The revitalization of the City of Coatesville is beginning. There was a concerted effort to kill it before it was born.

I think it’s time to begin spilling the beans about the efforts to stop Coatesville’s revitalization and I have a very large sack.

The construction of the Marriot Courtyard Hotel has begun. As Don Pulver said, “People were trying to stop us every day. You had to fight to do the work.”

Jean Krack told me he had already written his resignation

On Monday July 18, 2005 I was a “potted plant” standing behind City of Coatesville City Manager Jean Krack. There was a TV crew at 3^rd Avenue and Lincoln Highway taping the opening of Chetty Builders “Pennock Place” development. I was standing there as a representative of the Coatesville Planning Commission. That same evening the Coatesville Area School Board was to vote on Tax Increment Financing.

Chetty Builders projects, Baker/Iacobucci and Don Pulver’s hotel project were the three parts to the Tax Increment Financing supporting the revitalization of the City of Coatesville. I was very well aware that the TIF was a three legged stool. If one part was removed it would not stand.

But only the Marriott Hotel/office building portion of Tax Increment Financing was on the agenda of the Coatesville Area School District School Board meeting that night. Jean took me aside and told me he had written his resignation and would give it to the Coatesville City Council members on Tuesday morning. The entire revitalization of the city would most likely be doomed without the TIF and I think Jean didn’t want to go down in a sinking ship.

I had some information that would cheer Jean up but couldn’t talk about it.

On Thursday of the previous week I had learned that only the hotel leg of the TIF was on the agenda for Monday's School Board meeting. Very early on Friday morning I sent an email to the school board members that I knew and I also telephoned and spoke to several influential people. The email had attachments with details of the Tax Increment Financing plans and I thought that I made a compelling case for the school board to vote for all three portions of the TIF. I made it clear that the future of the City of Coatesville was in the school board member’s hands that night.

That evening School Board Member Paul Johnson had a change to the agenda. The school board voted for an agenda change to consider all three portions of Tax Increment Financing and not just the hotel portion. That one action by Paul Johnson and the subsequent vote had a dramatic effect on the revitalization of Coatesville. Without it the city’s plans would have died and the hotel would most likely not of had a chance.

It was a highly emotional meeting. Coatesville City Council member Ed Simpson gave an impassioned speech about his love for the City of Coatesville that brought tears to my eyes.

There was even more emotion on the “other side”. Pat Sellers, Bob Saucier and Andrew Lehr were sitting up front in the audience. After the meeting Ed Simpson was walking near where the three were sitting. Bob Saucier turned and shouted “TRAITOR!” at Ed Simpson. Dick Saha’s face was redder than I have ever seen it before or since. As we were leaving the building in the parking lot Dick shouted out “It’s not over!”

That was just one road block in the way of the City of Coatesville that was surmounted. There would be more to come.

See:

The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA

Frontpage

City reacts to TIF approval

COATESVILLE -- By the end of Monday night, the Coatesville Area School Board had approved plans to divert $11.2 million in future tax revenue to the city’s infrastructure improvements.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005   

By ADAM CIRUCCI

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