|
Commissioners Corner
Parades,
festivals and the Great Darke County Fair
July celebrations
have come and gone, the parade season is
winding down, and families are completing their vacation time. It won’t be long before
football season is
here, and of course, the Great Darke County Fair heralds the end of
summer. Let’s enjoy
what’s left of the
good weather while we can.
July has been a
very busy month for the Commissioners.
We have had all of the 4th of July
parades to
attend, and it seemed like everyone had a good time, including the
Commissioners. The
4th is always a
particularly hectic day with 2 parades scheduled, Ansonia and New
Madison. Both
parades were well attended and we would
like to thank the good people of both communities for inviting us. It is our pleasure to
attend all parades and
festivals, as it gives us and you, the people, a chance to communicate
with
us. Thank you for
allowing us to take
part. Of Course,
July also means the
Annie Oakley Festival, and the Gathering at Garst the last weekend of
the
month. These events
are always well
attended, and a lot of folks attend the parades and shops downtown. KitchenAid in downtown
Greenville is always a
treat to watch from our office. The
amount of people that go through that store on Annie Oakley/ Gathering
at Garst
weekend is fun to see. Congratulations
to Whirlpool on the complete success this store has been.
Parades and
Festivals have been just a part of the month for
us. We are still
working on several
projects that are of importance to the County.
We are still working on the airport
project with the F.A.A., and we are
in the process of doing a lot of work on County property. This month we awarded
painting contracts to 2
different County companies. One
contract
was awarded to Longfellow painting for the painting of the maintenance
shed at
Darke County Ditch Maintenance on Front Street for $4,350.00. The other
was
awarded to Gower Painting for the painting of the Visitation House on
5th
street behind Wayne Theatre for $4,860.00.
Both of these projects should add years
to the life of these
buildings. We are
also looking at some
work at the Sheriff’s Office, and the Plaza on Wagner Avenue. We are
also
looking at some tree work to be done out at the Garst Avenue Facility. All of this is being done
to extend the life
of these public buildings, and to present a good face to visitors to
these
places. One
personnel move of importance
was the resignation of Rich Shafer from Ditch Maintenance, and the
hiring of
Jeff McMiller to replace him. Rich
is
still a valued County employee as he went to work for the County garage. Rich did a good, and
important, job at Ditch
Maintenance, and his replacement has big shoes to fill.
Jeff is a good, hard worker and we think
his
personality will be perfect for the job.
Jeff has already started to put his
stamp on the Ditch Maintenance job,
and we look forward to working with him for years to come. Congratulations
to both men on their new
endeavors.
Economically, we
continue to pursue growth and
expansion. We would
like to welcome Cast
Metal Technologies to the Darke County family.
Cast Metal took over the old Non-Ferrous
Plant in Union City when they
moved here from Yorktown, Indiana.
We
would also like to welcome the new Wayne Healthcare Cancer Unit to
Darke
County. This facility will allow our citizens to stay in County for
vital
cancer treatment, instead of traveling to Dayton or further. Wayne Healthcare’s
continued expansion will
make this facility one of the leading health and well being hospitals
in the
region. This is an
outstanding addition
for the Counties well being. Welcome
to
these two new additions to the County!
Our other major manufacturers, and some
smaller ones too, continue to
look towards expansion. We
hope to
announce more soon, but to keep in touch, “Like” Darke County Ohio
Economic
Development on Facebook, or just Google Darke County Ohio Economic
Development. Marc
Saluk and Melanie Nealeigh will keep the
residents updated on the latest in economic news on these sites. By
keeping in
touch on these sites, the public can see where we are headed, and keep
informed
on the latest in job creation and retention in Darke County. Darke
County has
been on the move the last several years, and it is a pleasure for those
of us
involved to share the good news, and keep you informed of our progress. Our Workforce
Development efforts continue
to grow with the help of our Manufacturers, Schools, Judges, and the
continued help
of Jobs and Family Services. This
is a
meaningful alliance of all involved, and we are starting to see this
program
bear some fruit. We will continue to work in this area for years to
come, as
this is a key in maintaining industry in our County.
The entire region is working on securing
workers for the future, and our association with the Western Ohio
Economic
Development Association is a vital tool in this endeavor. We have all taken this
regional “one for all,
all for one” approach because we have realized that there are no
borders here,
and our people can go work anywhere in the region, and that helps all
of
us. This also
eliminates some of the
competition between Counties for employers, allowing all of us to give
the best
deal to the company, and for the County.
All three Commissioners, along with E.D.
Director Marc Saluk were
privileged to attend the “Meet and Greet” for the new Randolph County
E. D.
Director, Bruce Hosier. The
meeting took
place in Winchester, and was attended by several area business people
from
Indiana, and one of the Randolph County Commissioners, Mike Wickersham. Congratulations to the
former Portland,
Indiana Mayor and good luck in your new job.
We look forward to working with you!
Summer is almost
gone, but there is still plenty to do.
Why not come to a Commissioner’s
meeting? We meet
Monday and Wednesday at
1:30 p.m. in the Administration Building located in Greenville at 520
S.
Broadway, just south of the Courthouse.
Hope to see you there!
The Darke County
Commissioners
|
