Bridging the Divide | Public and Private Collaboration Matters for Economic Growth
Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce recently held A Conversation on Infrastructure at the Honey Brook Community Library, an initiative supported by Comcast Business. This panels style event convenes our members; business owners, elected officials, non-profits, community leaders and civic groups for an authentic conversation on our infrastructure needs and goals across the Western Chester County Region. Congresswoman Houlahan, Representative Williams, Representative Friel and team members from Representative Otten’s office joined us for the morning conversation.
The discussion started off on the need for roadway maintenance, expansion, funding and timely action for maintaining our Route 30 corridor. It shifted to Steve Ohrwaschel of Coventry Environmental who raised statements on the challenges and solutions on the capacity of our energy generation in the State and how that impacts ChescoWest. Tim Phelps of the Transportation Management Association of Chester County spoke to the dynamic pieces behind achieving public transit goals. Multiple representatives of Westwood Fire Department commented on shrinking volunteer EMS numbers and the strain to our emergency network infrastructure. Josh Mellinger, Council member of Parkesburg Borough, expressed the importance behind public and private cooperation and citizen centered action over partisanship to move projects forward at municipal, state, and federal levels.
The room consensus was that ChescoWest will grow and fill emergent needs by combining strengths. Governments bring regulatory authority, long-term planning, and a mandate to serve the public good. The private sector contributes efficiency, innovation, capital, and agility. When aligned, these complementary capabilities can accelerate solutions that meet the needs of our economy and community as a whole.
Join us at future Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce events that provide platforms and resource sharing for our members by visiting the event calendar.