Village of Chester to create its own flag

Mayor Christopher Battiato announced at the January 13 Chester Village Board of Trustees meeting that the village will seek to create its own flag. The Town of Chester already has a flag, it was noted. The mayor mulled ideas for creative feedback from the community regarding the flag design.

Project concerns

In other news, complaints were levied against PDJ Components on 35 Brookside Ave. for poor upkeep of its property, allegedly leading to dust and dirt infesting neighboring properties. The project is seeking to expand its footprint from 38,000 to 71,000 square feet. The project is before the planning board but that board sought input from the village board before moving forward.

A representative from PDJ said, “We’re all aiming for the same goal.”

The mayor said that if they want to expand their footprint and get permission from the village, it would be a good idea to “keep what you have clean.”

Short-term rentals

A resident in attendance at the meeting complained that an Airbnb was still operating on his street on Grandview in spite of the new ban on short-term rentals. The board conceded they are still working on enforcing the new law.

Police business

The meeting began on a celebratory note as police officer Angela Lombardi was sworn in by the mayor as a police sergeant. Several friend and family members were on hand to share in the moment. Lombardi will be busy in her new position. The police chief said 2024 brought a total of 3,209 calls for service and 673 arrests.

The board authorized a police department grant request for new radios and a compression unit for CPR. At a recent meeting it was decided that the police would have to clear all grant requests with the village board before proceeding.

Kiwanis Club

Ray Preski of the Chester Kiwanis Club asked for the village’s help with the annual 5K run on May 24. Last year 500 runners participated from the tri-county region. Preski said he’d need some assistance from the police department. The mayor said, “We’ll do whatever we can to make it run smooth.”

Ambulance service

Chester Town Councilman Tom Becker updated the village board on the latest in negotiations with Empress for the new town and village ambulance district. The town is considering buying its own ambulance and supplies and having Empress provide staff and medicine. He believes the district could save some money doing it this way rather than having Empress provide everything itself.

Other business

The board approved a one-year contract with TK Elevator Service for upkeep of the Village Hall’s elevator. The board had said that, beginning in February, the Village Hall will see six to eight weeks of renovations, affecting villager access to Village Hall.

A resident claimed that the trash collectors were mixing garbage and recycling in the same unit. Garbage collection is a town issue, so the trustees suggested lodging an official complaint with Town Hall. While it was unclear what type of garbage truck the resident was discussing, some garbage trucks are designed to take both trash and recycling, with separate compartments for each type of waste inside the truck.