Monday, February 27, 2017

COMMISSIONER’S CORNER

February has passed by very quickly, and with weather comparative to what we have in March; some nice days, some rain, some snow. Well, after all, this is the Great Miami Valley, and if you don’t like the weather now, just wait 5 minutes and it will change!

The year has started out pretty well for the county. We continue to move forward on some projects, and hopefully we can tell you what is coming in the future as far as new endeavors. Right now, we can say that the move of the four County offices, the Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, and Engineer is moving forward. Final plans are being completed and the move will hopefully be completed sometime this summer.

This will be much more efficient for the people that they serve. This will put all of the offices on one floor, it will be handicapped accessible, and will have adequate parking. This was the intended use of the Wagner Avenue Government Center (WAGC) when it was purchased. Very soon we will have some news about use for the Aarons side of the plaza. Negotiations are ongoing on that. In other county news, the new Sheriff’s cars should be arriving soon. This has been a planned purchase for the last several years, and we hope to continue this yearly purchase. We have been buying three new cars a year at State pricing, and we now have 15 relatively new vehicles. This rotating purchase has saved us quite a bit of money on vehicle maintenance and the newer vehicles are more fuel efficient. Once we get our old fleet replaced fully, we can then start rotating the older cars out with newer ones, thus saving money on vehicle maintenance and fuel. It has been working very well, and should continue in the future.

Matt Aultman, Darke County’s newest Commissioner, has settled in very nicely in his new position. Matt learns quickly, and he has adapted very quickly to his new environment. Matt has a good knowledge of the job, makes well thought out decisions, and has a good sense of humor! We have named ourselves the 3M Company for Big Mike, Little Mike, and Not Mike! If you see Matt on the street, please welcome him into his new position, he is very easy to talk to!

The Darke County Airport got a small facelift with the removal of some dead and dying trees around the terminal. Thanks to the Ditch Maintenance Dept. for a job well done. It looks much cleaner around the terminal now. The Airport also has several events planned for this year, and as soon as the dates are set, we will let you know. The County Engineer has started his work on the widening of Chase Rd., a project that has been on the Commissioner’s plate since the late 1990’s. This much needed improvement will certainly make the road safer for all traffic on the road. The project completion date is sometime this summer. As for the Airport, David Spillers, the longtime Manager of the Airport has decided to retire. Dave has worked there even before he became a county employee, he will be missed by everyone who has used the airport over the years. He, and his family have been fixtures at the Airport for over 50 years, and that kind of experience is hard to replace, so we are starting the search for a new Manager or Fixed Base Operator (FBO) as soon as possible.

Dave’s last day will be March 31st of this year. If you see Dave, be sure to thank him for his dedicated service to the people of Darke County! He will be missed.

Things are running fairly smooth in the County, and if you would like to know what is going on you can catch our website, mydarkecounty.com, or our Facebook page Darke County Ohio.

You are always welcome to attend one of our public meetings held every Monday and Wednesday at 1:30 in the Commissioner’s Office located at 520 S. Broadway in Greenville, just South of the Courthouse. Our goal is to keep the public informed of what is happening in the County, so stop in sometime and check out a meeting. Hope to see you there!!

The Darke County Commissioners

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