City council gets grant

Four firefighters, including the chief, announced their retirements.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- City council has accepted a state grant to hire two police officers and entered into a companion agreement with the city school district to have one of those officers assigned to the New Castle Junior-Senior High School.
The $90,344 annual grant, which council formally accepted by resolution at its public meeting earlier this week, will provide the city with the funding over a three-year period under the Police on Patrol program.
A companion resolution assigns one of the officers to the school during school hours for the nine-month school year. The school district will reimburse the city for 75 percent of the officers' total compensation package.
City officials said the school officer's duties, along with providing security, will be to interact with the teachers, students and parents, and possibly provide education programs in cooperation with the national Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in place at the school district.
Other business
In other council-related business, the New Castle Firemen's Pension Board approved retirement for four firefighters, including the chief.
City officials thanked Chief Jeffrey Scrim, and firefighters Nunzie Bonfield, Ed Chesney and Dennis Stone, for their service. Each of the firefighters put in more than 20 years with the department.
Officials said the retirements will save the financially strapped city more than $100,000 a year because two of the positions are to be eliminated. Mayor Wayne Alexander said he expects to appoint a new chief early next year.
Firefighters hired before 1988 are eligible for retirement if they have reached the age of 50 and have at least 20 years of service.