Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Monday announced that on May 2, Keep Chester Beautiful in Delaware County became a Keep America Beautiful affiliate as a result of a public-private-civic partnership process that began in 2014.

Chester City Councilwoman Portia West worked with Alice Wright from the Chester Environmental Partnership, an environmental watchdog agency concerned about the health and welfare of residents of the City of Chester and surrounding communities to develop the initiative.

Keep Chester Beautiful started the affiliate process by conducting Keep America Beautiful’s Community Appearance Index (CAI), which is done to gather data annually by surveying a random, statistical sample of roadways.

Keep Chester Beautiful based its CAI on the city’s streets and alleyways and link the problem of litter to industrial truck traffic. The annual results will be used to develop a local plan to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter, recycling, beautification, and related issues.

With representatives from both Keep America Beautiful and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the new local affiliate outlined community improvement projects they plan to tackle in the next few years including litter abatement, waste reduction, and beautification. The group is focused and energized to make a difference in the City of Chester.

In addition, the Chester Environmental Partnership is made up of local residents and representatives from the University of Pennsylvania, Widener University, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3, the Department of Environmental Protection; the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia; Chester city government; the Crozer-Keystone Health System; Mother Earth Energy, Inc., Covanta and Delcora. 

Several other groups will be engaged with the local affiliate, these include the PA Resources Council, Shade Tree Commission, and the Chester Economic Development Authority.  These entities will play an active role in the governance of the newly formed group. 

“This administration has been vigilante in our desire to partner with different organizations in order to create and promote new initiatives that will help to build a better Chester,” said Councilwoman Portia West, Director of Streets & Public Improvements for the City of Chester.  “Now that we are an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, we can access resources that may not have otherwise been available to our municipality.  This is a stepping stone in fostering new relationships that will add to the progression and development of our community.”

Covanta, the owner and operator of the Delaware Valley Energy-from-Waste Facility in Chester, provided funding for the formation of Keep Chester Beautiful. 

“Covanta is committed to supporting clean, healthy communities and being good neighbors where we operate. We are proud to help establish Keep Chester Beautiful and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the city,” said John Scott, Covanta Marketing Manager. 

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful congratulates and welcomes Keep Chester Beautiful. By affiliating with Keep America Beautiful, Keep Chester Beautiful will have access to all the tools, resources and program opportunities KAB and KPB has to offer,” explained Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

For more information, contact Mr. Scott, who serves as Executive Director of the affiliate and can be reached at 201-874-5736 or send email to: jscott@covanta.com. 

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s new Electronics Waste website.

Sign up now for the 2017 Great American Cleanup of PA and set up your own cleanup and beautification event through May 31.

(Photo: Dr. Horace Strand, Founder, Chester Environmental Partnership; Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, City of Chester; Portia West, Chester City Council; John Scott, Chester Environmental Partnership/Covanta; John Deuel, Keep America Beautiful.)

[Posted: May 15, 2017]

5/22/2017