Grant for K-9 unit sought

The Village of Chester Police Department announced its intention to pursue a grant for the creation of a K-9 unit during the June 9 board of trustees meeting.

The application would be for a matching grant from the United States Police Canine Association, which would begin the process. The village would contribute $2,500 and the USPCA would contribute $7,500.

If that moves forward, the village would then apply for a $60,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to establish the program and rely on a $15,000 annual state grant to maintain the K-9 unit.

The dog and handler would be trained by the county K-9 unit in Montgomery. The police said the dog would be used for explosive detection.

Despite the presentation by the police, the trustees weren’t quite ready to move forward and tabled the resolution pending further discussion. The measure, they said, would revisited at a later meeting.

The board also voted to amend section of Chapter 38 and 98 regulating fines and to instate a new building fee schedule. An agreement with Aqualogics Systems to provide a backup for water department technology was approved.

During the meeting, a resident of Whispering Hills, who said she was president of the HOA for the development, requested police attention to the housing development on the evenings of July 4, 5 and 6, noting that last year fireworks caused a fire in one of the dumpsters in the community.