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Saturday, September 10, 2022
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2022
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Bowerston Fire Department’s addition cost taxpayers nothing
Amy Norris appointed to carry on husband’s legacy BY ALEXIS CORDER Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer
Volunteers pose in the new firehouse addition. Right to left: Joseph Warner, Bret Putnam, Diane Sanders, Justin Heavelyn, Amie Warner, and Adam Rearden. Photo courtesy Tiffany Bumgardner/Exposure One Studios
BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter BOWERSTON—The Bowerston Fire Department held both an open house for the new addition to their building and their annual car show on September 4. The new addition has been in the works for a few years. They broke ground at the car show in 2021, and Adam Rearden, Executive President of the board in charge of the department, said, “There are still a few little button-up items, but otherwise, the building is completely done.” The cost of the addition was around 1.5 million dollars, but the department could plan for the expense in their regular budget. “It’s all just good planning. No new money from the taxpayer; we didn’t go after any new levies.” Rearden said. “There weren’t a lot of grants available. We’ve been planning all of this for a long time and saving money for it.” The addition includes three new bays for vehicles, new offices, and a full kitchen with a hall. The expansion was necessary as the department has been growing. “We were really out of room,” according to Reardon. The focus was not only on current needs, but the board was looking as far ahead as the next generation of Bowerston firefighters. “We renovated and modernized the building,” Rearden said. “We kind of planned for the next fifty years, a lot of long-term planning.” The community will benefit significantly from this addition in many ways. “Our response time has improved because of this,” Rearden said. He explained that the building used to
have one long bay, which meant the vehicles were constantly moved in and out, depending on which one was needed. While it only takes a few minutes to do this, a few minutes in a lifeor-death scenario can be disastrous. The department covers Monroe Township and gives mutual aid to surrounding areas. Their ambulance service primarily covers Bowerston into the Scio and Tappan Lake area. It’s a county-run EMS system, so they will go anywhere they’re needed. The station is not staffed 24/7 but has been able to pay volunteers per call in the last few years. “Now that we have the facilities, we’re working on staffing it,” Rearden said. A minimum crew of two people can cost up to $350,000 a year. He said the call time currently relies on volunteers who have other primary jobs and may not always be available to respond. When asked what it would mean to the community to have full-time EMS, Rearden responded, “It would be drastically important, especially on the ambulance side.
We have a very big shortage of EMTs, and the ability to have people in-house would help our response time. And there would be the consistency of being able to get an ambulance out.” Beyond emergency services, the department is in touch with the community in other ways. “We do a lot of education and training here,” Rearden said. Before the addition, they didn’t have anywhere proper to hold those classes. “Now, the hall will double as a classroom. We plan on doing a lot more community events,” including first aid classes and fundraisers. With so many plans in the works, the department is always looking to add more volunteers. “We’ve been in crisis to find volunteers for years,” Rearden said. But the ability to pay by call has made them one of the few departments that have been able to grow. There are applications available at the firehouse at 220 Main St, Bowerston, or you can contact them through their Facebook page, https:// www.facebook.com/Bowerstonfire.
CIC votes for repavement projects BY ALEXIS CORDER Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer
CADIZ—Cadiz Community Improvement Corporation held their August meeting on September 1, which was rescheduled after the previously planned August 18 meeting was canceled. The meeting was a brief one, without too many significant updates. Most notably, CIC member Ken Mason discussed the progress on the construction of the stage at Sally Buffalo. The CIC previously
donated $50,000 towards the project and has been very involved since the start of construction. Mason reported that the park had established an entertainment committee to be in charge of booking and producing shows and events at Sally Buffalo. The park offered for a representative from Cadiz CIC to serve on this committee, and Mark Chisnell was unanimously selected because of his musical background and clear passion for the arts. In other news, the CIC decided to move forward with the repavement of both Broadview and Liming Drives. President
Mike Sliva had already received a quote from Blackie’s Garage for the project at $65,000, and CIC voted unanimously to approve the project. However, the talks of repaving these roads led to the discussion of a possible paving levy that the village might benefit from. Though it would be a matter of discussion for the Cadiz Village Council rather than only the CIC, it was something that Mayor John Migliore seemed to heavily consider–as it was clear that Liming and Broadview were definitely not the only roads in town that would benefit from a repavement.
CADIZ—In a quiet and somber meeting on Monday, September 5, the Democratic Central Committee met to discuss filling the late Democratic County Commissioner Dale Norris’ unexpired term. It was clear that the meeting, though necessary and time-sensitive, was not one in which anyone wished to take part in so soon after the passing of the beloved commissioner. Still, due to procedural laws relating to how close the vacancy occurred in proximity to the general election, the committee had no choice but to meet to submit a replacement. It was obvious that the only clear choice for a candidate was Amy Norris, widow of Dale. Amy, who attended the meeting as a guest, was very adamant about wanting to step into the position. “I would like to try and carry out what [Dale] would’ve liked to try and finish. I know what his passion was as far as the county. He was devoted to this county… for many, many years, even before he was a county commissioner. I can’t fill his shoes, but I’ve walked along beside him long enough that I know what his passion was. So, I’d like to try and carry on what he started.” Democratic Central Committee Chairman Rich Milleson expressed his appreciation for Amy on behalf of the entire committee, adding that it was the most proper way to carry through with the filling of the vacancy. In order to procedurally make the designation official, the committee had to go through two phases of voting. First, they had to recommend that Amy be appointed to fill Dale’s term until the general election results are certified, and those elected are sworn into office. The committee unanimously voted to approve this appointment. The second step was to submit Amy as the democratic candidate to be put on the ballot for the open commissioner space in November to carry out the rest of Dale’s unexpired term—from the certification of the general election and swearing in of those voted into office until the year 2024. The committee unanimously voted to approve this nomination as well. There was some gray area regarding how soon Amy would be able to take office for the first phase of the appointment leading up to the general election. It was clear, however, that everyone appreciated Amy and her wishes to fulfill Dale’s legacy as Harrison County Commissioner.
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