On Aug. 4, the Chester Township Board of Trustees held a regular meeting. The meeting had been rescheduled from Aug. 6 because of conflicts.
Regular business included the purchase of additional firefighting gear, with some conversation to consider donating the older equipment to a volunteer fire department that cannot afford new gear. Trustees approved providing police support for Chester-Fest, which takes place Aug. 22, and the Chesterland Historical Foundation Flea Market, which takes place
Aug. 15.
In general business, there was discussion of the requirement for township passenger automobiles and trucks to get the emissions check and submit that information to the Ohio EPA. Trustees approved payment of $92,988 to Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority, Chester’s property and vehicle insurer. Because of some recent sales of obsolete vehicles and equipment, the list of insured property will be updated and credit and/or reimbursement sought.
Trustee Kinney provided an update on additional funding of $19,185 that the park board has requested from the township for expenditures expected through the end of the year. These monies were part of original budget appropriations approved in March 2015 for the Parkside property.
Trustees also approved a resolution agreeing to the issuance of economic development bonds by the City of Lyndhurst, Ohio, in order to fund the Hawken School construction project in Chester. Because Hawken School is in Chester, and in conjunction with the City of Lyndhurst, the township is considered a consolidated economic development area (CEDA) and federal tax law requires both Lyndhurst and Chester to approve a bond issuance by Lyndhurst for Hawken School. The issuance of bonds by Lyndhurst creates no obligations or liability for Chester Township and will provide about $30 million in funds to help re-finance Hawken’s existing debt and provide funding for the ongoing new construction at Hawken in Chester.
Because payroll cannot be completed so early in the week, the board also held a public meeting on Aug. 7 to review and approve payroll expenditures and other financial items. Motions were passed approving $40,000 to be spent for crack sealing of various township roads using the Geauga County Engineer’s Resource Rental Program, $10,910 for the mound grading and excavation work at the Chester Recycle Park and $28,645.44 for the joint purchase by the Chester police and fire departments for eight Fujitsu laptop computers. The computer purchase was the result of a yearlong study conducted by the Geauga County Sheriff and IT departments evaluating their durability for in-vehicle use. The laptops are less than half the price of ‘Toughbook’ laptops and are expected to perform satisfactorily.
Be aware that construction on Heath Road began Aug. 14 and will continue for 30 days; asphalt repairs begin Aug. 24 for 10 days and chip sealing begins Aug. 27 for five days on various roads in the township.
The Chesterland Chamber of Com-merce is hosting Chesterfest on Aug. 22 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come out to enjoy and support local businesses as well as meet some of your neighbors.
Respectfully Submitted by:
Ken Radtke, Bud Kinney, Mike Petruziello, Craig Richter
Chester Township Officials