|
|
 |
|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
 |
Commissioners Corner
Spring is
coming, along with a plan to deal with drug problem
March is here and so far it looks like it is coming “in like a lion and
out like a lamb.” Let us hope that the cold, miserable winter we
have had is finally closing out. It will be nice to get back to
“normal” weather, and normal electric and gas bills again! This
winter has been tough on everyone’s pocketbooks, and really hurt some
budgets, but we will survive I am sure. Darke County is one of
the prettiest places to be in the springtime so enjoy the surroundings
and all the good things we have to offer.
One of the great things about March, besides the beginning of spring,
is that it brings new hope and joy to a lot of people. March has
started out like gangbusters for the County, and it looks like this is
just the beginning of a great year!! Of course, I am talking
about the huge Whirlpool announcement for the county. Whirlpool’s
commitment to Darke County, along with the partnership we have formed
with them, should bring a smile to everyone’s face. The
announcement of a $40 million dollar investment and the hiring of 400
new employees over the next several years made State and National news,
and included the presence of Governor John Kasich. All involved
at the State level and the executives from Whirlpool gave credit to the
local people. Because of the work ethic and quality that the
plant provides, everyone agreed after looking at national and
international sites, that Greenville was the only place to
expand. This should make everyone in the county proud! I
know when we talked to everyone, we all were proud to hear that our
people were the difference. Whirlpool’s commitment to us, and us
to them, is a model of how a community and corporations can come
together and over time become like family.
All of our long-term companies like BASF, MIDMARK, POLY-ONE ( the
former Spartech), RAMCO MOTORS, and others to numerous to
mention, are part of the Darke County Family, and we will do everything
possible to make them feel welcome here as such. Many Thanks goes to
the Economic Development office, the Partnering for Progress
Initiative, and the C.I.C. for making this all work. Whirlpool is
just one of the great announcements we have had this month. The
$500,000 grant for Memorial Hall was good news for everyone.
Thanks to Matt Jordan and the committee for their hard work on
procuring this grant. This money will help Memorial Hall stay
viable for the foreseeable future. Thanks again to all
involved.
The good news just keeps on coming as the Darke County Career Tech
center has received a grant of $500,000 to expand also. This
money will help our students and workers to learn and grow as we expand
our workforce efforts. Thanks to Senator Bill Beagle and Sandra
Brasington from the Governor’s office for their help on this
effort. The Darke County Animal Shelter also received a $2000
dollar grant From the Ohio Pet fund to spay and neuter dogs. This will
help offset some of the cost of this program. More good news is
coming soon, as we wrap up some other projects in the E.D.
office. Things are looking up here!! So please, be patient,
and as soon as we can, we will inform you of what’s happening.
In other happenings, we in the Commissioner’s Office are continuing
along the path we have set by doing maintenance on buildings, and
catching up on things that have been allowed to falter in the
past. Building maintenance is going along well, thanks to our
dedicated group of maintenance people led by Marty Munchel.
Sometimes, there are not enough hours in the day for these guys, but
Marty, Kenny Martin, Rick Robinson and Mark Schlechty, along with Bill
Marker, our Sewer Maintenance Supervisor, get the job done without
complaint. Thanks Marty and guys for a great job that often goes
unnoticed and underappreciated! We are still doing scanning of
important material, and this will continue for a while. These
materials need to be done, and it is required, so our people are
working to bring us into compliance.
We are also working with the Chamber of Commerce on a plan to curb drug
addiction in Darke County. In a conversation with the Sheriff and
others, we are all working on a plan, and another meeting is scheduled
for April 4th. When we have a completed plan, we will let
everyone know so all of Darke County can help us with this
problem. We may not be able to cure the problem, but we can get a
handle on it, trim it down, and keep it from growing. Speaking of
the Sheriff, by the time this is printed, we should have at least two
of our new cars, and maybe all 3! This is a much needed addition
to the department, and will help our deputies to do their job more
efficiently. The Sheriff also is reworking his policy manual
which needed an update, and will help clarify duties and expectations
for the department.
Thanks to Judge Hein, Judge Monnin, and Kelly Ormsby, our Prosecutor,
for the much needed updating of their respective offices, and the
Courthouse remodeling effort. A few years ago, the Auditor, Carol
Ginn, Clerk of Courts Cindy Pike, and Treasurer, Scott Zumbrink, used
money they had to update their offices also. The Recorder, Linda
Stachler is planning to upgrade her office as well. Jim Surber,
the County Engineer, gave up storage space and put up with a lot of the
mess when the basement remodeling took place. As can be seen, all
of our elected officials in the Courthouse have done more than their
part to make things better, and we in the Commissioner’s office realize
how important their help is. Thanks to all of you, and I am sure
I missed someone, but Thanks for helping to make our little corner of
the world a better place.
March has been a great month so far, and seems to be a precursor of
good things to come. Why don’t you join us for one of our
bi-weekly meetings? We meet every Monday and Wednesday publicly
at 1:30 p.m. in the Commissioner’s office, just south of the Courthouse
on Broadway in Downtown Greenville. Let us know what you think,
and what you want to see happen. Hope to see you there!!
The Darke County Commissioners
|
|
|
|
