By Eamon Baird
TROY — The Miami County Transit Department is getting three new buses.
The Miami County Commissioners authorized the purchase of three 2025 Light Transit Vehicles (LTV) Ford/Forest River buses at their meeting on Thursday, June 13.
The buses will be purchased from Transportation Equipment Sales Corp., of Oregon, Ohio, through the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Competitive Purchasing Program. The total cost of the three buses is $361,533, which will be paid for through capital grant funds.
The commissioners also authorized Miami County Transit Director Sarah Baker to apply for the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program grant. Baker said the grant request will be $100,000 associated with operating expenses and $10,000 for equipment and software.
“This is going to be for the 2025 year. Our current buses that we just talked about we were approved for the 2024 year,” Baker said.
The commissioners also authorized Baker to proceed through internet auction of five Eldorado Aerotech buses to be sold through GovDeals. The five vans have all incurred over 200,000 miles and are in poor condition.
Baker said with the additions of the new vehicles the department will have 20 buses and one minivan.
In other business, the commissioners authorized to sign the third round of Miami County healthy aging grant agreements for $16,242.
The grants as recommended by the Miami County Department of Development in coordination with the Board of Trustees of the Miami County Continuum of Care Committee and executed under the terms of the state of Ohio Department of Aging (ODA), which said round two grants primarily focus on meeting the requirements for housing and food assistance, with the following organizations: Habitat for Humanity, $10,000 for housing assistance, Cheryl Berryhill, $3,742 for housing assistance, Covington Outreach Association, $2,500 for food assistance.
Dan Suerdieck, manager of planning and zoning with the department of development, said they hope to have one more round of grants this year. The deadline application for the fourth round of grants is Sunday, June 30.
The commissioners authorized of approved the following resolutions:
• To award the bid to Brumbaugh Construction Inc., of Arcanum, for the Tipp-Elizabeth Road bridge replacement project, at a projected cost of $122,588.
• To accept a Drinking Water Distribution Equipment Grant of $1,350 to be used for the Bethel Township Public Water System.
• To sign a payroll service agreement with NESCO Resource of Delaware, Ohio, as a provider of Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act (WIOA), as requested by the Department of Job and Family Services for $172,000, effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
• To appoint Katie Brandewie, to serve on the Child Abuse and Child Neglect Regional Prevention Council, with said term to expire Feb. 21, 2026.
• To re-appoint Sharon Brulport, to serve on the Child Abuse and Child Neglect Regional Prevention Council, with said term to expire Feb. 21, 2026.
• To accept a quote from MIRA Safety of Cedar Point, Texas, for the purchase of 58 tactical gas-masks for $15,820.26, and GALS of Lexington, Kentucky, for the purchase of 58 riot duty helmets for $5,885.67 for the Sheriff’s Office.
• At the end of the meeting the commissioners opened two bids for the asphalt concrete resurfacing program requested by the county engineer.
The commissioners announced city offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.
