By Haylee Pence
TROY — The Miami County Commissioners, which meet regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, met to authorize agreements on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
They authorized a number of agreements, including an agreement with Purvis Systems and the Communication Center to purchase IP-based Purvis Fire Station Alerting System for a cost of $49,681.55. The new system will automate dispatch of the fire department and EMS services, which will cut about “50 seconds” from their response time, according to Communication Center Director Jeff Busch. Busch also said it is likely to “bring insurance costs down” as well.
To make the system fully functional, the commissioners also authorized three additional agreements with the Communication Center and Motorola Solutions and SHI International Corp.
The first additional agreement was with Motorola Solutions for Motorola Mach Alert for software, which is necessary to connect to the Purvis Systems. This service shall not exceed a cost of $10,958.80.
The next additional agreement was with Motorola Solutions for a Motorola MCC7500 Console, which is essential for “100% availability” to broadcast station alerts and is a radio console strictly for emergency services. This purchase shall not exceed a cost of $94,512.
The final additional agreement was with SHI International Corp. for two MS SQL Server 2019 standard licenses and 12 MS Server 2022 standard licenses, which the SQL servers are required in order to add the Purvis System to current servers. These licenses shall not exceed a cost of $11,474.16.
SHI International Corp. is also involved in an agreement with the Miami County Clerk of Courts, which the commissioners approved, for the purchase of two MS SQL Server 2019 Standard Licenses. These licenses will allow the Clerk of Courts to utilize the e-citations, which was previously approved by the commissioners. A representative of the Clerk of Courts stated there’s issues with the system being “slow.” The additional servers will help speed up the service again. The cost of these licenses shall not exceed $6,545.62.
The village of Covington will see a new member on the Tax Incentive Review Council along with two re-appointed members. The commissioners approved the appointments. New member, Keith Warner, will replace Donald Weer effective immediately. Edward McCord and Christopher Haines were both re-appointed. All three terms will expire Nov. 10, 2024.
The commissioners appointed Robert Craft as the new Animal Shelter Director for the Miami County Animal Shelter, effective Dec. 11, 2021. Craft thanked the commissioners and the “staff at the shelter for all their hard work.”
Commissioner Ted Mercer told Craft of the “positive changes” in the animal shelter since Craft’s hire.
The commissioners signed a contract with the Sheriff’s Office and the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services for Medication Assisted Treatment Support. This contract allows for Medication Assisted Treatment to inmates who qualify at the Miami County Jail and the Miami County Incarceration Facility for those who are addicted to narcotics. Tri-County will provide the necessary medications and supplies at no cost to the Sheriff’s Office, and will also reimburse the Sheriff’s Office $400/month for physician services.
Following the authorizations of agreements, Joel Smith, director of Emergency Management Agency (EMA), provided an update of COVID-19 cases in Miami County in comparison to Ohio’s statistics. Currently, Miami County has had 17,456 total cases, 1,065 hospitalizations, and 352 deaths. The case rate for Miami County is 442 per 100,000, and Miami County is ranked 76th in the state. Their estimate is that 47.28% of the county’s population has received their first vaccine.
Next, the commissioners saw a presentation from WDC Group to get insight on possible reconstruction of the Grand Stand at the Miami County Fairgrounds. WDC Group President, Chris Widener, provided information on the timeline of the project, if the commissioners were to move forward. Widener also provided pictures of structural issues including the usage of steel columns, cracks in concrete, wiring, and the windows. The proposed budget, provided later, would include construction cost, fees, and other important aspects. From Widener’s provided timeline, construction would occur after the 2022 Miami County Fair.
