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Chester trustees discuss playground upgrades, grants and possible dial‑a‑bus expansion
Summary
Residents asked the board to preserve usable playground equipment and the town reported a $10,000 grant for playground improvements; the board also said it is negotiating a limited intermunicipal agreement with Monroe to expand dial‑a‑bus service for some Chester residents.
Town residents at the July 8 meeting urged the board to evaluate whether elements of existing playgrounds can be preserved and incorporated into planned upgrades rather than being fully torn down, and the town confirmed it had secured a $10,000 Grama grant from Senator Scoofus for Commons playground work.
Robert Klein, a resident who spoke during both the public-hearing and regular public-comment periods, asked the board to "add, not replace" where possible and suggested salvaging functional parts of the current playground to reduce costs. The board said an engineer has reviewed the sites and a community playground committee—organized as a nonprofit in other towns—would be positioned to help fundraise, donate improvements and coordinate volunteer labor, following a model used in nearby Warwick.
On transit, a resident asked about the dial‑a‑bus service and whether Chester would join Monroe or otherwise expand coverage. The supervisor said the town has a long-standing dial‑a‑bus contract with Goshen and is negotiating a possible intermunicipal agreement (IMA) with Monroe to expand service for Chester residents who live in the Monroe‑Woodbury school district. He emphasized the proposals were preliminary and said any contract would include protections and notice provisions to protect the town if service changes occurred.
The board said it would continue exploring options, would publish details after negotiations are complete, and would consider budgets and grant opportunities to support service improvements. The meeting included additional reports on sewer infiltration and preliminary water-rate scenarios presented as early estimates and subject to further study.
The board also approved routine items including allowing an additional film-permit day for a production (the transcript records a production payment figure that the town said it will confirm) and authorized contingency staff plans for the start of a summer camp if a contract with the Sugarloaf Arts Collective could not be finalized in time.
