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SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020
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Spike in Har. Co. COVID cases keeps officials alert By BONNIE RUTLEDGE While Ohio’s numbers have stayed about the same in COVID-19 cases, Harrison county’s numbers have increased slightly. More 20-30 year olds are catching the virus and now comprise the largest number of cases statewide, and death rates are dropping
because of this. Harrison County is now up to 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 19 recovered, six active, and one deceased. With five new cases last week and three the previous week, Harrison County may trip an indicator for risk assessment. This would not change the county’s status from yellow to orange even with one indicator triggered.
Nine active cases (those who have not yet finished isolation protocol) last week were the most Harrison County had ever seen at one time. However, no new cases arose in the past few days. Garen Rhome, Harrison County Health Administrator, assured that contact tracing at the hospital was nowhere near overwhelmed by the small spike in cases. Harrison County
jumped from 80th to 51st out of the 88 counties in Ohio for occurrence rate per capita based on reported cases between July 22nd and August 4th. On this scale, our eight cases in two weeks were the equivalent of 305 cases in Summit County and 110 in Clermont County during the same timeframe. When asked about going back to school, Rhome stated, “It can be done
safely. I can’t talk about sports yet, but the school system has their plans in place and most of the parents in the county should have the information they need. Since the plans for the school are based on advisory levels, we’ve seen a lot more interest in those and how they affect people’s daily lives. The school will follow their plan accordingly.”
Silver Spade Ambulance District back on November ballot
Cadiz Council voices concern over future water rates
By JD LONG
By JD LONG
jim@harrisonnewsherald.com
jim@harrisonnewsherald.com
CADIZ – Last Thursday several members of Cadiz’s village council voiced concerns over future utility rates in the face of all the infrastructure projects that are being done and still loom on the horizon. Opening the meeting was E.L. Robinson’s Bob Allen, the engineering firm the village of Cadiz has been working with on their vital infrastructure improvement projects. Allen provided another update on those projects and the funding they are receiving and hope to get. Allen began with the south center collection line project with an estimated cost of $10,619,000. He said a Rural Development loan worth $4,554,000 with grants coming in at $1,846,000 (Rural Development) and $950,000 (US Army Corps). Allen stated that the village would need an additional $3,269,000 in loan money from the EPA as well. Allen stated that a principal forgiveness loan they didn’t get last year is being applied for again where he hoped to get “some principal forgiveness there.” He also said property acquisition looms large as the property must be secured (easements) before obtaining funding. For the Phase 2 north trunk line project, Allen said the estimate here is $3,425,500. He said an awarded amount for loans and grants from Rural Development has not been established. Army Corp’s amount comes to $915,000 in a grant but with village qualifications still to come to obtain that. Applications for ARC and OMEGA grants have been submitted and was told $250,000 was coming their way. Then it was on to the wastewater treatment plant project where Allen gave a whopping estimate of $12,500,000 in costs. “That cost, it’s just an estimate because we won’t know the size of that plant until we have all the collection line work done and you know the flows going into that plant,” Allen
HARRISON COUNTY – The Silver Spade Ambulance District, which Hopedale Fire Chief Mark Marchetta and others, have been pushing has met the deadline for the November ballot, which Director of the Board of Elections Ruby Foutz confirmed. Marchetta said the levy is still the same 2.25 mil as the last attempt and continued to stress the importance of a paid ambulance district for Harrison County. The contract with Harrison Community Hospital for backup service remains in place, which has already been renewed by the Harrison County Commissioners. “We’ve quietly gone about our business,” Marchetta said via phone last Friday where they have taken approximately 3,500 calls since a federal grant supplied Hopedale’s VFD with over $700,000 in funding. But that runs out in late 2021 and Marchetta said they won’t be eligible for that grant until 2024. “The system will collapse,” Marchetta said if that gap isn’t filled and he doesn’t believe it will be without the levy passing. The levy has already failed last November and this past spring. “And like I said, there’s no guarantee that we get it at all,” he said referring to that federal grant. Marchetta repeated what he’s been saying since last year that volunteerism is drying up all around the country, it’s not just a Harrison County or even an Ohio problem. “More places are going to a paid service,” he said while naming Wintersville, Unionport, Brilliant, Uhrichsville and Richmond, which he said has a paid day crew. He also mentioned New Philadelphia and Dover but they have been paid for a longer time and are much bigger communities. “To keep the levy amount as small as possible, The Silver Spade Joint Ambulance District is asking for enough funds to cover the payroll cost of the EMTs and paramedics,” Marchetta wrote in a prepared statement accompanied by statistics. “All other expenses such as fuel, insurance, ambulance supplies,
See CONCERN - Pg. 2
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Shoes find their way back to Scio SCIO — Edward Joseph Onslow’s baseball shoes have returned home, and are displayed at the Scio Historical Museum. Donated by his granddaughters, Penny Purviance and Peggy Purviance Hilliard, daughters of Scio’s late Nancy Purviance, recently donated Onslow’s bronzed baseball shoes from his International Baseball Hall of Fame 1951 induction. He had seven consecutive outstanding seasons (1918—24)
for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was manager of that team in 1922. He is described as a majorleague baseball player, appearing in four different American seasons with his baseball career showing a 15 year span (19121927.) In 1918 he was called to play in two April games for the Cleveland Indian because its roster had been wiped out by the 1918 Flu Epidemic. He was a first baseman in American Major
League Baseball and played for the Detroit Tigers (1912-13) Cleveland Indians, (1918): Washington Senators (1927), and was the younger brother of Jack Onslow, a catcher, coach and manager of the 1949-1950 Chicago White Sox. Eddie was born Feb. 17, 1893 in Meadville, Pa., and died May 8, 1981. Eddie resided in Scio at his home on Church Street and spent many hours at the Purviance Furniture Store sharing his baseball stories.
See BALLOT - Pg. 2
Muskingum Watershed making up ground, oil & gas losses By JD LONG
jim@harrisonnewsherald.com
NEW PHILADELPHIA – Chief Financial Officer Jim Cugliari at last month’s Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District meeting via videoconference, gave what he called a
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“high level overview as to where we were and where we are, and where we may end up.” Relating to the COVID19 situation he said back in May, they had anticipated a June 1, 2020 open date for their camping season. “Well we found out in very short notice that we were going to be open on May second, as the result of some
orders that were released by the governor…” Cugliari explained. After moving things up the park did open in early May for seasonal camping. He said they had projected a nearly $1.7 million revenue loss, as well as losses in their marinas at a figure of $400,000. But those projections were based on a June 1 opening.
Health
School
Har. Co. Hospital to offer COVID-19 testing | PG 2
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Harrison Hills begins work on new softball field | PG 3
“Since then we have had very strong attendance in our campgrounds and coming through our gates and our vacation cabins,” Cugliari said adding that they have since made up “significant ground” financially. He said to be more comfortable in citing numbers he wished to wait for the July figures to come through, which
Sports
Harrison Central’s Santille is top golfer at TCC Invite | PG 6
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included a strong 4th of July. Cugliari said their June report was also strong but other events like the Alive Festival were canceled. He said they were still evaluating what events could take place concerning the Atwood Fall Festival and changes or,
See MWCD - Pg. 2
Obits Debbie Coconougher Cadiz, Ohio John Edward Yoho Scio, Ohio Patricia L. Mattern Heath, Ohio Doris J. Davis Flushing, Ohio
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