At the Chestnuthill Township Supervisors’ meeting on March 15, Chairman Carl Gould read a letter from the West End Park & Open Space Commission concerning the disbanding and dissolving of the intergovernment agreement.

Bernie Kozen, the longtime Chestnuthill Parks and Recreation director, is retiring on April 30.

At the last WEPOSC meeting, members discussed reorganizing or disbanding and dissolving their longtime intergovernment agreement with Chestnuthill, Eldred, Polk and Ross townships.

Ross Township voiced concern at its recent township meeting.

Supervisors said restructuring could mean less input from the individual townships that currently participate.

“I am upset that we’re being kicked out after the money we put in,” said Howard Beers, a former Ross Township supervisor.

The townships in the agreement are concerned because it might mean they would have to contribute more money to the commission than they can afford if a full-time executive director is hired. Kozen’s salary is $52,324.

Gould, a member of the WEPOSC, feels the best thing would be to disband and dissolve the original intergovernment agreement.

“Moving forward, that does not mean we will not work with the townships. We want to work together,” he said.

Gould explained there is a process they need to follow according to what is written in the current agreement, and it includes working with the board and townships.

“So that’s where we are at, and there will be a lot more to come on this, if you vote to approve this,” he said.

Gould was clear he did not want anyone to leave the room thinking this is a fight between two townships. “That is not the way to move forward with parks and recs in the West End,” he said.

“All the townships were asked to vote on dissolving the intergovernment agreement at the their next meeting, and if everyone approves, including Pleasant Valley School District, the dissolution can go forward,” he said.

How the vote goes will make a difference in certain steps required for the disbanding and dissolving the agreement.

According to the Chestnuthill board of supervisors, if only one township pulls out of the intergovernment agreement, a paragraph in the original agreement explains how to go about disbanding and dissolving the agreement.

Some things will change a little, but Gould said it was not anything that township solicitor Tim McManus could not handle.