By Amanda Amsel
Staff Writer
The Prairie Township trustees approved the hiring of several new staff members.
At a recent meeting, the trustees approved adding a new part-time position to the road department. The new road department laborer would be responsible for snow and ice removal, sewer/drain maintenance, grass and weed removal, cemetery and park maintenance and a variety of other responsibilities.
According to the township’s website, this new position pays $13 to $15 an hour and the new employee could work a maximum of 1,500 hours a year.
The trustees also approved a measure to allow the township to hire personal trainers for the community center. The trainers would be paid $30 for 30 minutes by community center members.
“This won’t cost us anything,” said James Gant, director of the center. “We have a huge demand for this, so this will add another element to our center and is another service we offer”
The trustees also approved a budget of a $90,000 to add electricity to the light poles on West Broad Street.
“We recommend doing this so we can have decorative lighting to the poles during the holidays, as well as other decorations throughout the year,” said Tracy Hatmaker, township administrator.
The township will apply for a $90,000 grant to help fund the project. Hatmaker said the township may only have to pay about 20 percent of that amount.
The updated poles will run from Hilliard Rome Road to Interstate-270.
In other news, Scott Belcastro discussed the township’s electric aggregation program.
“While I think the program we are in still works, we have seen prices drop through the floor,” he said. “We are continuing to monitor this so we can provide the residents of this township with the most affordable electric service possible.”
Belcastro said the current contract expires in June 2017. When that contract is close to expiring, they will once again go out to bid and hopefully get an even lower rate than what residents are currently getting, if the market continues to drop as it has this year.
