SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021
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COVID cases remain same, masks being lifted By JD LONG
Jim@harrisonnewsherald.com
CADIZ – The weekly COVID count has remained relatively the same for the past several weeks now with Harrison County Health Administrator Garen Rhome reporting on Wednesday, another nine fresh cases since last week. The number has been hovering around 10 ever since the low single-digit cases had been reported but that slight spike has remained for now. Also, Rhome stated that the high incidence rate for the past week was at 113 cases per 100,000, which is the reason the COVID alert status for Harrison County remaining at orange. When the case count per 100,000 falls below 100 then the county’s status will fall back to yellow where it was briefly
three weeks ago. “The current status on the advisory level remains orange,” Rhome told the board. “We did trigger that high threshold last Thursday [and] we may trigger that again,” he said of the case rate of 100 above 100,000. Rhome repeated his remarks from last week where they are still seeing less severe cases and no hospitalizations. Also noted was a policy change concerning masks that is on the horizon. Commissioner Paul Coffland announced that come June 2 the requirements for wearing masks inside the courthouse are to be lifted. “All of the mask and social distancing, we will follow those guidelines,” Coffland explained. “There will still be individual office holders who may elect to have the public wear a mask…” He
said if that is the case then a mask will be supplied to anyone who needs one. Rhome said another 40 individuals received their second dose last week and said they would remain in a flexible state for receiving second dose recipients. He said there were a few first doses mixed in as well. “We are going to start a regular cadence of walk-in opportunities,” Rhome stated adding that they would be using the Hopedale firehouse as they were done with the drive through at Sally Buffalo Park after months of activity there. Beginning on June 3, the health department crew will be operating on every Monday from 1-3 p.m. and each Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. “And that’s where we’re going to start,” Rhome explained. “We’re going
to offer two days a week, two hours each day for walk-in opportunities. And that means no pre-registrations necessary, no call ahead is necessary.” Rhome told the board they’ll operate in this fashion for a few weeks and see what the results are and if needed, they will expand their hours and adjust the amount of days available. One interesting note Rhome shared as the result of a state announcement earlier in the week was that Harrison County ranked second in the state at a 143 percent increase in vaccines after the Vaxamillion lottery was announced. The one million dollar lottery drawing began this week with four more to follow in each of the next four weeks. The drawing is only available to members of the public that have had at least one vaccine shot.
“I think one effect of the Vaxamillion is that it creates that little sense of urgency,” Rhome said referring to reasons the public would get vaccinated now versus the ones who have put it off for various reasons. When asked about vaccinating twelve year-olds, Rhome said they only refer those calls to the Change organization in Wintersville. He said they are rerouted to the Pfizer vaccine, which is “the only product currently approved for that.” “We still have Moderna,” which he said could move into the younger age group, possibly soon. “We do have that opportunity for the fifteen-seventeen year-olds and they’re coming up on their second doses relatively soon…”
Arson suspected in Blackie’s fire By JD LONG
jim@harrisonnewsherald.com
Boy scouts prepare cemetery for Memorial Day Boy Scout Troop 269 set flags at the Cadiz Union Cemetery last Saturday morning in preparation for Memorial weekend. Andrew Foreman (right), assistant scoutmaster and Wyatt Hervey (left) of Troop 269 do the honors who were surrounded by plenty of help from local volunteers.
Scio agrees to pursue EPA loan By JD LONG
jim@harrisonnewsherald.com SCIO – A separate problem the village is dealing with includes a sewer line at the intersection of Ohio 646 and E. College Street. That area has been a bone of contention with a caved in section and a storm drain needing repaired, which they’ve already obtained a grant for. But now work is being delayed on that particular project. Compounding the problem is the sewer line, which the village announced at their last meeting in April, as receiving a letter from the EPA notifying them of a violation prodding them to move faster on the collapsing line. Wednesday, Village Administrator Jason Tubaugh explained the options for funding the repairs needed, which included an EPA loan as “recommended.” He said the interest is 0 percent and anywhere from 15 to 30 years on the loan. A grant was not an option because the cost was not high enough to apply for.
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Tubaugh said there was an emergency option but the minimum would be $250,000 and he was not going to go after something like that knowing the project was going to cost much less at around $140,000. “…The decision is going to be made here this evening,” he told council. “We need to be proactive and start now because that’s still six to eight weeks out.” He added that that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because it was estimated the project would last no more than five days or less. “And they’ll send a team out prior to do all lateral specs,” he explained as everything would then be marked in preparation for tapping into the line. He said a road closure would be likely estimating that to be approximately two days time. When asked about placing cleanouts at the property lines for new taps, he called it a great idea describing the cost as “minimal.” Tubaugh said an extra dollar per 1,000 gallons would likely offset the cost for repaying the loan.
EVENTS
Preparations being made for Har. Co. fair | PG 12
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CADIZ – A massive fire that started in the far corner of Blackie’s Garage where stockpiled cars were waiting to be crushed, only spread to the halfway point of the yard. A big thanks was handed out to the Cadiz Fired Department and the other communities who answered the call, which included every department representing Harrison County, as well as two from Jefferson County, according to Cadiz Fire Chief John Vermillion. Owner Gary Daugherty said he and his wife were asleep around 5 a.m. when a passing motorist knocked on his door where he lives behind the main garage. Daugherty said a local couple was on their way out of town for a vacation when they noticed the fire and turned their car around. “It would have been if those people hadn’t knocked on my door and told me there was a fire,” he said referring to how worse it could have been. The garage nor the main building were touched as there were still a half a yard of cars to burn through but that’s the direction it was heading before firefighters extinguished it sometime after noon on Sunday.
Daugherty suspects a local person may have intentionally set the fire over a past discrepancy but said there wasn’t a way to prove it either. Pools of aluminum once liquefied by the heat can be seen hardened in streams and ash spread all over the yard. And the total loss of scrapped cars? “I hate to say,” Daugherty said. He guessed that the fire might have been burning as early as 4 a.m. Vermillion stated that the fire remains “undetermined” but acknowledged there is a “small investigation” ongoing. He said the EPA had been called to the scene but that the state fire marshal will not be brought out because of the extensive damage to any possible evidence. He said they received the call at 5:03 a.m. and had it extinguished by 11:30 a.m. and were back at the station by 1 p.m. It was estimated that up to 600 vehicles were burnt. Vermillion gave a big thanks to local businesses such as Shurfast and Sanders Market for donating food to the first responders, as well as members of the public he just decided to contribute. “It’s really nice to know people have our backs like that,” he said of the public.
“But the downside is you’re not building any equity either so you might have to revisit that for (2022),” he explained. The first payment on the loan wouldn’t be expected until 2022, which he said would fall into the fiscal year after the project has been completed. Village Treasurer Heidi Trice called the proposed loan payments fairly low but then was asked how long does the village intend to stretch the payments out. Council Member Andrew Turner repeated the dollar increase for each billing calling it a rough estimate.” Tubaugh again suggested reviewing the rate structure for 2022 after receiving the final tally on the project. Turner motioned for an EPA 20-year loan at 0-percent interest and the vote was unanimous. Regarding the overall situation at 646 and E. Collage Street, Tubaugh thanked the county commissioners for their continued support in Scio.
OBiTUARiES
SPORTS Lois Morgan Cadiz, Ohio
Debra L. Helt Massillon, Ohio
Marjorie Johnson Cadiz, Ohio
Charles Milton Rager Scio, Ohio
Clelland signs for summer workout in Chillicothe | PG 8 facebook.com/harrisonnewsherald
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