Commissioners approve CDBG application for Senior Center; award Highco bid

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades made two approvals for Community Development Block Grant projects during their Wednesday, May 13 meeting.

Following an application review with CDBG coordinator Mary Remsing, commissioners voted to “authorize and direct the president of the County Board of Commissioners to submit an application for CDBG funding to the Ohio Department of Development” for funding for the Highland County Senior Center.
 
“This grant is very important to the county throughout the years,” Britton said. “The Community Development Block Grant has done all kinds of projects for us in Highland County.”

The Highland County Senior Center was the lone applicant for funding, according to Remsing. Along with the grant funding, the organization is contributing over $31,000 toward an extensive list of “essential safety upgrades.

“They're looking to do their main parking lot, lighting for that parking lot and the sidewalk, a camera access control system and new parking lot safety cables,” Remsing said. “Their HVAC unit, I think, is at the end of its life, and they would like to see about replacing that.”

Remsing added that the list also includes a new phone system with a paging system throughout the building, as well as a portable AED unit.  

“From CDBG funding, we have $182,400, and the estimate for the total project came in at $213,844,” Remsing said. “The Senior Citizens Center is paying the $19,000 for the engineering, and then they are going to make up the difference, so they will put in toward the project a total of $31,444.”

Remsing added that the Senior Center’s building has been in use “since the 1950s,” as the Senior Center has been in the building since 1975. Prior to 1975, Britton pointed out that the building was a former home of Hillsboro’s Kroger store.

“I think it's important to be able to support those citizens in our county that utilize it,” Remsing said. “They service a lot, they hold a lot of events, and I think it's a good service they provide for our residents.”

For an unrelated project, commissioners voted 3-0, via resolution, to award the Community Development Block Grant, Program Year 2024, to Dance Excavating LLC in the amount of $108,500 for the new courtyard for Highco, Inc.

As previously reported, commissioners voted last May to submit an application from Highco for Community Development Block Grant funding. The proposal is for an outdoor space for an autism center courtyard, with swings and other equipment, according to Remsing. 

The county held three different bid openings for the project before awarding the project Wednesday to the lone bidder of the third attempt. 

“Highco has agreed to bridge the gap between the amount of funding that we have, that we were awarded, and the $108,500 of the estimate,” Remsing said. “They're going to put forth $5,600 toward the project.”

In other discussion:

• Highland County EMA Director David Bushelman provided updated quotes and information on implementing AEDs in county buildings, as commissioners have begun reconsidering the idea in recent weeks.

Commissioners had placed the matter “on hold” in June 2025, after discussing a proposal to purchase 19 AEDs for nearly a year. Since then, the sheriff’s office has acquired AEDs for their office, so Bushelman said his updated recommendation is for 14 AEDs in county-owned buildings.

Bushelman said the county’s options are to purchase and maintain the AEDs internally, at a cost of $1,999 per AED and $75 per cabinet; an option for the same purchase with an additional $700 per month maintenance agreement with Cintas; or a 36-month lease agreement with Cintas, at a cost of $120 per AED, per month ($1,680 per month altogether) for three years, which includes all maintenance and replacement of materials, such as batteries or pads, as needed.

Roades asked if Bushelman could do the required monthly inspection of the AEDs.

“I can, or somebody from each building can do it,” Bushelman said. “It’s just like fire extinguishers. You’ve got to initial the check sheet.”

In response to a question from Daniels, Bushelman said that “if the batteries are good,” the county would not necessarily need to replace the equipment after three years if they decide to purchase instead of lease. 

Britton thanked Bushelman for the updated quotes and said they would review the costs and possibly have a decision made by their next meeting.

• Commissioners asked county human resources director Amy Bradley to look into a generative AI policy, at the recommendation of Highland County Health Commissioner Jared Warner.

Roades said that Warner had contacted commissioners to see if a policy was already in place. Bradley said there are some references to AI in the county’s existing manual, while Highland County Sheriff Randy Sanders said that the HCSO has a specific policy in place in conjunction with CORSA (County Risk-Sharing Authority) and Lexipol.

Daniels asked Bradley to “take a look at what CORSA’s got and what we’ve got and see where we may be deficient and put together a list of recommendations” for review.

“This is such a new topic that it probably will change monthly,” Roades added. 

