By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – The Chelsea City Council has a vacant seat as councilman Ricky King relented his chair due to personal reasons at the council’s meeting Feb. 1.

“After we announce a vacant seat, we will post on our website that there is a vacancy, and ask for people who are interested in that place on our city council to send in a resume,” Chelsea Mayor Earl Niven said. “The council will gather the resumes all together and set up an interview with each one of them and make a decision.”

“We have 60 days to make an appointment, or the governor will make an appointment, according to state code, but we’ll make an appointment,” Niven said.

In other business, the council approved a resolution to obtain bids for the repair of streets in Covington Place subdivision, Sydney’s Place subdivision and Stanley Drive.

Covington Place and Sydney’s Place are not city-owned streets, but due to the poor conditions of the roads, the city is stepping in to take bids for repairs.

“I think that the roads (of Covington Place) are some of the worst streets of any subdivision in Chelsea,” Niven said.

The mayor said he’d be getting the bank, the council’s attorney, the subdivision developer and the residents together to discuss the bids in the next three weeks.

Additionally, the council approved a resolution proclaiming Feb. 26, 2011 as Arbor Day in the City of Chelsea.

The city’s tree commission will be holding an Arbor Day event at Chelsea’s Recreation Park on Highway 31, and will be giving away 300-plus seedlings as door prizes.

The council also approved a resolution to accept a proposal from Minor Fence Distributors, Inc. for the repair of chain link fencing at the Chelsea Highway 47 baseball fields. The cost will not exceed $13,995.

Fire Chief Wayne Shirley announced the fire department is holding Storm Spotters training Feb. 8 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Chelsea Fire Station. Attendees will learn to distinguish different types of clouds and how to be more aware of dangerous weather conditions, Shirley said. The training is free to the public and no reservations are required.