Manchester Township board purchases new fire truck

Manchester Township Hall

submitted by Sybil Kolon, Community Reporter Corps

The February 9 Manchester Township board meeting was held by Zoom video due to restrictions during the pandemic. All board members were present, along with fire chief Bill Scully, village president Pat Vailliencourt, and other members of the public.

The board approved payment for the new fire truck for $654,869 from the fire equipment fund, based on the recommendation of the truck committee. It will be about a year before the truck will be fully built. The board had determined the discount on paying up front was preferable to making payments.

The board went into closed session for about an hour to discuss with the township attorney the board’s options after the Court of Appeals ruling on AshKay Island.

Fire chief Bill Scully provided the monthly report. There were 41 calls for service in January, including 24 EMS responses. Two fires were reported in in our service area and on two fire calls the department provided mutual aid outside of our area. 40 burn permits were issued.

Zoning Administrator Carl Macomber was not present. The January zoning report showed a zoning violation was issued for an issue on Lakeview Drive and one variance was requested. Trustee John Seefeld reported on the planning commission meeting the previous week. There is a plan for a $35 million solar project on 140 acres at Herman and Sharon Hollow Roads. A site plan is expected soon as they hope to begin construction this spring. The Sow Good Farms proposal has not yet been received. Mike Brown was reappointed to the board of review and Kathy Fusilier was moved from alternate to regular member to replace Sybil Kolon, who has stepped down.

There was discussion regarding increases in wages to various fire fighter positions. Last year, pay increases were delayed due to uncertainty about the budget. The board voted to increase the wages by 1.9%, to reflect the change in the consumer price index. There was a change to the budget workshop date to June 8, to avoid a conflict with the previous date. The budget public hearing date of June 21 was not changed.

The Court of Appeals issued a decision in late January regarding the operations at AshKay Island. Although the township had filed a brief in the case, it was not party to the lawsuit regarding operations at AshKay Island. The court decision supports the township zoning ordinance; but could be appealed.

During the closed session the board discussed options for moving forward with the township attorney. During public comment, Supervisor Ron Milkey indicated that the board is not prepared to discuss the options discussed, as additional information may need to be considered if an appeal is made.

There was some discussion regarding the possibility of the village becoming a city. Supervisor Milkey indicated the board would like to keep open communications with the village moving forward. Village president Vailliencourt agreed with that sentiment. Milkey indicated the board has had little comment from rural township residents about their feelings about the potential for the village to become a city. He asked board members to reach out to their neighbors to get input.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.