A Look Ahead at Wednesday's Borough Committee Meetings

West Chester Borough Council will hold part two of its monthly committee meetings on Wednesday starting with Public Safety at 5:30 p.m., followed by Finance at 6:30 p.m. and Planning, Zoning and Industrial Development at 7:30 p.m.

Here some agenda highlights:

Public Safety

There are two items of note on this agenda.  First, the committee will discuss authorizing advertisement to bid on the borough's planned purchase of new fire trucks in 2012.  That's fancy government speak for "we're going to buy some fire trucks." The new trucks we're in the 2012 budget, and they will cost an estimated $1.6 million total.

The other item that jumps out is the borough will discuss an offer from the University to allow a private security firm to patrol the southeast quadrant of West Chester on a trial basis.  The southeast neighborhoods are particularly rowdy on weekends, and the trial period is to see if a regular patrol can keep things under better control.

Finance Committee

Nothing jumps out off of this agenda.  The committee will discuss redesigning the borough's Web site, and there will be a discussion about upgrading the borough's HVAC system.

Planning, Zoning and Industrial Development

This agenda is long.  The most discussed items will probably come towards the end of the meeting as they will deal with HARB, zoning and height.

First, the committee will discuss a recommendation from HARB that says all brick sidewalks must be replaced with brick and not concrete.

Next, the committee will discuss conditional use criteria for the new height ordinance that's being considered.  However, the new ordinance changing height restrictions to 45 feet by right and 60 feet by exception cannot be voted on until at least June.

Finally, there will be a discussion about possibly revising some zoning issues.  Specifically, additional student housing use in town center zoning district, and adoption of a new formal zoning map that would clear up future questions.