The grumbling has been a bit muted, but it has not gone away.
Chester is undergoing a renaissance, screamed the headlines. Many of them in this newspaper.
But there were always the whispers, the skeptics, those who questioned if indeed all of Chester was making a comeback.
Yes, they admitted, the development on the riverfront is spectacular. This all started with the Wharf at Rivertown, and its majestic centerpiece, the refurbished old PECO Power Station. It truly is a gem, and it’s located in Chester.
There were lots who never believed a horsetrack would be built inside the city limits, let alone a glittering casino and slots parlor.
A federal prison? Sure, that was more along the line of what Chester would host.
Of course, Harrah’s proved them wrong. Just a stone’s throw from the Wharf, also hard on the Delaware River, now sits Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack. It is doing booming business. We’re talking millions of dollars every week.
But the whispers did not go away.
The latest proposal for the city could see Chester become a major league destination, if the casino has not already delivered that mantle.
A group of big-money investors is looking to build a stadium at a site near the Commodore Barry Bridge. They want to use it to lure a professional soccer team. Listen to those involved, and you get the feeling this is anything but pie-in-the-sky. This thing could happen. In fact, the bettors flocking to Harrah’s probably would lay odds that it will happen.
All of which would make the Chester waterfront an economic blockbuster. And therein lies part of the skepticism that abounds in other parts of the city.
Their theme? What about us? What is all this development doing for the rest of the city? Where is the trickle-down business that was hoped for in the downtown area? Where are all the jobs that were hoped for?
What will be done with the persistently substandard education offered to all too many students in the troubled Chester Upland School District?
In short, what’s in it for the rest of the city, especially the people who live there?
Among those raising questions was state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, who said the money being used to lure the pro soccer franchise would be better used in the community.
On Thursday, Chester City Council tried to answer some of those critics. They announced they would kick in $2 million to build a new Boys and Girls Club facility.
No, it will not be built on the waterfront. It will be at Seventh and Madison streets.
The money is coming from the city’s capital improvement fund. That includes $500,000 that was kicked in from the former owner of the Wharf at Rivertown.
Does Chester still have problems? Sure. But is has something else it has not had in a long time.
Promise.
This weekend thousands will venture to sites all along the Delaware River, for the annual Riverfront Ramble. They will visit Tinicum, Ridley and Marcus Hook.
And and someplace else. That's right they will visit the city of Chester.
Welcome back.
Chester is undergoing a renaissance, screamed the headlines. Many of them in this newspaper.
But there were always the whispers, the skeptics, those who questioned if indeed all of Chester was making a comeback.
Yes, they admitted, the development on the riverfront is spectacular. This all started with the Wharf at Rivertown, and its majestic centerpiece, the refurbished old PECO Power Station. It truly is a gem, and it’s located in Chester.
There were lots who never believed a horsetrack would be built inside the city limits, let alone a glittering casino and slots parlor.
A federal prison? Sure, that was more along the line of what Chester would host.
Of course, Harrah’s proved them wrong. Just a stone’s throw from the Wharf, also hard on the Delaware River, now sits Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack. It is doing booming business. We’re talking millions of dollars every week.
But the whispers did not go away.
The latest proposal for the city could see Chester become a major league destination, if the casino has not already delivered that mantle.
A group of big-money investors is looking to build a stadium at a site near the Commodore Barry Bridge. They want to use it to lure a professional soccer team. Listen to those involved, and you get the feeling this is anything but pie-in-the-sky. This thing could happen. In fact, the bettors flocking to Harrah’s probably would lay odds that it will happen.
All of which would make the Chester waterfront an economic blockbuster. And therein lies part of the skepticism that abounds in other parts of the city.
Their theme? What about us? What is all this development doing for the rest of the city? Where is the trickle-down business that was hoped for in the downtown area? Where are all the jobs that were hoped for?
What will be done with the persistently substandard education offered to all too many students in the troubled Chester Upland School District?
In short, what’s in it for the rest of the city, especially the people who live there?
Among those raising questions was state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, who said the money being used to lure the pro soccer franchise would be better used in the community.
On Thursday, Chester City Council tried to answer some of those critics. They announced they would kick in $2 million to build a new Boys and Girls Club facility.
No, it will not be built on the waterfront. It will be at Seventh and Madison streets.
The money is coming from the city’s capital improvement fund. That includes $500,000 that was kicked in from the former owner of the Wharf at Rivertown.
Does Chester still have problems? Sure. But is has something else it has not had in a long time.
Promise.
This weekend thousands will venture to sites all along the Delaware River, for the annual Riverfront Ramble. They will visit Tinicum, Ridley and Marcus Hook.
And and someplace else. That's right they will visit the city of Chester.
Welcome back.
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