Officials recap ‘state of the county’
Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry also presents J. Larry Boling Excellence in Government award to Joe Sherwood
EAST CALN » The Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry presented the J. Larry Boling Excellence in Government award to Joe Sherwood on Tuesday.
Earl Baker presented the award to Sherwood, who has served as the executive director of the Chester County Library System since August 2011. He has nearly 30 years in the public library field.
The J. Larry Boling Excellence in Government Award honors an individual who is a professional in the local government public sector of Chester County who has established excellence in their jurisdiction in the admiration of government through economy, efficiency and introduction of sound business practices, and projects or initiatives that demonstrate innovation.
Additionally, the Chester County Commissioners spoke during a panel as part of the “state of the county” business event held at the Downingtown Country Club.
Commissioner Terrance Ferrell noted several revitalization programs in Coatesville City, including the Gateway Project and the train station. He noted that the Third Avenue development is 90
percent complete and the city is working on obtaining the right of way for Fourth Avenue to expand the area for the new train station. He noted that Fleetwood Avenue is being designed.
“Coatesville is doing great things,” Ferrell said. “The Coatesville Train Station is moving along.”
The three commissioners noted that they are anticipating a population growth in the region, and they are also welcoming new residents and businesses. Ferrell said one of the challenges is providing affordable housing and building construction projects in urban spaces rather than in open space. The county has been awarded for its preservation efforts.
“But as you can see traveling around the county there are a number of construction projects and developments going up in some of the green spaces,” Ferrell said. “Planning is always the challenge and we’re trying to meet the challenge of a continued growth through Vista 2025 and our Landscapes 3 program, working on community development, workforce training, planning and transportation and education.”
The Chester County Public Safety Training Center is officially complete after the opening of the law enforcement firing range on Sunday, which was the third phase of the center in South Coatesville Borough. Commissioner Kathi Cozzone said the $16 million range will allow the law enforcement officials to “practice, practice, practice.”
“Our commitment to public safety has always been a priority and will continue to be,” Cozzone said. “We know that they are out there keeping us safe. We are grateful that they have the opportunity to be able to train there.”
Commissioner Michelle Kichline said that the county 5K color run in November will help provide resources and support to people facing addiction, as well as assisting their families. They are working on ways to help people wishing to enter a recovery center by understanding the process from hospitals, insurance companies and the “warm hand-off” programs in Pennsylvania which directly transfers overdose survivors from the hospital emergency department to a drug treatment provider.
“Yes, we are the healthiest community in Chester County, but we have not been immune to this problem,” Kichline said about the opioid crisis. “We’re continuing to see more and more deaths every year so we’re going to continue working on this as aggressively as we can and we are looking forward to working with the business community on coming up with better solutions.”