Board of Trustees Action Items
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Mayor's Award

During Wednesday night's meeting, Mayor Drew Peterson presented Theo Abkes with a Mayor's Award. Mr. Abkes served as the Town of Firestone's Public Works Director from 1990 to 2018. The Board of Trustees recognized and thanked Mr. Abkes for his years of service to the Town of Firestone.  

Proclamations

The Board of Trustees read the following proclamations during the Wednesday, September 14th meeting:

• Proclamation Recognizing September 2022 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month

• Proclamation Recognizing Week Of September 17-23, 2022, As Constitution Week

STAR Awards

The Firestone Human Resources Director presented STAR Awards to two groups of employees. The STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Award is an employee recognition program to award employees for demonstrating exceptional service and exceeding expectations in their work performance.

Teen Academy
In July the Firestone Police Department hosted 22 teens from Firestone for a 4-day Teen Police Academy. The Teen Academy was organized and hosted by Firestone’s School Resource Officers, Officer Dunker and Officer Neugebauer.  Students had a full few days and learned about all aspects of a career in law enforcement.  Officer Dunker and Office Neugebauer were recognized for their work coordinating and hosting an impactful program for Firestone’s teens.

Life Saving Award
Five Public Works employees were recognized for their life-saving efforts to support a fellow employee who had two medical emergencies within 2 weeks. John Pursel, Justin Jordan, Jesse Patinella, Matt Powell, and Mark Gahnstrom were recognized for the fast-acting and life-saving assistance they provided their coworker, who we are happy to report made a full recovery.

United Power Refund Check 

United Power representatives presented the Town of Firestone with a capital credit refund at Wednesday night’s meeting in the amount of $4,025.00, representing the Town’s portion of the 2021-2022 capital credit retirement from United Power. United Power is an electric cooperative and at the end of each year, any profits remaining after expenses are paid are returned to members in the form of capital credits. 

Neighborhood Service Officers Introduction

During Wednesday night’s meeting, Paula Mehle, Director of Economic Development & Neighborhood Services, introduced the Town’s Neighborhood Services Officers to the Board of Trustees.  The Town currently employs two Neighborhood Services Officers (NSO’s) that are responsible for enforcing code enforcement issues within the Town limits. With a focus of “Service Over Citation,” the goal of Neighborhood Services is to work with residents, neighborhood associations, public service agencies, and other Town departments to:

• Facilitate voluntary compliance with Town property maintenance standards and the Firestone Municipal Code.

• Connect property owners with area resources.

• Develop public outreach and education programs.

 
View more information about the Neighborhood Services division and contact information for the NSO’s here. 

Firestone Police Department Strategic Plan Update

During Wednesday night's meeting, Firestone Police Chief David Angelo provided the Board of Trustees with an update on the implementation of the Police Department's Strategic Plan that was developed in 2021.

The following core initiatives were identified within the Strategic Plan:

1. Employee Development
2. Recruitment and Retention
3. Training
4. Staffing
5. Employee Safety and Wellness
6. Technology Advancement
7. Enhance Community Relationships
8. Focus on Traffic Safety
9. Focus on Crime Prevention and Crime Reduction

Chief Angelo shared the progress in each area, and that the department anticipates achieving everything within the Strategic Plan by the end of the year.  He shared that with this accomplishment, the work is not done, and the department will continue to implement changes and improvements and will begin working on their next strategic plan soon.

Dirt Road Maintenance Project

During the Wednesday night meeting, the Board of Trustees approved two separate resolutions associated with maintenance projects on the dirt roads that are within the Town of Firestone. Two miles of dirt road on Zinnia Ave between Frontier St and CR 17, and on Grant Ave between Frontier St and CR 17, need new materials to be placed to extend their life and durability. This project was approved in the 2022 Capital Improvement Project budget.  

The first resolution approved an agreement to purchase road base material and for the hauling services for this project. The second resolution approved the expenditures to rent equipment to complete the necessary work and to have a magnesium chloride application applied to these roads.  

Work is expected to begin on this project in October.  More information, including timing and detours will be shared soon.  

Additional Information

View the complete September 14, 2022 Board of Trustees Meeting Packet here.

Board of Trustees Action Items are brief summaries of some, but not all, agenda items and do not serve as the official meeting minutes.  To request approved meeting minutes of Board of Trustees meetings, please contact the Town Clerk's Office at townclerk@firestoneco.gov.