On Oct. 17, Chester Township Trustees held a regular board meeting at 7 a.m.
This date and time was needed to accommodate travel schedules and to ensure department head participation in a presentation by the Bureau of Workers Compensation. Regular business included approval of minutes and expenditures for snow tires, ice grit, aggregate, payroll and routine bills.
A BWC representative gave a brief presentation on the benefits of participating in the BWC’s Drug Free Safety Program. The board views this program favorably, but the question was raised if the township can recognize BWC cost savings by participating in the DFSP since we are already in the Frank Gates Group Retrospective Rating Program.
This will be researched and the board must make a decision by Oct. 31.
Trustees approved the road superintendent’s policy clarifying the requirements for wearing high-visibility safety vests.
Monies were approved for road striping, but questions were raised about paint durability on roads (County Line) that are deteriorated and this will be investigated further.
The fire chief informed the board that a $500 grant was received from the Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority for the thermal imaging cameras that were recently purchased and we thank the fiscal officer for bringing this opportunity to our attention.
Approval was given for the fire chief and assistant fire chief to attend fire instructor continuing education classes. A motion for elected officials and two township employees to attend the Geauga Township Association Dinner in Middlefield in November was also passed.
H&M Landscaping was the low bidder ($6,264.69) for purchase and installation of buffer plantings at the cemetery expansion. The police chief explained his meeting with Your Quest, a company that can support our efforts to implement an employee wellness program, and the zoning inspector provided a summary of the past month’s activities.
A motion to approve scrapping of obsolete equipment was tabled until a few questions are answered regarding scrap value, salvage value and no value, and how those determinations are made and decisions documented.
There was discussion to begin the review of the Chester Township Emergency Response Plan by the department heads with a planned group meeting to discuss and update the plan tentatively set for early December 2014.
There was a brief discussion regarding the Chester Township’s Recycling Committee. It was clarified that at the Oct. 2, trustees meeting, the committee was asked to begin development, with community input, of a bid specification for solid waste and curbside recycling.
A motion was approved to advertise for applicants for openings on the Chester Township Board of Zoning Appeals and the Zoning Commission for terms beginning Jan. 1, 2015. If you are interested, please contact Chester Town Hall at 440-729-7058.
Please note that Chester Township’s Trick or Treat night has been rescheduled to 6-8 p.m. Nov. 1 due to a conflict with the West Geauga High School football game on Oct. 31.