Commissioners hear reports from FRS Transportation, Chamber of Commerce, RISE director

Representatives from FRS Transportation, the Highland County Chamber of Commerce and the Highland County RISE program were among the guests addressing Highland County commissioners Brad Roades, Terry Britton and David Daniels during their Wednesday, Sept. 10 meeting.

Damon Lucas, CEO of FRS Transportation, gave an update on plans for a new five-year transit development plan for the area (Highland, Adams and Brown counties), as he also said the company is facing a potential $300,000 shortfall due to federal cuts and is weighing options for changes to their services.

Lucas said that FRS has had a “15-percent funding cut this year on top of a 15-percent cut last year,” and “another anticipated cut possible next year.” The transit study has listed several recommendations on how they can address these cuts and “sustain the next five years.”

One idea is to put a cap on the current monthly passes, which is currently offered with $20, $30 and $35 options for unlimited rides.

“They recommended us going to more of a number of trips per pass, as opposed to an unlimited, which is what everybody else in the state’s really offering besides us,” Lucas said. “That will be changing, probably at the first of the year.”

A second recommendation is a new software program that will “offer microtransits” in the cities in the tri-county area, while other areas will be served “on demand.

“Microtransit would be like Uber-style running, so you’d have more same-day service inside the city limits,” Lucas said. “It helps move people throughout the cities.”

Other recommendations were related to marketing of their services and for maintenance of their vehicles at a central garage.

Also recommended was a change from their current hours (Monday through Friday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) to match other transit companies’ 7 a.m.-6 p.m. range. This, however, is “not an option,” according to Lucas.

“A lot of people who use our services are working second shift,” Lucas said. “That's not going to be an option for us. We're going to do whatever we can try to avoid that suggestion for as long as we can.”

Lucas also provided some statistics on FRS’s Highland County services, especially for those who use FRS to commute to and from work. Numbers shared included an average trip to work taking 28 minutes, with 417 clients served monthly for 8,400 trips totaling approximately 88,000 miles.

“The majority of them may not be able to get to work otherwise,” Lucas said. “It’s a huge benefit FRS has offered to Highland County for over five years now.”

For the public at large, FRS provided 54,000 trips in the last year for about 705,000 miles within the county, with 154,000 trips and 3 million miles outside of the county.

Expense statistics were also shared, with driver payroll being $1.1 million; administrative payroll being $940,000; 116 total employees; and overall expenses of $6.4 million.

“I think it's feasibly agreeable that we have a huge impact on the region that we work in,” Lucas said.

That brought Lucas to a sixth recommendation in their transit plan, which is to seek “match or local funding to help support transportation services we currently provide.” He told commissioners that he is meeting with local municipalities to begin these conversations.

“What we're looking at is the possibility of running out of ODOT funds in April next year, and then it won't renew again until July,” Lucas said. “Between the three counties, we're estimating a shortfall of about $300,000.”

Daniels asked Lucas to provide commissioners with a “total funding breakdown” specific to Highland County, which Lucas said “percentage-wise” has more users than the other two counties. Daniels said they would required a better idea of “what the true need is” before they made a decision, and Lucas said he could submit some data for them to review.

“It's not going to end FRS Transportation services,” Lucas said of the projected shortfall. “We're looking at hours changes and potential job loss and things like that, so that's things we try to avoid. We're bringing this to your guys’ attention.

"I can tell you, though, for this year, there won't be any changes if we run out of money in April. We have COVID funding still that we're planning on using for that. We're just trying to find local interest at this point to make sure we can sustain over the next five years. We can't sustain the $300,000 loss for the next five years.”

Roades thanked Lucas for the update and for all of his efforts at FRS Transportation.

In other discussion:

• Highland County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jamie Wheeler and Member Engagement Specialist Amber Dunseith, along with event chair Austin Trueblood, invited commissioners and the community to attend the second annual STEEL (Strengthening Together Experienced and Emerging Leaders) Conference, which will be held Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Southern State Community College’s Patriot Center.

Trueblood said that the idea for the conference, which debuted last fall with much success, came from a Chamber board meeting where they discussed “the generational gap, generational struggles in the workplace and the struggles in the workforce.”

