Hosier, Miller look back, forward (1/26/05)

A Portland official wants to plan for the future, while a Jay County leader hopes to clean up the past.

Mayor Bruce Hosier said one of his main goals for Portland is to help the city grow economically.

“This is our goal, and we will achieve our goal,” Hosier said during his State of the City address during the Portland Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon held at Jay County Hospital on Tuesday.

Jay County Commissioners’ president Milo Miller Jr. wants to see brush and other debris from the Jan. 5 ice storm removed from county roads.

“Bear with the county ... the roads aren’t perfect,” Miller said during his State of the County address.

Hosier’s plans to create more jobs and improve the economy in Portland include revitalizing the downtown area and supporting businesses in other parts of the city.

“Downtown needs to reflect pride in the community,” Hosier said after his speech.

He said the relocation of the John Jay Center for Learning in the Weiler Building, the development of the Bomar Building and the creation of Freedom Park will help improve the downtown area.

Welcoming and supporting unique projects also will help the city grow, said Hosier.

“We must be creative and open-minded with the new projects such as X-Plex, Community Home Improvement and the Wal-Mart Supercenter” and others to help the city move forward, Hosier said.

“(The city needs to) continue to be ambassadors of change,” he said.

The ice storm recovery, county roads and expansion of the Jay County Jail topped Miller’s list of topics.

Miller said the county is responsible for removal of limbs and trees on or hanging over county roads due to the ice storm. Property owners, though, are responsible for removing limbs and damaged trees on their property.

He said tree debris can be disposed of by making a pile and burning it or can be taken to one of several locations throughout the county to be ground.

Since the ice storm, the county also has looked into ways to develop more emergency shelters, said Miller.

He said purchasing generators for the Jay Community Center in Portland and West Jay Community Center in Dunkirk is a possibility.

The commissioners plan to talk to the centers’ board members, and “We’ll see how we can work things out,” Miller said.

Also Tuesday, Miller also said the cost of cleaning up after a snow storm which hit the county just before Christmas was high.

On Dec. 23 and 24, the county racked up about $2,100 in labor and about $555 worth of diesel fuel while plowing county roads.

Miller also said county officials are trying to determine which roads should be paved and which should be coated with chip-and-seal this summer.

Although it is less expensive to chip-and-seal, the road surface sometimes doesn’t last long or hold up well under large truck traffic. The county literally throws money away when it surfaces roads in this manner, he said.

Miller also spoke about the possible expansion of the county jail.

He said last year the county purchased a building located on West Main Street as a site for a possible future jail expansion. A portion of the building is currently occupied by Hanni Plumbing, Heating and Cooling.

Miller said the expansion could cost about $5 million, but the project is probably not in the immediate future.

“We’re not in a real big hurry to build the jail,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]