
The Public Works Department is responsible for 44.01 miles
of roadways in the Borough, including 27.63 miles of Borough-owned roads, 5.98
miles of state-owned, and 10.69 miles of alleys.
A street and alley resurfacing program provides basic
repairs in deteriorated areas that require paving and restoration. Yearly
street line-painting is performed on all crosswalks, arrows, stop bars, lane
dividing lines and curb painting.
The Public Works Department is responsible for clearing
snow and ice from Borough streets, alleys, Borough owned buildings, municipal
parking lots, sidewalks, park facilities, and by contract, state highways. The
Borough owns six plow trucks and salt spreaders. Two trucks are utilized on
state highways and emergency routes, and the other four are each responsible for
a quadrant of the Borough. Alleys are a third priority. Public Works also
provides street sweeping. The Central Business District is swept nightly, and
the outlying areas are swept in the morning hours on a rotating basis.
Road equipment needs are anticipated and projected for a
five-year budget period. Specific road issues are discussed in Section F of the
Circulation Inventory.
In 1972, West Chester Borough formed the West Chester Area
Municipal Authority to own and operate Borough water services. In 1998, PSWC
acquired the system. PSWC service extends to all areas of the Borough but has
no wells in the Borough.
The Ingrams Mill and Fern Hill surface water plants provide
most public water. These facilities are considered adequate for the next ten
years, although Ingrams Mill is scheduled for rehabilitation. PSWC is
considering an expansion and rehabilitation of this plant to meet demand, much
of which is from outside the Borough. Borough water usage has dropped with
decreasing industrial activity.
The New and Gay Street water tank is located in the
west-central area of the Borough. This PSWC owned tank holds 0.5 million
gallons. The state-owned College tank is located in the southwest area of the
Borough near Sharpless and Church Streets. The elevated tank also holds 0.5
million gallons.
Average Borough water usage is estimated at 2.25 MGD with a
3.0 MGD peak. It is estimated that a typical residential consumer uses 100
gallons per day and a typical residence contains approximately 2.75 people.
Based on total customer counts per year, residential use accounts for 70,000
gallons per year, 675,000 gallons per year for commercial and institutional
users, and 2.45 million gallons per year for industrial users. The peak usage
period is generally late summer, when University students arrive on campus.
Borough water pressure ranges from 35 to 65 pounds per
square inch (psi) under peak conditions. Pressure may be lower when the West
Goshen tank fills at night.
Water supply lines in West Chester Borough are adequate.
No major new mains are anticipated in the near future. Pipe rehabilitation or
replacement may be required for some of the Borough’s older mains.
West Chester Tree Program
The Borough of West Chester is recognized nationally by the
Arbor Day Foundation and is regularly named a Tree City USA. The program is
sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National
Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. To qualify as a Tree
City USA, a municipality must demonstrate tree-care responsibility. Also, a
community must meet four standards: having a tree board or department, a tree
care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day
observance. The Borough has had a tree care ordinance since 1906. The current
tree care ordinance was prepared in the mid 1980s, and has been updated to
clarify tree removal responsibility.
The Public Works Department’s Urban Forestry Program is
responsible for planning, preventive maintenance and removal of unhealthy or
hazardous trees. The Urban Forester is responsible for the maintenance of all
street trees, trees on Borough properties, and the administration of the Tree
Planting Program. When a tree is recommended for removal, the homeowner pays
for removal. The Borough tree program pays the costs to plant trees and the
homeowner pays the wholesale cost of the tree.
Parks and Recreation
The responsibility for providing recreational opportunities
is generally shared by the private and public sectors. The Borough’s many
public and private recreation areas, parks and environmental programs contribute
to making it a desirable place in which to live, work, and visit. The location
of parklands has a significant effect on the character of the Borough. The West
Chester Recreation Department and the Recreation Commission sponsor a variety of
programs and events throughout the year. Parks and open space are shown on Map
2, Community Facilities and Services and include a variety of public and private
lands, parks, clubs, and school facilities.
Borough-owned parks include:
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Bayard Rustin Park
Everhart Park
Fugett Park
Green Field |
John O. Green Park
Hoopes Park
Horace Pippin Playground
Marshall Square Park |
Veterans Memorial Park
Mosteller Park
Nields Street Playground |
Private Recreational Facilities include:
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YMCA
West Chester Friends School
Collegium Charter School
Saint Agnes School |
Chester County Hospital Wooded Lot
McDermott’s Athletic Club
Mitch’s Gym |
West Chester Golf and Country Club
Salvation Army
West Chester Community Center |
The 1992 West Chester Open Space, Recreation and
Environmental Resources Plan translates recreation requirements into Borough
park, recreation and open space elements and opportunities. The plan expresses
community objectives, needs, and priorities for space, services and facilities,
and provides a guide for the scope, quality and location of parks and recreation
needs of Borough residents. It promotes natural, scenic and historic resources
preservation. The West Chester Recreation Department has two agreements with
East Bradford and Westtown Townships to assist in recreation programming.
West Chester Area School District
The West Chester Area School District administers the
public school system. Planning for programs and facilities of the School
District is the responsibility of the institution itself. In the 1999-2000
school year approximately 1,596 Borough children attended public schools.
Private Schools
Three private schools in the Borough supplement public
schools: Saint Agnes, West Chester Friends School and the Collegium Charter
School.
