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Emergency planning, communications on Harrison agenda

CADIZ — Harrison County commissioners heard from speakers regarding the Local Emergency Planning Committee and the state of communications in the county on Wednesday.

Eric Wilson, director of the Harrison County Emergency Management Agency, spoke to commissioners about appointments to the LEPC, which must be done periodically. Wilson said LEPC members include local law enforcement, EMS and other officials, as well as industry representatives. Wilson said one of the responsibilities of the committee is to monitor what are called Tier 2 chemicals — chemicals that have been deemed by the federal government to be hazardous in certain quantities.

The LEPC works with facilities containing Tier 2 chemicals to help create a list of the quantities of the chemicals, as well as a map of where the materials are stored. This information is then made available to firefighters and other first responders, helping them plan safe entry into those facilities should a fire or other emergency occur. Commissioners approved the appointments.

Wilson then spoke about a recent workshop he attended in Marietta, Ohio, to discuss issues in the Appalachian region. He was accompanied by Harrison Hills City School District Superintendent Dana Snider and Sandy Thompson, head of the Puskarich Library. At the meeting, Wilson and the others discussed connectivity and cellular communication in rural areas, such as Harrison County.

Wilson said there are still portions of the county where residents don’t get consistent cell phone coverage. Although it may sound silly to some, Wilson pointed out that this can be an issue if someone needs to contact the police or fire department.

“People in Columbus, Cincinnati and Akron, they’re talking about 5G coverage,” Wilson said. “Here, some people can’t get a decent signal all the time.”

Wilson said that in addition to bouncing ideas off of other attendees at the workshop, he also got the opportunity to speak to Mignon L. Clyburn, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission, and tell her what he feels rural communities in the area need, including stressing the improvement of cellular communication in smaller villages in the area.

Wilson said that after speaking with Clyburn, he feels glad to have helped try and address concerns from the area.

In other business, commissioners approved out-of-county travel and pay vouchers from Scott Blackburn, director of the Harrison County Department of Job and Family Services.

They also approved two road use maintenance agreements presented to them by Doug Crabtree, representing the county engineer’s office.

The agreements are between the county and Ascent Resources and had previously been tabled due to lacking the proper appendixes. The roads listed in the RUMAs are sections of County Roads 36, 20 and 33; both were approved by commissioners.

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