|
|
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
Combating drugs,
wrapping up fiscal year
September is coming to a close, football season is in full swing, some
of the crops in the county are coming off the fields, and cool, crisp
days are here. The unmistakable signs of fall are here.
Fall is one of the best times is Darke County. Cooler days and
nights make things like yard work, or any work outside much more
tolerable. Darke County is also one of the prettiest places to be
this time of year. The trees turning colors around the county
make for a very pretty picture, so enjoy it, even though it means
colder weather is approaching.
Things have been fairly active in the Commissioner’s office this
month. We have had numerous meetings with county personnel and
others getting ready for the end of the fiscal year. We had a
very productive and informative meeting with the Sheriff’s office and
others involved in criminal justice this month. Suggestions on
how to combat the drug problem in the county were discussed, along with
additional funding. The funding part will have to wait until
later when appropriations take place because as of now, we really only
have a faint idea as to how the county’s finances will be. Other
meetings have involved renewing contracts, grant applications, property
discussions, and maintenance issues. The County has a myriad of
work planned this fall for several of our buildings. The old
Visitation house on Fifth Street has been painted, and looks much
better. We painted it to conform to the way the building looked
years ago, and to blend in better with downtown Greenville. Also
getting some attention is the ditch maintenance Quonset hut which has
needed painted for a while. The Control Terminal at the Darke County
Airport is receiving some much needed new paint inside to the walls and
the ceilings. We are also looking at modernizing some other
things at the airport to make a better impression on those who fly in
from other States, or counties. We are also looking at
trimming some trees at the Garst Avenue Complex, and doing some
concrete work at the Plaza on Wagner Avenue. In the
Commissioner’s office, some new shelving is being added in two of our
closets which will help in providing more space for storage. We
are required to keep so much paperwork that it is becoming harder and
harder to find storage space. Fortunately, some of the paperwork
can be scanned and then destroyed which will take up less space.
Our department heads are working constantly to get old documents
scanned, so in the future, we may have more space. Cindy Pike,
our County Clerk, has a lot of things to scan and she is working on
those documents, along with the Sheriff’s office and the Auditor’s
office. Speaking of the Auditor’s office, the new Pictometry
service is now operational. Pictometry gives a 4 sided view of
all property in Darke County taken from an aerial viewpoint. This will
help the Auditor to scan properties more quickly and will help our law
enforcement and other emergency personnel. Fire Fighters for
example can pull up a picture of the house that is on fire on their
laptops on the way to the scene of the fire and will know if there is a
garage or other buildings close, or propane or gas tank locations, or
the best way to approach the fire, and where to set up their
equipment. Thanks to Carol Ginn for adding this service to her
office, and for the added benefit to others.
The Economic Development office continues to advance with projects and
workforce development. The newest addition to the staff, Lisa
Wendel, is working very hard on coordinating workforce issues with
companies, schools, and Jobs and Family Services. The office also
has several projects in the works, and although this is very good news,
this puts more strain on the workforce we have available. Our
workforce program is moving along very well, but we need to keep
improving and expanding the effort for the future. As Darke
County continues its growth, we must continue to provide our companies
with qualified workers, and we will. When you see Lisa, thank her
for her efforts, and welcome her to her new job.
As we move forward, new ideas, and questions, are always
welcomed. Everyone is invited to come to a Commissioner’s meeting
and give us your thoughts to help us make better decisions. We
meet publicly every Monday and Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the
Commissioner’s office located south of the Courthouse in downtown
Greenville at 520 South Broadway. Hope to see you soon at one of
our meetings!
The Darke County Commissioners
|
|
|
|
