Commissioners talk 200-plus full-time jobs

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The more than 200 full-time positions said to be coming into the county was a topic of discussion for the Highland County Board of Commissioners at Thursday’s meeting.

The regular meeting was not held Wednesday due to the observance of Veterans Day.

Commissioner Shane Wilkin talked about Candle-lite’s recent announcement of a $12 million expansion and the addition of 50 employment positions to come with that expansion over the next three years.

Wilkin said while there had been talk by the company to relocate to another state, the work of the village of Leesburg, DP&L, JobsOhio, and the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Foundation (SOACDF), helped ensure the manufacturer staying put.

“Everyone understood the importance” of keeping Candle-lite in the area and worked together to make that happen, Wilkin said.

Je said Candle-lite, a CL Products International LLC Company, believes the expansion will “position them to move forward.”

Corvac Composites, which just completed the purchase of the RR Donnelly building in Greenfield, has talked about 175 full-time positions over the next three years, something he said the company said is “very attainable,” according to Wilkin.

He said the auto industry supplier “relatively soon” will be hiring 20-30 people and that Corvac plans to ship product within the first quarter of 2016.

While nothing formal has been announced as to where to apply for Corvac positions, speculation has been that will likely be done through Ohio Means Jobs Highland County, though director Tara Campbell said Thursday that nothing has been confirmed yet.

Campbell did say that she knows the company would be doing its hiring “in phases,” but right now she said Corvac is likely focused on getting the facility ready for production.

On a related matter, commissioners noted that three containers to hold resin pellets have been on the former RR Donnelly site for some time, and that more activity would likely be seen in the coming weeks as Corvac readies the building for its business.

Also relating to Corvac, a transloading facility previously discussed in a Greenfield Village Council meeting was also brought up by Wilkin, who said such a facility was a “critical piece in acquiring Corvac.”

Greenfield City Manager Ron Coffey said in the council meeting last week that the target area for the facility is in the gravel area parallel to the railroad and in between Washington and Second streets. He said that should the project happen, the service would be available to other businesses wanting to utilize the railroad.

Wilkin said Thursday that “different funding streams” are being looked at for the transloading project.

As to the growth in the county, commissioner Tom Horst noted that between Corvac and Candle-lite, “that’s $24 million worth of investment in Highland County.”

In other business, commissioners reported that Katie Adams has been chosen to fill the deputy director position at Job and Family Services. It’s a position that was filled due to the impending retirement of current JFS Executive Director Deborah Robbins.

“I think she’ll do a good job,” Wilkin said of Adams, who is to begin at JFS on Nov. 30.

A recent meeting of the Rocky Fork Lake Area Safety and Advancement Plan (RFL-ASAP) attended by commissioners was reported as having a “good turnout” with “a lot of good ideas” and good discussions.

Horst said there was “good input” from area locals new to the meetings. He said that from more than one person he heard the desire for a library in the area.

As previously reported, a $100,000 grant was awarded to the Highland County Board of Commissioners last year from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Byrnes Criminal Justice Innovation Program. The grant was designed to facilitate the development of a strategic plan to reduce crime at Rocky Fork Lake. When the planning is complete and solutions are identified, the county will apply for an implementation grant to fund the fixes.

Ginny Shrimplin with the County Risk Sharing Authority (CORSA), which handles the county’s property and liability coverage, discussed with commissioners CORSA annual report, adding that it had been a “very, very good year.” She said there was less loss than expected within the pool, which according to CORSA’s website consists of 65 Ohio counties and 22 multi-county agencies.

“When the pool saves, the county saves,” she said. Shrimplin said that the county, barring any big loss, would likely see another nearly 9.5-percent rate decrease next year as with this year.

According to Horst, surplus items from county agencies will be up for bid in the county auction set to be held Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Highland County Fairgrounds. The auction begins at 10 a.m.

Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.

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Corvac, Candle-lite total $24 million county investment

By Angela Shepherd

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