Beautification Commission news
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[CHESTER - One of the projects of the Chester Beautification Commission is the Take Pride Award. It is awarded to private and commercial property to acknowledge attractive landscaping and/or property improvement. A sign is placed in the yard of the recipient to say thank you and recognize the owner's hard work. The Beautification Commission is asking Chester residents to notify Marlene Seymour (826.3330) or Sandra Starr (826.5465) of any property that deserves this award. This recommendation could be the caller's, a neighbor, or just an address of a house or building the caller noticed when driving or walking by. There are many beautiful locations in Chester and the Beautification Commission wants to give these owners credit.
Another project the Beautification Commission is overseeing is the renovation of the historic City Steps. The nearly 300 steps connect the riverfront to the town on the bluff and in the past were used by riverboat passengers, deckhands and local citizens. These steps are part of Chester's history, and fortunately a young man recognized this and is doing something about it. The hard work and ideas for improvement must be credited to Matthew Heberlie; he has taken this monumental venture as his Eagle Scout project. The project has been made possible though donations and volunteer workers.
To date, some of the accomplishments Matthew and his crew have done is cleared, sprayed then planted ground cover along both sides of the entire set of steps; painted Chester City Steps on risers at the bottom of the steps; erected pillars as the first step in creating a distinctive entrance at the top of the steps; and painted borders along the sidewalk at the end of Harrison Street.
Near future plans are placing a concrete bench at the midway point (end of Harrison Street) and at the top near the entrance; and completing the pillars at the entrance with a finishing coat and a large wood plank connecting the pillars. A tentative completion time is mid-summer. The Beautification Commission provided the banners along the steps.