Council hopes to draw people from area to downtown Coatesville
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
COATESVILLE – City Council approved the use of trust-fund money to improve the downtown area at Monday night’s meeting.
With $7.5 million available, the first plan of action is to set up a fund to help business owners repaint buildings in order to adhere with the city’s new color palette regulations. The fund will match money spent by business owners.
City Council hopes to have painting done by early November.
In accordance with plans developed last month, council members also agreed to use the money to help draw businesses to the designated revitalization area—between First and Fourth Avenue —by providing grants and helping potential investors acquire bank loans.
“We have to show developers we are willing to invest our own money,” said Council Member Jarrell Brazzle.
City Council would also like to add a business that will draw people from the area to the flats across from ArcelorMittal. The velodrome project is still a possibility, and council members also talked about having an outlet mall or a casino. In addition to a large-scale attraction, Council President David Collins said that he would like to see restaurants and stores in the region.
“We’re still trying to find developers that will work with us to develop that space,” said Collins.
Council members shared a common sentiment that it is time for the city to be proactive about attracting businesses before the remaining trust fund money is spent on budget and bills.
“I’m tired of the ideas; I’m tired of seeing it on paper,” said Brazzle.
In other city news, the Brandywine YMCA will hold an Early Learning Readiness program at the community center in coming months.
The program teaches people — such as babysitters, relatives, and neighbors who care for children – safety and teaching skills.
A YMCA representative said that the organization would like to expand its relationship with the Coatesville community, an initiative that began over the summer with camp at the community center and SPLASH, a program that taught swimming skills at Ash Park Pool.
City residents will be allowed two additional yard sale permits this year, as agreed upon by city council.
During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, a resident requested the permits in light of the city’s not holding a community yard sale.
I’m not sure if it is because of your poor grammar or not but I believe the word you should use is realist. I do live in a community that is very close to Coatesville and have to sporadicly travel thru Coatesville. Last year I actually travelled thru Coatesville the same day I had been in the Bronx section of NY, and was more concerned about my and my families safety in Coatesville than I was in the Bronx! And by the way I have a 17 year old son who has been on the distinguished honor roll in the Coatesville School District for the last 6 years. He is also a leader in many of the academic and social clubs and teams at school, in addition to being a youth leader at our church. All of this did not come by accident. It has taken a lot of parenting and support to keep him away from the bad elements and temptations he encounters every day. Also we make sure he is not out at 1AM walking the streets of the city with a gun and a poor value system that will lead him to trouble with the law. I am not referring to you directly and hope that indeed you are one of the good people who are trying against strong odds to make things better! Unfortunately when you read this paper you can’t help but notice that a large number of people walking and driving on the streets of Coatesville, when spotted or stopped by the police have open warrants for their arrest. Good luck, and once all of these people stop doing things that get them arrested maybe the opinion of those of us outside the city can change!
Improving the local economy and fostering an environment for responsible young people are not mutually exclusive efforts. In fact, I would say they’re dependent on one another. Adding businesses will bring money into the city and create jobs, which will then provide opportunities for young people so they don’t have to get caught up in drugs and crime. Cutting down the crime will then attract more businesses and customers to encourage more businesses and jobs to be created.
I love what the CYI is doing, I hope the YMCA becomes more involved with the city, and I hope we can provide more programs for our young people. That being said, if we don’t have a city with businesses and an economy that supports entrepreneurial prospects for young people, we’re not giving them anything to strive for anyway. A lot of the people I graduated high school with (CASH ’06, wutup?) went on to do well in college and are pursuing big things–but they’re doing so outside of Coatesville because of the area’s lack of opportunities for aspiring 20-something college graduates. Coatesville is already producing smart, hard-working young people, but we need to add businesses so that once they get their degrees, they have a thriving city they can come back to and contribute to the local economy.
In order to help the city see its full potential, we have to cut down on crime, no doubt. But in order to cut down on crime, we have to create businesses and jobs so that legitimate employment and opportunities seem more viable than the quick buck.
