Annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s discussed at commissioners meeting

Alzheimer’s Association Community Engagement Manager Veronica Amato outlined plans for the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s this fall, and encouraged members of the community to play an active role in the planning process, during Highland County commissioners’ Wednesday, March 27 meeting.

This year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Hillsboro is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, beginning at the Highland County YMCA and continuing through Liberty Park. Registration can be completed online at alz.org/walk or by texting ALZWALK to 51555, or you may register onsite on the day of the event, according to Amato. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., followed by an opening and promise garden ceremony at 9:40 a.m. and then the walk beginning at 10 a.m.

Amato shared a “save the date” with commissioners for the event, which she said will “raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.” She said this is the third year for the event in Hillsboro and the second year at this location. 

Commission president David Daniels asked how many members of the community have participated in the walk in the past.

“Last year, we had just under 200,” Amato said. “I think it was about 173. The year before, they did it here around the courthouse, and I think it was just a lot of commotion with the farmers’ market and all that, so last year, we looked to move it. This year, I'm hoping to get more participation.”

Along with raising awareness about the event itself, Amato said she is working to establish a local walk planning committee.

“Each Walk has a committee, and currently this one doesn't have one preexisting,” Amato said. “We’re going to try to build back that walk committee from what it was.”

If anyone in the community would like to volunteer, there is a link on the alz.org/walk page to fill out a form, or you may contact Amato directly at (513) 342-6602 or vramato@alz.org.

Although the event is held in Hillsboro, Amato said that this local walk supports outreach efforts in surrounding counties as well.

“The Hillsboro Walk supports our education programs and our caregiver support groups in Adams, Clinton, Brown and Ross counties, including Highland, too,” she said.

The community is also welcome to participate in any of the other Greater Cincinnati walks, including Aug. 24 at Liberty Park in Batesville, Ind.; Sept. 14 at The Square at Union Centre in West Chester; Sept. 21 at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth; and Oct. 5 at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati.

According to their website, “The Alzheimer's Association of Greater Cincinnati began in 1979 as a family support group for caregivers, relatives and friends of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. It became affiliated with the national Alzheimer's Association in 1980 and was granted official chapter status in 1983. 

“The Greater Cincinnati Chapter serves a 37-county area in Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. It is estimated that there are nearly 55,000 individuals with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder within the Greater Cincinnati Chapter territory. That number is expected to nearly triple by the middle of this century.

“Chapter programs and services include a professionally staffed Helpline, a family support group network, educational programs for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, supportive counseling and care consultation services for families, educational programs for health care professionals, a multimedia reference library and a quarterly newsletter.

“In 2019, the Cincinnati Tri-State Walk to End Alzheimer's surpassed the $1 million mark for the fourth consecutive year and ranked No. 8 of all Walk to End Alzheimer's events in the nation.”

For more information, go to alz.org/cincinnati.

In other discussion:

• Daniels read a copy of commissioners’ proclamation in honor of Vietnam War Veterans Day, which he said will also be presented at the local observance, set for March 29 at noon at the Hillsboro Eagles.

The proclamation includes the names of 10 local soldiers killed during the Vietnam War: Pfc. David Lynn McConnaughey of Hillsboro; SPC4 Robert Charles Wing of Greenfield; 1Lt. Charles Robert Lovedahl of Lynchburg; Pfc. Mark Loren Hook of Hillsboro; Capt. Cary Francis McAfee of Hillsboro; Pfc. Neil Jay Morris of Greenfield; SPC4 John Raymond Crouse of Hillsboro; SFC William Ernest Brown of Hillsboro; A01 Ollie James Gross of Hillsboro; SPC4 Donald Wayne Priest Jr. of Leesburg; and Cpl. James Harold Waulk of Greenfield.

“We encourage our citizens to reflect on the service and sacrifice of all who served in the Vietnam War and to express their appreciation and gratitude to the veterans and their families now and for generations to come,” Daniels read from the proclamation.

• At 9:15 a.m., commissioners conducted a bid opening for various mowing and landscaping services at several county properties, including the Highland County Administration Building, the Highland County Courthouse, both the old and new dog pounds and the county parking lot. 

Prices for each location were submitted in bid packets by Gaines Property Management, A-1 Tree Care and Knoblauch Lawn Care. 

According to commission clerk Ashleigh Willey, after reviewing the packets, commissioners voted to award the bid to the low bidder, Knoblauch Lawn Care. 

• In unrelated bids, commissioners reviewed and accepted a bid for parking lot sealcoating and striping at the county’s lot on Beech Street, the Hi-TEC building and the Highland County Justice Center.

Commissioners approved the low bid, submitted by Howland Asphalt in the amount of $19,974. 

“Other bids ranged up to $57,946,” Daniels said. 

• Commissioners approved a contract with DBT Transportation Services and the Highland County Airport for 
aviation support and maintenance services. According to Daniels, “this is a new company, but kind of an extension of an existing services provider.

“What they do is they provide monitoring for the AWOS [Automated Weather Observation System] system out at the airport,” Daniels said. “This is a new contract, but we have had contracts with different providers before. There was an upgrade to the AWOS system, and the old contractor could not do the monitoring.”

• Commissioners also voted 3-0 to approve the execution of three separate general partnerships agreements between the county’s Economic Development Department, with the City of Hillsboro, Village of Leesburg and Highland County Chamber of Commerce, respectively.

“Every year, we renew our economic development partnership agreements with these communities and the Chamber,” Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender said.

• Two resolutions were approved: a transfer from County, Transfers Out, to EMA 2780 in the amount of $30,000 for per capita match; and a resolution to approve a county credit card policy and attached spreadsheet containing authorized credit card users to replace any previous policy adopted by the Highland County Commissioners.

“This is the a result of state law that was passed last year that requires a credit card policy, and I guess a list, of those people that are authorized to use county credit cards,” Daniels said.

• Highland County Auditor Alex Butler reported that the county is preparing “to distribute the first-half tax settlement money.

“We’re looking to do that by the end of the week, so we will be pushing out that revenue to the many political subdivisions in Highland County,” he said.

• After their regular meeting, commissioners held a work session with Bolender and ARPA funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht to review various “funding opportunities” and their deadlines.

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