Chester County Councilman Alex Oliphant has led the crusade to clean up the S.C. 9 entrance to Chester. Specifically, that means demolishing the old Thomas & Howard building and cleaning up the site of the abandoned Springsteen Mill.

The Thomas & Howard building, once a grocery distribution center, now is boarded up, with vines growing along its dilapidated walls, and part of its roof is falling in. The old mill, long closed and gutted, is surrounded by heaps of crumbled bricks, wooden planks and other debris.

That is the sight that greets anyone entering the city by way of S.C. 9. It also is the entrance that economic development officials avoid when bringing prospective investors to the city.

But results the county recently received from an environmental test of the two sites may put a hitch in beautification plans. While the Thomas & Howell building could safely be demolished now, the Springsteen site contains materials such as asbestos that could impede demolition and add thousands of dollars to cleanup costs.

Unfortunately, neither the city nor county has the money to pay for the cleanup now. The county is scraping to come up with at least $330,000 to avoid a budget shortfall.

We hope, however, that this is not an insurmountable hurdle to the cleanup plan. Grant money and other possible sources might be available to help fund the project.

While the money might not be there now, support among elected officials, business leaders and members of the community is strong. And, as Oliphant notes, if cleaning up the gateway can help the county attract just one major industry, tax revenues will make up for the cost of the project.

The cleanup remains a viable project that could pay big dividends for both the city and county. We hope Oliphant and his supporters don't give up.