CHESTER GOVERNMENT UPDATE
The regular Chester Township Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 24 began at 6:30 p.m. with a ceremony at the Chester Township Fire Station to formally swear in the six full-time firefighters...
The regular Chester Township Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 24 began at 6:30 p.m. with a ceremony at the Chester Township Fire Station to formally swear in the six full-time firefighters. Many family and friends were present for the event. Trustees congratulate and thank Lt. Osborn and officers Neary, Georskey, Bachmann, Fulton and Virant for their service and dedication to the residents of Chester.
Next, Dan Ellenberger, director of University Hospitals EMS Institute, presented two portable AED devices to the police department and spoke about the importance of providing CPR. He encouraged everyone to be trained. Trustees thank University Hospitals for their long history of donations and support to Chester.
Upon return to town hall for regular business, Chester Park Board Commissioner Lance Yandell presented his idea of enclosing the volleyball pavilion and providing heat so the structure could be used year-round. Trustees support the idea, and Mr. Yandell will move forward with getting more information and cost estimates.
Next, Bob Voss, of the Chesterland Rotary Club, explained their ongoing plans for the Winterfest decorations for Parkside Park and asked for $5,000 from the trustees to upgrade and replace lighting and to add additional displays. More details and information will be presented at the next trustee meeting. The scheduled date for the Winterfest kickoff celebration is Dec. 5.
In regular business, minutes were approved, an agreement with the West Geauga School System to provide it with anti-skid materials (salt) was signed, $7,325 was approved for Walker Brothers Roofing to patch roofs at the Chester Road Department, and $1,965 to Bruce Poyer Services for LED lighting upgrades in the fire station bays was also approved.
A motion was approved to advertise on GovDeals.com a police cruiser that will be retired from the fleet. Ron and Tom Basista have donated 20 blue spruce and Norway spruce trees to the township and trustees thank them for their generosity.
Cleveland State has stated that the final report from the Chester Community Questionnaire is nearly complete and will be provided soon. The park board has requested funds in the amount of $4,500 from the township to help support their project of replacing some of the deteriorated picnic tables at Parkside.
Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), a motion was approved for approximately $21,000 in purchases and reimbursement for expenditures related to Covid response, including disinfectants, cleaning services, personal protective equipment and replacement of furniture and laptops for remote working.
To date, Chester Township has received approximately $156,000 in CARES funds. The township continues to have discussions on the topic, and on Sept. 29, the trustees, fiscal officer and the department heads met in public session to review other changes. A major priority for the township is to establish permanent sleeping quarters for township firefighters. Architect Gary Neary, of Cornerstone Architects, has been working with Chief John Wargelin to design some changes without changing the footprint of the building, including conversion of the training room to bedrooms and converting the upstairs for lockers and storage. More discussion will be forthcoming.
Submitted by Ken Radtke Jr., Chester Township Trustee