West Chester Public Library
The West Chester Library, located on North Church Street,
is a part of the Chester County Library system. Fifty to sixty percent of
library users reside in East Bradford, Birmingham, East and West Goshen,
Westtown and Thornbury Townships. The library offers children's programs and
has a popular materials library.
According to the interviews held during the visioning
process, library users appreciate the library’s small scale, but indicated that
the lack of close parking space was a detraction. The building is being analyzed
for alternative use due to the space constraints. Funding for the library is
through the State, which is based upon proportional municipal matching funds.
Matching funds are provided through the Borough, Chester County, other
municipalities, trusts, fees and activities.
West Chester University
West Chester University was founded in 1871 as West Chester
Normal School to train teachers for the Commonwealth's newly established public
schools. West Chester Normal School was privately owned until 1913, when it was
the first normal school to be purchased by the Commonwealth.
In 1927, Pennsylvania initiated a four-year bachelor's
degree program for teacher education, and the normal school became West Chester
State Teacher’s College. In 1960, its name was changed to West Chester State
College when the Commonwealth inaugurated liberal arts programs and graduate
degrees. In 1983, West Chester State College became one of the fourteen (14)
institutions in the State System of Higher Education, and the college acquired a
new system of governance and the opportunity to expand its degree programs.
Facilities
West Chester University occupies 388 acres in and near the
Borough of West Chester. The 97-acre North Campus, lying mainly in the Borough,
contains most of the University's classrooms, the library, residence halls,
student services, and administrative offices. The West Chester University
Quadrangle Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Buildings included in this District are Phillips Memorial Hall, Ruby Jones Hall,
Recitation Hall, and Old Library. Except for Phillips, the buildings are
constructed of native Chester County serpentine stone and date to the turn of
the century or earlier.
Less than a mile away is South Campus, which contains the
Health and Physical Education Center, a student apartment complex, playing
fields, Farrel Stadium, and the Robert B. Gordon Natural Area for Environmental
Studies.
Enrollment
Currently, 11,005 students attend the University; 9,400 are
undergraduate students. 3,500 students reside in on-campus residence halls, and
at least 2,500 students reside off-campus in the Borough of West Chester.
Cooperative Planning
The Town Gown organization includes Borough officials,
University administrators, student leaders, and local residents that addresses
issues regarding student residents and permanent residents relationships and
other issues. The purpose of the Town Gown is to develop strategies to improve
the quality of life both on and off campus and to enhance relationships between
the Borough and the University.
Hospitals
Many hospitals provide medical and surgical services to
Borough residents. They include the Chester County, Paoli, Brandywine and
Phoenixville Hospitals and Southern Chester County Medical Center. Together
these facilities provide approximately 900 beds. Chester County Hospital
reached census capacity in late 1998. Paoli, Brandywine and Phoenixville
Hospitals, were at capacity at that same time.
Human Services
Comprehensive informational guides for human services,
offered by the public and private sector are available at the County Government
Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester. Services available to Borough
residents are provided directly or through county employees or contracting
agencies and are coordinated through the Office of Human Services, and delivered
under the Department of Aging, Children and Youth Services, the Drug and Alcohol
Commission and the Mental Health / Mental Retardation Board.
Housing
Several agencies in the Borough can assist residents in
locating affordable housing. The YWCA of Greater West Chester, 123 North Church
Street; the Housing Authority of Chester County, 30 West Bernard Street; the
Housing Partnership of Chester County and the Domestic Violence Center in West
Chester can assist individuals with housing needs. The Building Bridges Program
specifically assists the homeless. Catholic Social Services, 320 North Church
Street and the Community Service Council, 2 South Wayne Street can assist with
housing costs.
Food
The Borough of West Chester has several food provider
organizations. Bethel AME Church, 334 E. Miner Street assists shut-ins, the
needy or elderly; Catholic Social Services also assist with food needs.
Older Adults
Two private facilities in West Chester provide for the
housing for care of older adults. Barclay Friends, 700 North Franklin Street has
151 beds. Hickman House, 400 N. Walnut Street has 72 assisted living units.
Brandywine Nursing Home, 800 West Miner Street is a 180 bed nursing facility
just outside the Borough.
The data contained in the Community Facilities and Services
inventory provides the following planning implications for the Borough:
1.
Administrative Facilities. The Borough’s administrative facilities are at
maximum capacity at the present time. Both the Recreation Department and the
Police Department have space constraints.
2.
Fire Services. The demand for fire protection services outside the
Borough will continue to increase. The Goodwill Fire Company may need to
relocate to new facilities to accommodate their parking and space needs.
3.
Emergency Management. The Borough needs to update the Emergency
Operations Plan. Iit should be updated yearly to adequately address the needs
of the adjacent neighborhoods and the entire Borough as change occurs.
4.
Infrastructure, Sewer and Wastewater Services. Excess sewage capacity
exists at the Goose Creek Wastewater Sewage Treatment Plant, and the Taylor Run
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
5.
Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling. Lanchester Landfill’s capacity
permit expires in 2008.
6.
Stormwater Management. Stormwater management continues to remain a
concern in specific areas of the Borough. The southern corridor of Goose Creek
floods at Lacey Street and erodes from Lacey Street south to Linden Street.
7.
Public Water Supply. Water supply lines in West Chester Borough are
considered to be adequate. No major new supply lines are anticipated in the
near future. Older mains may require rehabilitation or replacement as needed.
8.
West Chester University. The University is preparing a Master Facilities
plan and is planning expansions.
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