Voting Meeting: 18 New Firefighters Sworn In, New Village Website Contracted

The meeting room of was jam-packed on Monday evening for the swearing-in of 18 new probationary paid-on-call firefighters for the .

The eighteen new firefighters are Paul Barry, Brian Byrne, Robert Cattin, Mark Crist, Ryan Dudek, Kevin Gay, Richard Griffith, Karl Hammond, Patrick Hynes, Christopher Langstaff, John Larson, Matthew McMillin, McHale Nelson, Robert Papineau, Geoffery Pender, Mia Scavuzzo, James Walsh and Matthew Wieringa.

“A real good bunch of guys—I’m proud of them,” said Lt. Bryan Ogren, who introduced the class, who have been training since January and were selected from an initially-interested group of about 50. Ogren talked briefly about the experience of training smashing windows and doors in a donated tear-down house in the Village.

“You’re joining… a department that is very proud and has a long and cherished tradition of duty to this Village,” Village President Bill Rodeghier told the incoming class of firefighter. “On behalf of the residents of Western Springs, I thank you for your service and wish you the best of luck.”

Very little business was conducted for the rest of the meeting except the passing of an omnibus voting package, which included the following:

• $29,964 to Civic Plus of Manhattan, KS for development and hosting of a new Village website.
• $13,120 to Brickman Group for landscaping, regarding and planting of islands in the Ridgewood subdivision.
• $19,000 for the rebuilding of well house #1 (non-reverse-osmosis funds.)
• A six-month extension for Wendy Vichick’s poultry-owning ordinance.