Chester mayor proclaims 'School Choice Week'
<p dir="ltr"><span>In a short meeting on Tuesday, Chester Mayor Tom Page signed a proclamation commemorating “City of Chester School Choice Week” in the city from Jan. 22 through 28.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“City of Chester is home to a multitude of excellent education options from which parents can choose for their children; and whereas educational variety not only helps to diversify our economy, but also enhances the vibrancy of our community,” the resolution states.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The resolution makes note that School Choice Week is “celebrated across the country by millions of students, parents, educators and organizations to raise awareness of the need for effective educational options.”</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Page signed the resolution during the Mayor’s Report portion of the meeting and it did not require council approval.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>According to its website, National School Choice Week “</span><span>encourages schools, organizations, and individuals to hold positive events that celebrate school choice options, while drawing attention to the need for even greater opportunities for children.”</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>In other news, the council approved ordinances abating the 2016 taxes levied to pay the principal and interest on three waterworks and sewage system refunding bonds - Series 2011 ($1.95 million), 2013 ($3.795 million) and 2015 ($1.605 million).</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>City Attorney Jeff Kerkhover noted these were annual payments and the city would not levy any real estate to pay the bonds.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“We set aside enough money for these bonds every year,” he said.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The council was scheduled to discuss a Chester Park Board recommendation to revise the policies and procedures at the Cohen Complex, but that agenda item was tabled.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“We have more research to do before we discuss that,” Page said.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>During her report, City Treasurer Donna Clendenin announced the city was “holding our own” eight months into the fiscal year that ends in late April.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Page said that was good news, given how the city is working on several big projects, including a $80,000 pumping main replacement at the water plant that was approved at the council’s Jan. 3 meeting.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>During public comment, the council heard an update from Herald Tribune Managing Editor Pete Spitler on the progress of the Chester Bridge replacement project.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Spitler noted he had recently received an email from Missouri Department of Transportation engineer Jason Williams, who is overseeing the project. </span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“The holidays have slowed the process a tad,” Williams said in his email to the newspaper. “We’re still hammering out a contract scope with the consultant, and we still expect to have an agreement in place around the end of January / beginning of February.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“Once the agreement is executed by our highway commission, the consultant will be free to start working on the study.”</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Previously, the Herald Tribune had reported that MoDOT had selected the St. Louis office of CH2M as its engineering consultant to perform the required environment study - regarded to be the first step in the process of replacing the 75-year-old bridge.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>CH2M is headquartered in Denver, Colo.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>ROUNDUP</strong>
<p dir="ltr"><span>• The Chester Fire Department Christmas party will be held on Jan. 28 at the Chester Eagles. All city employees are welcome to attend.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>• Bills for the period were approved in the amount of $99,533.99.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>• The council approved the Gas Department and Public Property Committee’s request to purchase gas futures for February and March.</span>