LICKING COUNTY RESILIANT FOLLOWING SEVERE SUMMER STORM

Licking Countians Resilient Following Severe Summer Storm … The storm of June 29th has been characterized by meteorologists as a ‘super derecho’, however I think most of us will remember that Friday evening as ‘The Big Blow of 2012’. When emergency responders plan for such situations they typically plan for a multi-layered disaster situation and that is what we all experienced. Beginning with a severe straight line wind storm that traveled some 600-miles in 10-hours across several mid and eastern U.S. states, by 5:30pm Licking County saw extensive property damage, literally hundreds of tons of downed trees, impassable roads, and a heavily damaged power grid that threw a majority of residents into the dark. On top of that the final disaster layer was a severe weeklong heat wave. What next? The good news is the 170-thousand residents of Licking County are a resilient bunch and we survived the best ‘mother nature’ could throw at us. As a County Commissioner here I am proud of the thousands of heroes who in so many ways stood tall and did their part to assist in the recovery. Workers at the township, village, city and county level worked tirelessly to reestablish the roads and infrastructure. Residents of all ages and ability worked to help their neighbors and neighborhoods recover. Social service agencies quickly responded to the need. And the two local electrical utilities marshaled their forces and many others who came to assist to rebuild the power system in fairly short order. Frankly, we may be the only nation anywhere that can take that kind of a multi-state storm hit, with billions of dollars worth of damage, and basically recover as quickly as we have. Indeed there is plenty left to do from continuing to clean-up public and private property, repair of damaged structures, replenishing the supplies of the Food Pantry Network, and generally getting back to work and back to business as it was. However, we would also do well to take a moment and thank a higher power for allowing our county to survive this disaster without any storm related loss of life. A final thought on the quality of the power system. Usually after a wind or ice storm that causes outages, we hear the call for putting all of our power lines underground. We can’t afford the trillions of dollars to do that, and it doesn’t make practical or economic sense. In my view we should instead be reinvesting extensively in the above ground system, much of which is nearly a century old. There is often resistance to higher utility rates that would generate the many millions of dollars needed to update and enhance the above ground primary and secondary system. However, as a country, we can’t allow our power system to deteriorate and become third rate. It is time to update our transmission, substation and distribution systems. The other issue is the reluctance to allow the utilities to trim out their right of ways, both pruning and removing trees. In a windstorm such as that of June 29th the electrical grid would have survived to a much greater extent without tons of rotted and old trees falling apart and downing lines. Just like the capital improvements that are called for, it is time to remove trees that pose a great risk and start planting the next generation of shade trees away of the utility right of ways.

COMMUNITY TO BENEFIT FROM CONSOLIDATION OF TRANSIT SYSTEMS

The long discussed merger of the Licking County and Newark-Heath transit systems will be a reality by the end of this year. Recently Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb, the President of the County Transit Board, was joined by Heath Mayor Mark Johns and Newark Mayor Jeff Hall in announcing the cooperative agreement to improve service and reduce costs. The Newark Earthworks Transit System will be dissolved on the final day of December, and Newark and Heath will no longer be the recipient of Federal Transit grant dollars. The established County Transit Board will become the sole recipient of transit funding, and will provide continued full ‘’curb to curb demand service’ now in all of Licking County. This consolidation of these local transit functions has been a point of discussion for a number of years, and will allow for efficiencies in dispatching and maintenance, enhanced technology, increase the potential to leverage state and federal funds, and reduce administrative costs. The Licking County Transit Board has been part of other transportation consolidations in the past, providing services for the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Licking County Job and Family Services. Commissioner Bubb says he anticipates a smooth transition, and Newark and Heath will remain actively involved in improving the system.

COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER BENEFITS FROM INNOVATION GRANT