The guest speaker this year is Mike O’Connell, “a pastor, speaker, coach and writer who is passionate about helping people unleash their God-given potential,” according to a press release from Wheeler. 

“[O’Connell] said something on the very first call that I had with him that has stuck with me,” Trueblood said. “He said, ‘The atmosphere that you permit affects the product that you produce,’ and it's something that over a year ago, I heard him say, and it's just really settled in that that's exactly what we're doing. 

“We can't just be complacent and complain that there's generational struggles and generational gaps in the workplace. We truly have to step outside and take responsibility and promote something for these guys to grow in, and the STEEL Conference is.”

Tickets for the event are $100 and can be purchased by visiting the Chamber office at 129 North High Street in Hillsboro, calling (937) 393-1111, or can be purchased online at www.thehighlandchamber.com with an additional fee. Trueblood said ticket sales are already “way above” last year among Chamber members, with general public ticket sales not even starting until Sept. 15.

Wheeler played a promotional video with testimonials from five individuals — Dave Higgins, Jason Iles, Tara Pendell, Aubrey Roberts and Emmy Woods — who participated in the 2024 conference. She also mentioned that along with keynote speaker O’Connell, there will be a panel of emerging (Abigail Atkinson, Addyston Knauff, Logan McIntosh) and experienced (Tirrell Cumberland, Dr. Nicole Roades, Kris Stoops) leaders speaking at the event.

“Having these local faces and that amount of knowledge on a panel is a daunting task, but it's going to be super fun to create a conversation to further Highland County,” Trueblood said.

Commissioners thanked the group for the update, with Roades adding that last year’s event was “very exciting” and “inspirational” and encouraging the community to attend.

“We invite everybody to take the opportunity to come, or if you can’t come, send someone else from your team,” Wheeler added. “It’ll pay forward.”

• Highland County RISE (Recovery and Intervention Support Enforcement) coordinator Taylor Avedisian and Highland County Sheriff’s Deputy and Task Force Investigator Chris Bowen provided an update on the RISE program. 

As previously reported, commissioners approved a proposal for the program in November 2023. The resolution was “agreeing to utilize OneOhio funding to employ a full-time substance abuse recovery coordinator, who will play a crucial role in supporting individuals struggling with substance abuse and addiction on their path to recovery.” 

As explained by Avedisian, her job is to “bridge the gap between law enforcement and the resources here in Highland County” for individuals suffering from addiction in order to help open up opportunities for treatment instead of incarceration.

“Sometimes our hands are tied in law enforcement, with you certain things you find, but we’re really trying to bridge the gap between resources here in the county,” Avedisian said. “I’m actually in the works with the health department now. We have a way to get a spike alert, so depending on how many overdoses we're getting, we’re working on an alert we can put out in the county.

“I've been passing out a lot of NARCAN. I know that a lot of other people are passing out NARCAN too, because what it boils down to is safety and getting people the proper help.”

That also includes providing NARCAN to law enforcement agencies for their distribution and to certain inmates upon discharge from the Justice Center, Avedisian added.

“We're also implementing where if you have a drug charge and you come into the jail, we're going to automatically put NARCAN in your belongings when you leave,” Avedisian said. 

The RISE program is still new to the county, as Avedisian was introduced at a November 2024 commission meeting. However, since then she said she has had “89 positive interactions,” 22 of whom were inmates at the Highland County Jail originally. Of those interactions, she said 15 people “actually agreed to go to treatment, and have actually stayed in treatment and are recovering now.”

Roades asked Avedisian to explain how she works with the Justice Center inmates, and she said that she gets called in to speak to those arrested on drug-related charges.

“I'll go back and talk to them pretty much immediately,” she said. “I get phone calls to come in and talk to them, see if they're interested in rehab, if they just need counseling, what the bottom line is of what is going on.

“I've had some positive interactions, and I've had people, as soon as they see me, they're like, ‘I don’t want anything you have to offer.’ I try to keep up with them and try to follow up.”

