By Aimee Hancock
TROY — The Board of Miami County Commissioners has announced the board will be sponsoring a Friday concert series on the historic courthouse plaza, at 215 W. Main St., from May 7 through the end of September.
These concerts will be held during the day, beginning at 11:45 a.m. and finishing by 1 p.m. Each Friday event will be free and open to the public.
“We are planning on highlighting local musicians as well as younger talent through band and orchestra programs at local schools,” Commissioner Wade Westfall said. “This is a unique opportunity for our residents to enjoy free entertainment at one of the most iconic buildings here in the county. We certainly hope folks come out and enjoy the free music, the plaza, the entire environment.”
According to Board President Greg Simmons, no taxpayer money will be used to fund the concerts.
“This series is being underwritten by private donors,” he said. “We thank them for their support of this activity and hopefully we can grow this series next year.”
“We are excited to use the plaza in this new way,” Commissioner Ted Mercer added. “Last year, we completed this project and we are looking forward to using this renovated space for more events like this in the future.”
For more information about the concert series, contact the Commissioners’ Office at (937) 440-5910.
During Tuesday morning’s regular meeting of commissioners:
• A bid opening was held for the Range Line Road Bridge No. 6.75 four-sided pre-cast concrete box culvert, at the request of the sanitary engineering department. One bid was received from Lindsay Precast Inc., of Fulton, for $89,504. According to County Engineer Paul Huelskamp, the budget for the project is $90,000.
• Commissioners authorized the purchase of the Easy Ride tablet signatures features from GNV Syncromatics, of Los Angeles, to be utilized with the current bus tablets. This feature will allow all current paper signatures, which are needed for auditing purposed for Job and Family Services, to be captured electronically. The capital cost for the software configuration for the feature is a one-time fee of $1,500. The pro-rated 8-month software maintenance fee is $333 for the remainder of 2021, and will then be $500 per year thereafter.
• Commissioners authorized the Miami County Sheriff’s Office to submit a grant application to the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)/Impaired Driving Enforcement Program (IDEP). The grant request total is $72,312.84. This grant funding would provide for overtime and benefits for deputies working certain time periods on various county roads and state route throughout Miami County, with most of the time periods coinciding with holidays when there is usually an increase in traffic, crashes and alcohol consumption. The purpose of the extra patrol is to deter poor driving habits, which result in crashes, remove impaired drivers, and strictly enforce Ohio’s seat belt statutes. According to Sheriff Dave Duchak, the sheriff’s office has received this grant for the past 15 years.
• Commissioners authorized a change order to the agreement with Brumbaugh Construction Inc. for the Knoop Road Bridge No. 00.18 project for a decrease in the amount of $2,724.20, with the total contract now being $567,758.80. This decrease is due to a change in quantities and materials for the project.
• Commissioners authorized a 30-day extension to the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) Policy in the Commissioners Personnel Policy Manual through May 31, 2021. This policy was adopted Jan. 7 of this year and currently expires April 30.
