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Center Should Serve Townspeople

There's irony so much attention is spent these days on the village that once was Chester's economic and social center. Chester center has become a village and destination-but not for everyone. Chester village now is mostly for those seeking upscale dining, a place to park an un-muffled Harley-Davidson or to shop for art and trinkets, and for those who desire a farmers' market at which few (if any) Chester farmers sell locally grown products.

The reality is you can't buy in the village what you need to live. There's no grocery (other than a small co-op), no pharmacy, no hardware, no barber, no laundry. You cannot buy batteries, toothpaste, toilet paper, or envelopes. Availability of those items may be less important to those who like their coffee, muffin, or salmon served al fresco, and apparently it is they who are charting the center's future.

That means focus on "village." Plans call for practical, needed improvements such as re-grading Main Street, new sidewalks and drains, and a new bridge over Pattaconk Brook. There also are village frills contemplated-fancy improvements to enhance the destination. In the meantime, Chester seems to do little to address its industrial parks' vacant space; its Grand List flatlining; and the common expression, "I'm going to Deep River to get (fill in the blank)."

Attention showered on the village may be a Freudian response for some adults who never got to Disneyland as a child and never got over it.

A town must set priorities. In doing so, perhaps there needs to be greater recognition that the village contributes only a tiny fraction of Chester's property tax revenue; a tiny fraction of the town's full-time, decent-paying jobs; and too little for many residents. A village center should serve townspeople as well as those seeking a destination experience.

Joe CohenChester