During the Feb. 11 meeting of the Ohio County Fiscal Court, the court approved a motion to contract out the mowing of county roads for the year of 2014, hired a custodian for the Community Center and asked the Road Viewing Committee to check on some roads.
— The fiscal court has discussed the option of contracting out the mowing of county roads for a few months now. At the Jan. 28 meeting, the court opened bids on the mowing and sent the bids to the Roads Committee for a recommendation. At the Feb. 11 meeting, First District Magistrate, and member of the Road Committee, Michael McKenny said the Road Committee was in favor of awarding the bid to mow county roads to Darrell Leach Farms for $49,500 per mowing for a total of two mowings. The mowings will have a set time to be finished, but the start and finish dates won’t be determined until closer to the mowing season. McKenney believed contracting the mowing to Leach Farms would save the county some money and allow the road department to use side trimmers in areas with old growth. McKenney made a motion the court accept the bid of Darrell Leach for two mowings of right of ways of county roads for 2014 for $49,500 each mowing, subject to the execution of a written contract by the court and Leach. The motion was seconded by Third District Magistrate Brandon Thomas. Fourth District Magistrate Larry Keown thought maybe the court should only approve one mowing on contract to see the type of job Leach Farms does before allowing a second mowing. Keown was told that if the work by Leach Farms was unsatisfactory, then the county would not pay for the work when it showed up in the court's bills and claims. Thomas believed if the court accepted Leach’s bid, it should at least give him two mowings. Second District Magistrate Jason Bullock asked how this would affect the hiring of seasonal workers for the summer. McKenney said there would be four seasonal workers hired in the summer instead of six. After a roll call vote, the motion passed unanimously. — After a short closed session, Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnston made a motion for court to approve the hiring of Gloria Westerfield as a part-time custodian for the Community Center at a pay rate of $8.75 per hour, effective Feb. 12. After a six month review, Westerfeild's pay could increase to $9 an hour. The motion was seconded by Bullock. After a roll call vote, the motion passed unanimously. — During committee reports, McKenney informed the court the Road Viewing Committee would need to meet and view a road in Dundee named Dundee Park Road. McKenney said no one has maintained the road and the road leads to a shelter where people can have picnics and other kinds of gatherings. The property is owned by the community and community maintained, but the county is looking to bring the Dundee Park Road into the county road system. McKenney also wanted the Road Viewing Committee to look at a road in the Taffy area for a possible addition to the county road system. The road does not have a name.