Holmes County ready to move on key roadway survey

The Holmes County commissioners met recently at the Old Jail in Millersburg, where they passed several resolutions that should benefit the county in the future.

With the acceptance of Resolution #03-14-22-2, Mastermind LLC will conduct a sign and inventory study for the county. According to Chris Young, Holmes County engineer, the study will include an inventory of all the county’s roadway signs: inspection of each sign and proper height and placement, route inventory including recording all street and roadway names, and control point inventory on bridges, intersections and railroad crossings.

According to Young, Mastermind will provide the county with SignMaster sign-management software that will help the county keep track of its inventory, allowing it to adjust and make corrections when necessary.

The commissioners accepted Agreement NO. 1 — CAS CEAO Safety Studies for the year 2022 to allow the county to purchase the contract with MasterMind LLC at a cost of $25,500. Young said the county has secured grants to pay for the project.

In other county news, the commissioners accepted a resolution on the sewer agreement between the county and Bunker Hill Market LLC.

The agreement will allow the county to run Berlin water and sewer from its existing stopping point at Grace Church up to Bunker Hill at the intersection of County Road 77 and state Route 62.

According to the commissioners, Bunker Hill Market owner Abe Miller will pay for the cost of the additional water and sewer work. The addition also will open the possibility of extending the system north, west and east from Bunker Hill for those businesses and homeowners that would want to hook on.

“We’ve done a lot of this in Holmes County,” commissioner Joe Miller said. “We don’t have the money because we don’t use taxpayer money to run lines, so if people are close by, they have the right to run the line there and hook up to the system.”

The county also accepted a bid award from V.O. Menuez & Sons Inc. for a bridge-replacement project on County Road 19 near Clark in Mechanic Township. The project will straighten out a dangerous bridge location and improve the flow of water along the stream the bridge spans.

“It’s partially funded with grant funds,” Young said.

The bid submitted by V.O. Menuez & Sons Inc. was in the amount of $1,119,492.93.

The commissioners also accepted the appointment of the new members appointed to the Holmes County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Those members included John Schlabach, fire chief with East Holmes Fire & EMS District; Kyle Yoder, fire chief at Holmes Fire District #1; Matthew Shaner, police chief with the Village of Millersburg; Richard Haun, chief deputy with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Department; Raymond Eyler, Holmes County commissioner; Jason Troyer, director of Holmes County EMA; Don Jones, chief compliance officer with Pomerene Hospital;

Michael Derr, Holmes County health commissioner; Jennifer Talkington, deputy health commissioner with the Holmes County Health Department; Sarah Burkholder, environmental services director for Holmes County Health Department; Josh Galbraith of the Holmes County Engineer’s Office; Dave Mast, journalist and media member from AloNovus Inc.; and Chad Dial, assistant fire chief at Western Holmes Fire District.

Commissioner Miller commended the work of both Susan Schie, Holmes County commissioner clerk, and Misty Burns, Holmes County director of human resources, for their ongoing efforts creating a lease for the expected Holmes County Health Department building.

“Susan has been doing a great job with putting the lease between the county and the health department for the health department building,” Miller said. “So has Misty, who will be the new chairperson at the health department. She will be signing the lease.”

He said once that lease is completed and signed, the land title will be transferred into the county’s name. The hope is the new building on Glen Drive in Millersburg will be completed this year.