The five inductees to the Highland County Women’s Hall of Fame were recognized during Wednesday’s meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners.
Those inductees are Marilyn Morris Anders, Anneka P. Collins, Gayle Coss, Paige Juillerat and Mary Ann Sommers Larkin.
Highland County Women’s Hall of Fame Co-Chair Sue Smith said, “One thing that’s very important about these ladies is that you don’t know them because they’re behind the scenes.”
Commissioner Tom Horst echoed that idea, saying, “A lot of people don’t want to be recognized, but they should be, and that’s what the hall of fame does.”
He added that a list of all past hall of fame recipients is on display in the Highland County Courthouse.
The hall of fame recognition dinner will be held Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Southern State Community College Atrium in Hillsboro. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased at The Times-Gazette.
Also on Wednesday, commissioners discussed changes to the turnaround at the Highland County Justice Center. Horst said that according to a proposal from Landscapes and Outer Spaces, the new designs for the turnaround would be similar to the roundabout at Carl Smith/Hobart Drive.
With that design, Horst said, “(We) don’t have to worry about mowing, don’t have to worry about weeding, don’t have to worry about anything.”
The estimate for the stamped concrete design is $3,800.
Landscapes and Outer Spaces also entered a bid to build the ramp outside of the administration building for $76,620. As previously reported, the engineer’s office estimated the cost of the ramp at $35,000. Wilkin said further discussion into the project will occur.
In addition, Wilkin said the county is “not too far away” from the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds for a project with Corvac. Wilkin described this revolving loan fund as a grant from the state to the county that is then loaned to the company and repaid with interest. Wilkin said this loan is for $915,000.
In other business, Wilkin said an APEG (Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth) quarterly economic development meeting discussed “some interesting ideas to help with training.” Wilkin added that, in addition, “(We) got to hear some of the things the state’s doing as far as talent acquisition.”
Wilkin also said that commissioners have received funds from the state specifically for improvements to the courthouse. These dollars are through the capital improvement budget and will go toward repairs and maintenance for mortar joints, water intrusion, gutters, and the cupola.
Wilkin added that, according to RFL-ASAP, a building in disrepair in the Rocky Fork Lake area will be coming down. He also said that money has been put into a land bank and that “there’s some dollars coming available in September.”
“That’s something that could very well be on our agenda next week,” he added.
Commissioner Jeff Duncan attended a meeting Wednesday morning with the Soil and Water Conservation District board concerning the recycling coordinator position. He said further discussion will occur between the board and commissioners.
Commissioners also said that repairs are in the works following Tuesday’s storm. As of Wednesday morning, the phone system in the administration building was down. The air-conditioning there will not be fixed until Thursday.
Finally, commissioners passed a resolution closing an unnamed alley, adjacent to Broadway Street, in New Market. This closure follows a visit to the site last week.
