NORTH MANCHESTER – The North Manchester Town Council started the year by electing its president and vice president Wednesday. The town council decided to keep James Smith as president and Laura Rager as vice president. The other nominated candidate was Chalmer Tobias for both roles. Resident Deborah Chalk asked the council why there was still the extra $2.50 cost on utility bills when Parkview took over EMS services for North Manchester. Smith said that the simple answer is that the town is obligated to continue paying this fee for the time being. North Manchester was under LifeMed’s contract. Parkview bought the LifeMed contract and therefore it is still in place. The contract will expire this fall, and then the town council can change this fee. The police department decided to hire Marvin Gheen as a full-time dispatcher for North Manchester. They lost one full-time dispatcher last month to a new job. Gheen has worked for the town’s department before and is an ideal candidate for the job, the council was told. There had been a panel of five looking through applications, but upon Gheen’s interest they decided to choose him. There still may be part-time dispatching opportunities, but currently there are four full-time dispatchers. Police Chief James Kirk wanted to recognize two officers for exceptional work. Issac Adams and Nathaniel Birch arrested two suspects in possession of meth and a stolen, loaded handgun. This is the second stolen gun that has been removed from the streets in two months. Fire Department Chief Cam Kissinger had nine additional runs to report three days after his report. Four were for fire and five were medical emergencies. There were also many false alarms this month on Seventh Street. Kissinger stated that the incidents were weather-related. Christmas tree pickup occurred Wednesday and will occur again on Jan. 19. The number of artificial trees seems to be rising, according to the town manager’s report, but this is yet to be determined until the final pickup. The leaf pickup this year was a success. The new procedure proved to be just as efficient if not more so, the council was told. The pickup crew especially saved in its gasoline budget. If the town is patient with change, this new procedure will prove to be a better one, according to the report. The 73rd annual chamber dinner is coming up for the council members and department heads. The dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26 and will be at Manchester University’s Cordier Auditorium.
