Chester Government Update
The July 2 Chester Township Board of Trustees regular meeting began at 6:30 p.m. with approval of minutes followed by a discussion about Zoom meetings...
The July 2 Chester Township Board of Trustees regular meeting began at 6:30 p.m. with approval of minutes followed by a discussion about Zoom meetings. Trustee Skip Claypool has been providing access through his personal Zoom account for residents due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. There have been a limited number of participants and it was, therefore, decided to cease the Zoom broadcasts at this time. Audio recordings are available as well as hardcopies of meeting minutes. Contact Mary Lou Florentine at mlflorentine@chestertwp.org or call 440-729-7058 to request copies of the public documents.
Senior Trash/Chester Cleanup Days will be Sept. 14-16, with the Chester drop-off event scheduled for Sept. 19 at the old Chester School site. Rain date is Sept. 17. Contact the Department on Aging at 440-279-2130 or www.co.geauga.oh.us for more information and to register.
The West Geauga Kiwanis began its Concerts in the Park series July 15.
The board of trustees accepted the resignation of Ryan Zittkowski, recently hired as a full-time firefighter/paramedic effective July 1, 2020.
The Chester Fire Department is in the process of replacing outdated structural firefighting gear and the board approved the purchase of four sets of gear in the amount of $9,350. The board approved the use of Fire Station 2 on Chillicothe Road for use by the Chester Christian Center for public parking for its annual car show on July 11. An after-the-fact motion was approved for a transmission repair at a cost of $3,532 for a police cruiser.
Trustees approved participation in the Group Retro workers compensation program through CareWorksComp in the amount of $1,905. CareWorksComp is the township’s third-party administrator, assisting in managing BWC claims.
Trustee Ken Radtke informed the board that there was nearly a 38 percent response rate to the Chester Township questionnaire, which is approximately three times the national average. Trustees thank those who participated. Watch for future notices about public meeting to discuss results when received from CSU.
Through NOPEC, approximately $49,000 is available for Chester Township energy improvement projects. The board will invite Dave Conley of First Energy to discuss the possibility of converting some township street lighting to LED.
At the end of the meeting, the trustees entered executive session and upon return approved a motion to advertise for a part-time administrative assistant for the fire department and a part-time administrative assistant for the road department. Details regarding the job responsibilities for the positions will be advertised in the Geauga County Maple Leaf, on the township website chestertwp.org and Indeed.com. Applications are due at town hall by 4 p.m. July 24.
The Geauga Trumbull Solid Waste District has “Go Green Community Grants” available. Trustee Claypool will investigate whether funds are available to support Chester Cleanup Day and possible use of funds for security cameras at the township recycle park.
Submitted by Ken Radtke Jr., Chester Township Trustee