• Janet Grothe and Taylor Calder of solar developer Innergex met with commissioners for an update on the 200 MW Palomino Solar project, which is under construction in Dodson and Union Townships in Highland County. Innergex is also the developer of the Hillcrest Solar farm in Brown County.

“With spring coming, our project is starting to ramp up, and our onsite work has increased,” Grothe said. “At the end of April, we had 200 people on site, and that number is going to continue to increase as our work increase. We just started delivery of the panels to the site, so we're expecting 17 delivery trucks a day of the solar panels, or modules, as we call them, from now through July, Monday through Friday. 

“We’ll continue to work with the schools to ensure that we're not impacting or interfering with the bus routes, and we continue to use only the roads that are approved in our road use and maintenance agreement [RUMA], and we're working with the engineer to identify and mitigate any damages or deficiencies in the road.”

Commissioners said they have received several calls with concerns regarding the increased traffic, with Highland County Engineer Chris Fauber scheduled to meet with developers to review the RUMA again, while county ARPA funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht said they have also received a noise complaint.

“We actually put out a route and instructions for the drivers, and we made some of the streets one way only because we want to make it as easy as possible for the neighbors and others to go,” Grothe said. “We’re working as hard as we can, and we continue to try to be a good neighbor, and we know it can be trying.”

Calder also updated commissioners on recent and upcoming community engagement projects, including a food drive by project’s contractor, Blattner, to benefit the Because He Lives food pantry in Lynchburg. Innergex sponsored T-shirts for the county envirothon competition and will be donating food and prizes for Lynchburg-Clay’s back-to-school celebration, Calder said.

• Daniels announced that the RPHF Solid Waste District has contacted their office about two upcoming Eco Artists Summer Program Series events for children 12 and under in Hillsboro. 

The events will be held June 17 from 10-11 a.m. at Liberty Park and July 29 from 10-11 a.m. at Rotary Park. Each program will consist of story time, crafts and a snack, according to the email from Lauren Shreve.

“These are programs that are geared toward children, to talk about ecology and recycling and all those things that the solid waste management district does,” Daniels said.

• Roades said that Tonya Sturgill has notified commissioners that her tenure on the Paint Valley ADAMH board is set to expire. Britton encouraged anyone interested in serving on the board to contact the commissioners’ office. 

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

• A contract change order in the amount of $159,211.29 for Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant’s phase II improvements. According to Oberrecht, the county will be using funding already committed to the project for additional repairs.

“We've earmarked 200,000 of our funding,” Oberrecht said. “We've already had some additional change orders that have happened with phase two, so those, combined with this $160 [thousand], will get us pretty close to the $200,000.

“We're also obviously giving them additional days as well, but they're very aware that we have to have this money spent by the end of the year. Today, I'm headed out for a progress meeting out there. I think they're pretty much the tail end of what the original scope of phase two was, so this will be a seamless transition into these additional projects.” 

• A purchased service contract among Highland County Commissioners, Highland County Department of Job and Family Services and Highland County Community Action Organization, Inc. for the OWF-SNAP Job Club. According to Highland County JFS deputy director Gene Myers, this is a “continuation” of an existing contract with “some added information” to comply with federal “work requirements for SNAP and OWF.”

• A contract among Highland County Commissioners, the Highland County Airport Authority and the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation for the the fiscal year 2026 Ohio Airport Improvement Program/ODOT project for a Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) at the airport. According to Daniels, “the total project cost is $205,043, and the county share is $10,252.”

• A contract among the Highland County Board of Commissioners, Juvenile Court and Ohio Department of Youth Services Subsidy Grant for a Juvenile Court funding application update.

• An intergovernmental jail housing agreement contract among the Highland County Board of Commissioners, Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Board of Commissioners and Adams County Sheriff. 

• A feedback agreement contract with Midmark, whom Remsing said is testing new materials in eight kennels at the dog pound “at no charge” unless the county decides to purchase them.

• A $56,709.70 pay application for Unger Construction LTD for ongoing Rolling Acres Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund, Commissioners, Motor Vehicles in the amount of $5,000.

• A request from the Board of Elections for a budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund, Board of Elections in the amount of $7,088.63.

• A resolution to grant authorization for listed “then and now” purchase orders and authorizing the county auditor to issue warrants for their payment.

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