Unfortunately Coatesville has turned into the kind of place where there are people who steal playground equipment before it can be relocated for the children to use. Pretty sad that when they post on social media that they needed help in relocating it someone said to themselves, “I’m gonna steal me some play ground equipment”. Obviously one person couldn’t do this by themselves. As long as you have the kind of people who will put the effort in to dismantle and steal stuff before good people can relocate it for the kids things will never change. And by the way I know about the CYI from personally being involved with them, and yes I know they can’t work with all of the kids in Coatesville. That’s why it’s important for the parents and Grandmothers to set a good example and actually be involved in there kid’s life’s! Keep them off the streets late at night, and be good roll models, instead of saying, “he was a good boy, or he was turning his life around” after they are sent to prison or worse! And no I won’t be parking on the streets at night in Coatesville. That would be like painting a big target on my back for you and your neighbors to come and rob me or at least break into my car and take everything of value. Change the attitude and lawlessness of the residents of the city and then maybe the attitudes of the people outside the city will change.
amen to parents and grandparents involvement in children’s life. Is sad when your main role model, parent, is stealing and having babies from several dads. but I do hope the comment about “you and your neighbors” was not directed at me. Even if it was not shows an uneducated response Maybe people like you do not need to visit coatesville. Also if you do not want to be part of the revitalization you are welcome to stay away when it is changed and a must be place to be on a weekend night. People like you keep the city down as much as the drug dealers
Well, soon they will start laying off the full-time Police officers and replacing them with the part-time cops who were brought in through a back-door deal set up by Dowds and Pawling (thief) so the City will be saving lots of money not paying benefits for those cops. Maybe after Lauffer came in and spent thousands on new uniforms( the same ones that they wore prior and got rid of because of the costs to maintain and replace them) as well as the 60-90k for the new cars he needed……..soon the budget will balance just fine and all the brightly painted abandoned buildings will begin serving as crack houses for the drug dealers……….What a joke!
yes yes you are a joke that is
And after they spend the trust fund money and get minimum results how will the city pay their bills when they come up short??? Hmmm……..
$7.5 million to be spent on “improving” the downtown area, along with $20 million spent on rebuilding the Coatesville train station, an investor talking about opening up a micro brew and restaurant on Lancaster Ave? Come on am I the only one who will say what many people have to be thinking? Will people who have white collar jobs park their cars at the Coatesville train station and come back there after dark? Will people from the suburbs who have money to spend on eating out come into the city and park on the streets at night? ANYONE who has driven down Lancaster Ave. even at 4 O’clock in the afternoon has to be concerned with the crack heads that Coatesville is known for, along the groups of young men hanging out on the corners and in front of the bars even at that time of day. Reading about the nearly daily shooting, robberies and drug busts in this paper cannot be changed by a new train station or a new paint job on a building. Until the glut of Section 8 housing along with the attitudes of people walking the streets changes, these new initiatives will be a tremendous waste of money. Put the money into programs that will foster self respect like the CYI, and get the younger generation working and being respectable citizens. May be then we won’t have as many 17 year olds shooting people and selling drugs. Then and only then will investments in Coatesville be worthwhile. There I said it! I’m sure there will be comments that I am a racist etc. so be it. Look in the mirror and take some responsibility for the younger generation of Coatesville. It is the only thing that will help!!
Look the pub and trying to bring in business is the way they should move Coatesville forward. I do not understand when this was first examined it was condos and other housing. Why would anybody move into coatesville. This may take some time but look at other cities in the area the renewal starts with one anchor business then flourished off of that. Pheonixville it was a coffee shop and the same argument was made who would park there car there at night. but the city worked with them and people came now there are shops several restaurants the street is well kept and any night you will see families walking the streets. But with faith it happened. The micro brewery can be coatesvilles coffee shop if they are all in on this it can and will work. Drug dealers and junkies move on because of the revival so we should be positive and try and give support. I will be parking in the area and going to the brew pub question is will you? Or will you just dump on the city. BTW the CYI can not hire all the young people in the area but they do a great job in building strong and independent youths. I think you need to go help them so you can see the world in a more positive productive view. Also I would rather they use the money to try and boost the city then put band-aids on till it runs out. It is called an investment the least we can do is invest in it also.