By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The Darke County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday to host a public hearing. Commissioners Matt Aultman, Mike Stegall, and Larry Holmes were present.

The public hearing took place during their Regular Session, and it was in regards to the Community Housing Impact and Preservation for the Lead Abatement Program (CHIP-LAP). Head of the grant department, Susan Laux, took the floor to give an overview of the program, how it would be funded, and what is all needed. She stated this public meeting was an opportunity to let everyone knows this program exists.

“Basically this public hearing is being held in relationship to the partnering with the Ohio Department of Development and the Ohio Department of Health,” Laux said.

She said they have decided to leverage funds together for the Lead Abatement Program in the state of Ohio. With the CHIP program XRF Analyzer that they can take to a house and shoot fluorescent lights that will download the amount of lead in the paint digitally.

“These things cost anywhere from $16,000 to $23,000, so we are in the process of getting quotes. This is something the state wants to see in the hands of everyone using the CHIP program,” Laux said.

The second application is to apply for funds up to $30,000 per housing unit for all lead hazard control work. It will cover the dust wipes, lead specifications that have to be written, and it can be $30,000 per property.

“We will probably be applying for around $50,000 to use between the six to eight rehabs and eight to 10 repairs we will be doing in our 2022 program,” Laux said.

Applications are due by Oct. 12.

Concluding the Regular Agenda Session, Commissioner Aultman spoke about the airport funding stating the funding is no longer how they originally thought was planned.

“We had a meeting with CMT last week on where we’re at on some projects, and I do have a correction to make,” Aultman said. “We were informed from ODOT Aviation that they’re not going to put in their five percent for our terminal.”

Altman said they said they are going to reserve that money for other projects instead of the moving of the terminal building. He said when he was sharing numbers, he included it as part of his numbers, totaling over $60,000, that they would have provided to the project.

“That will be a county responsibility at this point unless we can find some additional funding. We have some fall meetings coming up, so we could maybe make an ask at that time,” Aultman said.

He said the money ODOT is withholding may be used in future projects, but they are not certain at this time.

“I will eat crow on that fact because when I was doing my figures I was including that in and then Ohio Aviation, ODOT Aviation, backtracked and said we’re not going to support at this time, but we support all of your other projects,” Aultman said.

Stegall spoke up and said on a positive note, the airport manager was in that morning asking for more fuel because they are down to their last gallons after the weekend.

“We are selling a bunch of fuel up there, and we are very happy about that,” Stegall said.

The Darke County Board of Commissioners meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at their office located at 520 S. Broadway Street in Greenville. To contact the office, call 937-547-7370.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].