From the left: Mt. Pulaski Rural Fire Protection District Trustee Kevin Coers, Attorney for the MPRFPD Darrell Parish, Trustee Crystal Kern, Trustee Mike Patridge, District Fire Chief John Aylesworth, District Assistant Chief Greg Holmes.

On Monday, March 9th, the Mt. Pulaski Rural Fire Protection District Board of Trustees hosted a town hall meeting at the Aetna Township building in Chestnut. The only topic on the agenda was discussion about the recent closure of the Chestnut Fire Station. The room was filled to standing room only with residents and concerned citizens from the Chestnut area as well as Mt. Pulaski and members of the Mt. Pulaski Fire Department.

Early in the meeting, the board drove home one important fact, that information disclosed in social media posts was incorrect. The board has shut down the Chestnut fire station, but only temporarily. They said the station needed to be closed and firefighters let go, so that the board can effectively incorporate the station back into the district. The audience was informed that the station would be manned again and up and running soon. It was also stated that there is no Chestnut Fire Department, it has always been MPRFD Station Two, but that for many years the Chestnut station has acted like it was independent of the district.

There was much discussion on the latter point with members of the audience saying it was a two-way street and that Chestnut has not been treated fairly by the district fire chief or the board of trustees.

Lincoln Daily News will have a thorough report of the meeting, including comments from board and audience members, in the Wednesday edition.

Photos by Nila Smith