- Shirley Mars. It never occurred to me that I would someday have a best friend who is 80 years old. Last weekend I found myself at her birthday party, along with over 200 of her other friends. It caused me to ponder on the importance of friends in our lives. When I searched the internet, I came across an intriguing study on friendship and happiness.
- Shirley Mars. There were days when we all wondered if summer would ever come. Well, it came. Summer is in full swing, and my advice…wear sunscreen! Some may remember that “song” from the late 1990s written by a man named Baz Luhrmann [yes, the director] entitled “Wear Sunscreen.”
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Breaking ranks with Kent and Kent State University, the Brimfield Township Trustees recently approved a one-year, $12,000 contract renewal with Flock Safety, a technology company that provides public and private entities with license plate readers and other surveillance capabilities.
- Noell Wolfgram Evans. The bulk of Adkins’ time was spent in a discussion on the potential renewal of the township’s contract for Flock cameras. Adkins asked for a one-year renewal for the four cameras in the township.
- Wendy DiAlesandro. It’s up to the state auditor’s office now. Brimfield Township, which manages the Kent-Brimfield Maintenance and Improvement fund for the mutually beneficial Joint Economic Development District, may be in for some more bad news.
- Roger Gordon. The Village at St. Edward partnered with developer Dan DeHoff to construct a 107-unit, 101,000-square-foot residential care facility that will serve independent, assisted living and memory care residents in Brimfield.
- Wendy DiAlesandro. How is it that the City of Kent has been providing free dispatching service for Brimfield Township fire and EMS for years?
- Shirley Mars. Bill and I recently had the privilege of attending the swearing-in of Brimfield’s new chief of police, Christopher Adkins. Rest assured that the police department is in very capable and qualified hands, as he has been serving our community since 2001 in the ranks of patrolman, sergeant, captain and now chief.
- Roger Gordon. Members of the Atwater High School Class of 1963 Jim Manion, Jerry Michael, Chuck Brockett and Steve Crites attended a recent board of trustees meeting to talk about a request they have made to the Portage County Engineer’s Office.
- Shirley Mars. As of April 20, there will be a new chief in town! Captain Christopher Adkins will become Brimfield’s interim police chief, pending an employment agreement to offer him the full-time position.
- Roger Gordon. “We’re just in the infancy stages,” Eldreth said. “Data centers are becoming real popular, so we’re just trying to figure out how to zone them.”
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Brimfield Township trustees on March 2 reduced the stipend certain board members receive and reduced how often they get it.
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Brimfield’s Chamber of Commerce shuttered years ago, but township business owners may find a new home with the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.
- Shirley Mars. For over 45 years, the spirit of neighborliness has been alive and well in our community, as residents wholeheartedly lent support to the Brimfield Community Cupboard and created a legacy of caring for our own.
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Brimfield’s newest trustee has a sharp eye for dollar signs. During the township’s Feb. 2 trustee meeting, Kevin Scott mentioned that the township is needlessly paying tens of thousands of dollars in annual property taxes.
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Brimfield Township budget hit a new low this year, when Fiscal Officer Jasmine Golden noted in early January that the general fund was $53,020 in the hole and the fire department only had $50,000.
- Roger Gordon. Join the Suffield League for a night of laughter with its annual “Laugh at the Lake” at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 at St. Nicholas Banquet Hall at 755 S. Cleveland Ave.
- Shirley Mars. Ben Wolford’s thoughtful comments about “values that we should be able to agree on” reminded me of why I allowed him to talk me into reviving the Around Brimfield column a few years ago. Freedom, safety, respect, dignity, decency, diversity and seeing others as neighbors – I share those values and find comfort in knowing that most of The Portager readers share them as well. If we are to “hold the line” as Ben suggests, we cannot be complacent or naïve.