By Eamon Baird
TROY — The village of Fletcher will receive a new tornado siren.
During their meeting on Thursday, May 23, the Miami County Commissioners agreed to amend a resolution dated March 5, 2024, and increase the amount of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from $10,000 to $13,848.98 with Fletcher through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
Dan Suerdieck, manager of planning and zoning for Miami County, spoke to the commissioners about the amendment.
“The additional funds will allow for the purchase of a new siren rather than a refurbished siren, and the warranty would go from three years to seven years,” Suerdieck said.
“Sounds like we could use tornado sirens, right?” Commissioner Ted Mercer said to Suerdieck.
“Yeah, it’s been a rough year,” Suerdieck replied.
According to a National Weather Service Report published on April 23, Ohio leads the United States with 43 preliminary tornado reports through April 22. Miami County had a confirmed EF2 tornado touch down on Thursday, March 14.
In other business, the commissioners approved or authorized the following resolutions:
• The purchase for a 2024 Chevrolet Colorado four-wheel drive to the Sanitary Engineering Department for $42,635. The truck will replace a Dodge Durango which will be used by the office.
• A quote from KaTom Restaurant Supply Inc., of Kodak Tennessee for a Hatco Model Drop-In Cold-Well for the West Central Juvenile Detention Center for $4,592.50 because the current cold well is inoperable.
• A conditional grant award for $176,356.37 on behalf of the Miami County Mental Health. The funds will be applied to support the salary and fringe benefits of one full-time probation officer dedicated to the mental health specialized docket.
• To sign employment verifications for the following: Laura Peters as a full-time social services caseworker in the Department of Job and Family Services beginning May 28 at a pay rate of $21.56 per hour; Olivia Shaffer as a full-time animal control officer in the Animal Shelter Department beginning on May 28 at a pay rate of $21 per hour.
• The following employment requisitions in the Job and Family Services: a full-time social services caseworker at a pay rate of $21.56 to $29.17 depending on qualifications (DOQ) due to the departure of Kaitlyn Sherer; a full-time accountant clerk at a pay rate of $16.20 to $21.92 DOQ due to the departure of Aspen Montgomery; a full-time eligibility referral specialist at a pay rate of $19.60 to $26.52 DOQ due to the departure of Katie Waid.
At the end of the meeting the commissioners opened rebids for the Tipp-Elizabeth Road Bridge Project. The commissioners rejected the original bid at their meeting on Thursday, May 2, because the lone proposal exceeded the engineer’s estimate by more than the allowable 20%.
Commissioner Wade Westfall was not in attendance for the meeting.
