Tara Campbell, the deputy director of the Highland County Community Action Organization, Inc. (HCCAO), reported the organization’s County Tire and Electronics Recycling Event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the North High Business Center parking lot, during the weekly Wednesday meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners.
She said the first five passenger tires would be free, while each one after that would cost $4. She said the first two tractor tires would be free, then $40 per tractor tire after that. Following questioning by the board of commissioners about sizing limits, Campbell said there was not a size limit on the tractor tires.
Concerning electronics, Campbell said they range from free to up to $20, with an item like a vacuum cleaner being free with an item like an old big TV being $20.
She said the event is for Highland County residents only, meaning businesses are not allowed. However, she said HCCAO is working with the Chamber of Commerce to make an event for businesses to do electronic recycling.
Commissioner Dave Daniels wondered if the organization gets requests for household hazardous waste recycling and pick-ups and Campbell said they get some. She said there are weeks where they get a couple of phone calls and then others where there aren’t any.
Campbell said she’s talked about having an event for those items in the county before, and that event has previously been held in Ross County. However, she said an event like that is pretty expensive because people from the Solid Waste District and someone from Columbus have to be present. But she also said if that was something the county wanted to do, she could get more information.
Concerning other HCCAO matters, Campbell said it requested a letter of support from the board of commissioners for the Appalachian Regional Commission Inspire Grant, a workforce grant that would help people in recovery or who want to go into mental health and recovery professions. She said the organization was awarded the grant a couple of weeks ago and that it is for $500,000. She also said that the grant would be a wellness recovery and employment program.
Campbell said the goal of the program would be to help people in recovery who want to go into those professions or who are in post-treatment to get educated training and employment. She said there’s coaching on employer’s sites and also groups each month that would support the people participating in the program.
She also said the organization would be aligning the program with the Fresh Start Grant it received from the Greater Ohio Workforce Board Area 7 which was for a little more than $300,000. She said this would give the organization “a good foundation” for the program and allow it to create a model that could be used in other places and also help HCCAO get funded again to continue training people.
Concerning office space for the program, Campbell said there’s some space in Greenfield where she thought they’d be able to put the new program to start and then work on creating a new space. She said if there are participants from Hillsboro or Greenfield, staff would move back and forth to meet each of their needs.
In other updates, Campbell said the county recycling and litter control program recently closed on last year’s Environmental Protection Agency grant and finished the close-out report on it.
Campbell said these grants usually work by the EPA giving the organization half at the beginning when it’s approved, using it the way they said they would, and then after they send in the receipts and final report, receiving the second half of the money.
She said the grant was for advertising and supplying the inventory of the litter library, which is where bags and containers are housed for people and groups that want to clean up roadways, waterways and public areas.
Campbell said that because the grant is now closed, the inventory is “stuffed,” meaning if any group or club wants to do some cleanup, inventory is available.
In other news, commission president Jeff Duncan said the county received its sales tax numbers for September and that “they’re off, just a little bit, but not terrible … still doing good in the sales tax department.” The receipts were $819,584, $5,781 less than last September, for a total of $6,925,955, which is $233,526 more than the same time last year.
Duncan also said Daniels reported that the workers were pouring concrete Wednesday morning at the dog pound site.
The board of commissioners approved Change Order No. 1 with the Highland County Engineer and Miller-Mason Paving Co. for the 2022 Highland County Chip Seal Program.
There were four resolutions approved by the board of commissioners:
* Res. No. 22-156 is a petition filed by the Union Township Trustees to vacate a number of platted, but never developed, alleys/streets in the village of Russell. There will be a public viewing on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 10 a.m. and a public hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 11 a.m. in the commissioners’ office.
* Res. No. 22-157 authorizes Highland County Engineer Christopher M. Fauber to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capitol Improvement and/or Local Transportation Improvement program(s) and to execute the contracts as requested.
* Res. No. 22-158 is a final resolution in the matter of a bridge replacement on Straight Creek Road.
* Res. No. 22-159 authorizes an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds to Spay and Neuter Other Expense in the amount of $1,000.
There were also three contracts approved by the board of commissioners:
* Contract 79 is between the commissioners, state of Ohio, the Department of Natural Resources and the Clay Township Board of Trustees for a Capitol Improvement Community Park Recreation/Conservation Project Pass-Through Grant Agreement with ODNR.
* Contract 80 is between the commissioners, the Highland County engineer, the state of Ohio and the Department of Transportation for a final contract for a bridge replacement on Straight Creek Road.
* Contract 81 is between the commissioners, Highland County Department of Jobs and Family Services and FRS Transportation for a purchased service contract with FRS Transportation.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
