Monday evening, Chillicothe Council voted to accept a grant for more firefighters.
Joel Fleurima explains what it means now that council has accepted the federal "SAFER Grant," or "Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response": three or four more firefighters over the next few years.
How long they can stay on the payroll is another question, though.
But he says recent support from taxpayers helps - a small part of the Safety Levy is a match that makes the grant funds possible.
It may be meaningful that, afterward, council went into executive session for "contract negotiations."
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A speaker to Chillicothe Council Monday evening pointed out that Piketon's problems are also Chillicothe's...as well as possible benefits.
Dennis Foreman, Piketon council member and Zane Trace science teacher, explained his concerns about the proposed large waste dump at the Piketon Atomic Plant, which is being decommissioned.
He says "it's not chicken bones and diapers" - it's nuclear waste - and the bedrock, water table, and long-term issues are all wrong.
He says no one would invest in re-industrialization next to that dump. But Foreman suggests building an intermodal shipping yard, instead...with its first purpose to send debris west to much safer desert storage.
And, further re-developments here would help this region's economy.
Foreman is a member of an advisory council for the disposition of the site...and of "CARD," Citizens Against a Radioactive Dump in Pike County.
Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils and local culture