Sorry this is a little late this month, we have had a busy month so far, and to be honest….I just forgot! Hopefully, it won’t happen again, but there are no promises.
February came in like a typical month with a mixed bag of weather and surprises. The weather we could do nothing about, but the surprise of the month was something we in the Commissioner’s office have been working on and aware of for almost 2 years; the arrival of CareFlight to Darke County. Along with our partners at Midmark, and with Premier Health, we have finally put a medical helicopter in Darke County. This should provide a much quicker response time for medical transportation when needed, especially in the northern part of the county. Midmark has been gracious enough to work with us, and Premier to put the helicopter in their existing hangar, along with their jet aircraft. We want to thank all involved for working as a team to make this service available to the people of Darke County.
Midmark announced another expansion in February to go along with their current one. Along with this expansion, and the anticipated increase in jobs, new housing in Versailles is moving along nicely. We have numerous small villages having projects started, housing and others, and along with the CDBG money we will receive this year, we hope to be able to fund some more for our villages.
The other big news for the month was we finally got all our equipment in for the new security entrance for the courthouse.
With that being done, the sheriff personnel who will be doing the checks had a few trial runs with the equipment, everything checked out fine, and the elected officials have been informed how this is going to work. All visitors and employees of the courthouse will enter in the back security entrance, and will have bags and personal items checked by scanners before entrance will be allowed. As a reminder, if you carry a pocket knife, or if you conceal carry, make sure you leave it in your car or at home if visiting the courthouse. These items are no longer allowed in the courthouse. This will certainly enhance the security needed for all who enter the courthouse. Courthouse security is another project that we have been working on for a long time and have finally completed. It is amazing the different challenges one has when working in older buildings, trying to bring them up to current codes. Although time consuming, the enhanced security and readiness provided by the sheriff’s deputies will make all who enter feel more secure.
March is starting out as a busy month as we have already had several important meetings that concern the future of the county. We will keep you informed as much as possible, but if you want to know about most of what is happening in your county, why don’t you come to a regular meeting? We meet every Monday and Wednesday at 1:30 in the Commissioner’s office at 520 South Broadway in Greenville, just south of the courthouse. Hope to see you there!
