Finally, the day has come! Set-up for West Chester's new 24/7 car-free Open-Air Marketplace will begin early in the morning Monday, August 3. By the afternoon, we will be ready to dine out under the stars, and customers coming in for retail and professional services can feel safer visiting our town, with more room to physically distance.
I know you want to know why it took so long! West Chester's main drag is a state-owned road. Unlike other nearby communities, we had to obtain the approval of PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. Our team has worked on these applications since May, and we put in many long hours, through two holiday weekends, preparing and revising plans on the request of PennDOT. Why didn't we give up? Because we love our Main Street! We have made West Chester a pioneer in the state!
And, we kept pushing because the pandemic is not over. It is resurging in hot spots across the country, and the Governor just restricted indoor dining to 25% of normal occupancy with no drinking permitted at the bars. By extending dining into the street, we can greatly reduce the risk of viral transmission and allow physical distancing while supporting our wonderful shops and restaurants during these very challenging times.
The BID will be hand-delivering a packet of information for business owners containing safety precautions, our expectations for making this a success, and #MainStreetStrong social media tools developed by the Greater WC Chamber of Commerce and the WCU Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center.
You'll also see hand-sanitizing stations throughout town, safety signage requiring mask-wearing, and signs like the ones below in the windows of our stores and restaurants. I am also working with our Police Department to be sure our officers partner with our visitors and business owners, and help remind everyone that we must wear masks because we care for each other here in our great town, and because wearing masks means we stay open for business!
