By Aimee Hancock
TROY — Miami County Commissioners heard a COVID-19 update from Emergency Management Agency Director Joel Smith on Tuesday.
According to Smith, Ohio is currently 38th in the state for infection rates, down from 40 last week. Miami County currently has a positivity rate of 18.8%, and the state of Ohio has a rate of 12.1%. In total, there has been a total of 14,632 cases in the county since the pandemic began, which includes 569 cases reported since last Tuesday, with 1,179 active cases currently.
As for hospitalizations, the county has seen 809 total since the pandemic began, with 31 over the past week. Miami County has seen 271 deaths caused by COVID-19, including 10 reported within the last week, Smith said.
In schools throughout the county, as of the end of last week, 110 students and 16 staff at 11 different districts were reported with COVID-19. The previous week’s reported cases included 132 students and 15 staff. The total reported cases for the school year thus far includes 521 students and 62 staff.
According to Smith, during the entire 2020-2021 school year, Miami County schools saw a total of 731 reported student cases.
“We’re closely approaching the number of students already this year that had it last year,” he said.
In the county, 44.4% of residents have started a vaccination series, with 41% being completely vaccinated.
For more information, visit www.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Also on Tuesday, the commissioners voted in approval to do the following:
• To award a bid and contract to Durst Brothers Excavating Inc., of Tipp City, and issue notice to proceed for the Ziegler Road Bridge replacement project in the amount of $272,437.81.
• To authorize a contract for LexisNexis Digital Library e-books (through Consortium of Ohio County Law Libraries), an online digital library platform, including a free Library World link to the Miami County website, as requested by the Miami County Law Director. This is a free service provided by LexisNexis through the COCLL beginning Jan. 1, 2022, with a three-year contract.
• To approve the recorder’s proposal to collect and pay into a fund for equipment needs. This could be $4 from every document received or filed in 2022 and will be placed in the county treasury and credited to the Recorders’ Technology Fund to be used to provide for continued service, maintenance, and support of the recorder’s land records software and equipment in the recorder’s office and Microfilm Department and future technology needs of the recorder’s office.
• To accept a quote from Final Cleaning Services, in the amount not to exceed $2,150 per month, authorizing said company to furnish all labor and cleaning supplies to clean the offices/restrooms outside of standard business hours.
• To accept a quote from Bruns General Contracting, of Tipp City, authorizing the company to remove the existing transfer station asphalt exit drive and install new Class-C concrete. The current exit drive has deteriorated over time from high traffic volumes. The cost is not to exceed $18,483.
• To accept a quote from Fincel Door Company, of Piqua, authorizing said company to install five new overhead garage doors and associated hardware, five overhead trolleys and 14 remotes, at a cost not to exceed $19,146, as requested by the Sanitary Engineering Department. The department’s garage was constructed in 1998 and all five doors have met the end of their usual life and are in need of replacement.
• To accept a number of waterline easements for the construction of the South County Road 25A waterline loop project.
• To set date of Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 9:20 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room to hear request for a change in zoning for Jill Smedley, of Union Township.
• To close all county offices falling under the jurisdiction of the commissioners on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, except those required to remain open to assure public safety, in honor of employees and their families during the Thanksgiving holiday.