Both Avedisian and Creed Culbreath, collaboration director of REACH For Tomorrow, which facilitates the Highland County Quick Response Team (QRT), maintain contact with the individuals they meet and do “multiple followups,” including continuing to offer help and resources, she said.

“We don't just, ‘you go to rehab, we're done with you,’” Avedisian said. “We want to keep track of you. We want to keep talking to you. If there's anything else you need, or even if you just need someone to talk to, I tell the people that we interact, ‘call my phone. It’s open 24/7. I'll talk to you about whatever you want to talk about.’ 

“I’ve actually stayed connected and have had 248 interactions with people that had intake through RISE, so the numbers are getting up there.”

Avedisian also invited the community to attend an upcoming event modeled after Ross County’s Operation Bridge program, which hosts community outreach events that offer resources for individuals suffering from addiction. Highland County’s Operation Bridge event will be held Sept. 29-30 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Wharton Building at the Highland County Fairgrounds and will include booths from area providers such as “rehabilitation facilities, mental health, transportation” and other programs.

“We're going to be doing a lot of good things that day,” Avedisian said. “The plan is to have a couple guest speakers talk about their recovery.

“If you know of anybody who’d like to set up a booth as well, we would gladly take them.”

• After voting in August to tentatively approve a $275,000 real estate purchase in Hillsboro, commissioners officially voted via resolution to authorize the purchase. 

The agreement is to purchase 212 Hobart Drive, the site of the former Schwan’s facility in Hillsboro. Daniels told The Highland County Press last month that instead of constructing a new building, the hope is that the existing building on the property can serve as a “maintenance shed and office space” for the maintenance department. It could potentially serve as a site for recycling bins as well, Daniels said.

• Highland County Treasurer Vickie Warnock conducted an investment advisory committee meeting, sharing figures from the second quarter of 2025.

Totals as of the end of June as presented by Warnock included:

—STAR Ohio, $25,785.85 interest and 4.45-percent interest rate;

—STAR Plus, $8,597.90 interest and 3.02-percent interest rate;

—Fifth Third (CDs): $23,141.39 interest and 3.25-percent average interest rate;

—Checking account: $34,653.91 interest and 4.16-percent interest rate; and

—ICS account: $79,483.85 interest and 4.44-percent interest rate.

Overall, Warnock said the county collected $171,662.90 for June, with the annual interest as of the end of June being $1,122,015.49. She did not recommend any changes at this time.

• Innergex community and government relations representative Janet Grothe announced that the Palomino Solar project has “officially transitioned to construction,” with their contractor Blattner Energy “beginning onsite work this week.”

The planned 200 MW Palomino Solar project in Highland County will be located in Dodson and Union Townships. Innergex is also the developer of the Hillcrest Solar farm in Brown County.
 
“This week, our focus is going to be around the lay-down yard and the area east of Mad River Road near Mt. Olive Church of Christ,” Grothe said. “I just wanted to remind everybody that we've established a dedicated phone number for the project if anybody has any concerns or inquiries, and that number is (937) 820-0164. They can also email us at palomino@innergex.com.”

Commissioners also made the following approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A resolution to authorize the Highland County Engineer to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation Improvement Program(s) and to execute contracts as required.

• A request from the Engineer’s Office for a budget modification within the 2065 Repair MVL Fund in the amount of $80,000.

• A request from the Sheriff’s Office to declare listed items as no longer needed by the county and obsolete, ORC 307.12 (I). Therefore, the board declared the listed items to be surplus property and no longer needed by the county.

• A contract among commissioners, the Highland County Engineer and Miller-Mason Paving for HIG CR 5-E New Market Rd. & 5F Prospect Road reconstructing and resurfacing bid documents.

• A notice of intent for the Highland County land bank to be the lead entity designation for the state’s Building Demolition and Site Revitalization grant program.

• A pay application from Unger Construction LTD for the Rolling Acres Wastewater System repair/replacement. According to commission clerk and CDBG coordinator Mary Remsing, the county has requested, and received, an extension to April 30 to complete additional work with remaining funds. 

• A change order to reflect a price reduction for New Market Road reconstruction and resurfacing.

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