The ambitious Licking County project to consolidate and upgrade 9-1-1 Fire and Emergency Dispatching, and the Sheriff’s Office law enforcement dispatching received a major shot in the arm this week with the announcement by the state of a major interest free loan benefiting the project. The County will receive a $500-thousand no interest 10-year loan to facilitate this public safety project. Earlier this year the Licking County Task Force planning this consolidation and cost saving project made application to the State’s new Local Government Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund is a competitive statewide program providing loans and grants which are intended to benefit communities doing projects to consolidate services, improve efficiencies and ultimately cut costs. The Ohio Department of Development received 105 grant applications and 12 loan applications in nine areas including: technology, public safety, facilities, economic development, fleet management, public works, administration, health and human services and educational instruction support. In the first round the State selected 51-project amounting to $3.4-million in grants and $2.9-million in loans. The Licking County project will combine two major emergency services dispatching operations in a facility acquired last year from the State, a former community based corrections facility. Located on East Main Street in Newark, this new Licking County Joint Communication Center (LCJCC) will feature new state of the art technology in an expandable and innovatively designed central location. In addition to accommodating existing radio technology, the Center will include a new 250-foot transmission tower and full connectivity to the statewide MARCS 800 Megahertz radio network, allowing local agencies to utilize that resource. Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb says, “Construction to adapt the administrative areas of the former incarceration facility to a telecommunications center will begin this summer, as will tower construction. The conversion and installation of new equipment will be complete in early 2013, and it is anticipated the new LCJCC will ‘stand up’ in the second quarter of 2013.” He adds, “This $2-million plus project will also benefit from a Federal Grant in conjunction with the MECC Center in Franklin County for new dispatching technology, as well as County capital funds and wireless funds intended to upgrade dispatching technology.”

DOLLARS FOR DEMOS COMES TO LICKING COUNTY

Some two months ago the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that Licking County would be eligible for $1,029,355 for the demolition of abandoned, vacant and blighted residential structures. The County agreed that Newark City would be the lead agency seeking the grant for the County. Newark will take the lead in working with municipalities throughout the County on such demo projects. The County’s Community Development Department will coordinate in unincorporated areas. The first $500-thousand of the grant money, which comes from the national settlement with the banks over improper lending practices, is match free. However, for the any entity in the County to use the additional $529, 355 it will require a $1 for $1 match. The work begins late this summer is done by the communities and reimbursement comes from the AG’s Office.

NEW PELOTONIA ROUTE INCLUDES LICKING COUNTY

This year, for the first time, the Central Ohio Pelotonia Bike Event will travel through a large portion of Licking County. The event is planned for Saturday and Sunday, August 11th and 12th. The route travels up from Pickerington, through western Licking County to New Albany, and then returns eastward through Jersey Township, St. Albans Township and into Granville. It then turns north up Loudon Street, travels into McKean Township. The route then splits into two optional routes. One goes into Hartford, the other goes through Burlington and Washington Townships into Utica. Ultimately, the bikers finish in Gambier on Sunday. Thousands of participants are expected for this event which raises funds in the battle with cancer. Residents of western Licking County should be aware of this major event that weekend. A large contingent of security and medical personnel will be on our local roads in support of this event.

COMMEMORATION OF THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR OF 1812

Commemoration of the Beginning of the War of 1812… On June 18th Licking County sponsored the commemoration of the War of 1812 with a Flag Raising Ceremony on June 18th in downtown Newark at the Veteran’s Park on North Sixth Street. The statewide commemoration honored the Ohioans who served and died in this second conflict with Great Britain. Emily Larsen, of the County Historical Society, summarized the War of 1812 as having had a lasting impact on Ohio bringing about the creation of new towns, spurring settlements, and cementing the cultural and geographic boundaries of the great lakes region that exist to this day. From big battles (Battle of Lake Erie and Fort Meigs) to small skirmishes across much of the state, to life on the home front, there are numerous stories to be told about the impact of this conflict on individuals, families and communities. Soloist Kerrill Foster sang the National Anthem as a large 15-star replica American Flag was raised by the Licking County Veterans Service Commission. The ceremony concluded with the ringing of Newark’s downtown church bells. Groups that participated in the flag raising event event included Licking County and Newark City Government, Newark Kiwanis, The County Historical Society and the County Veterans Service Commission. A photo of the actual flag raising…

SUMMER SAFETY TIPS FROM COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Here are Some Summer Safety Tips from your County Health Department… The end of the school year means more children are out and about, especially in neighborhoods. Parents and caregivers play an essential role in keeping kids safe while enjoying summer activities. The Licking County Health Department offers the following summer safety tips: • When driving, pay attention and scan the entire area around you. • Look for children playing near the street and slow down. Children are often unpredictable and unaware of danger around them. • Slow down around children and other pedestrians. • Watch for people about to step off the curb at crosswalks. • Teach kids to appreciate and respect EMS professionals, firefighters and police officers, and when and how to dial 911 in an emergency. • Always wear a helmet when biking, skateboarding, roller skating or riding a scooter. • Always stop at STOP signs and look both ways before crossing the street. • Use sunscreen and wear sunglasses to protect your skin and eyes from harmful solar rays. • Use care when eating foods like hotdogs, grapes and hard candy or cut them into smaller pieces to prevent choking. • Never allow unsupervised children to play near or swim in streams, pools, retention ponds or other bodies of water.