Safety training to again be regularly implemented among county employees

​YORK – This week during the regular meeting of the York County Board, Commissioner Andy Bowman reported how the Safety/Security Committee met, with York County Emergency Manager Jean Engle in attendance, “and we talked about how we really don’t have any regular safety training.”

​Historically, the county has had training sessions in topics like CPR and using fire extinguishers.
“But what we are hearing, finding, is that those aren’t being held on a regular basis like they should be,” Bowman said. “NIRMA has all the training materials, classes, etc., available, we just need to get the process started again.”
“I think this is a great idea,” said Commissioner Randy Obermier. “We used to have different kinds of training on a regular basis in the past.”
“Yes, we just need to get it back in, in a more regular process,” Bowman said. “Also during our meeting, the concern was brought up again for the need to have single-point entry into the courthouse” to enhance security.
Other topics discussed by the commissioners:

• Obermier said he and Commissioner Daniel Grotz have met with all the department heads, regarding their budgets for the next fiscal year. “We have asked for their budgets to be turned in by July 1,” Obermier said. “The committee will review the budgets with Jill (the county’s consultant) and then get a preliminary copy of the budget to the rest of the board members. Then we could set budget meetings and have the department heads come in to explain their budgets, to the public, in August.” Grotz said he felt it would be “great to have all the officials make their cases in public.”
• Grotz brought up how there is a lot of “artwork in the courthouse which was put up when the building was built. Maybe it’s now time to spruce things up? One thought is maybe there are some creators, some artists out there, who would like to display their work in the courthouse – then it wouldn’t cost the county anything to redecorate. Just a thought.”
• Commissioner Deb Robertson said she nominated Avery Blum of YC3 to sit on a Region V advisory board – and Blum was chosen to serve. “I am excited to have another representative from York County in this agency.”
• Robertson said she met with Lori Byers, director of the county’s aging services, and the two would be attending the Gresham Village Board meeting to discuss services offered to residents.
• Bowman is a representative of the county board at the roads department and weed department. He reported “tis’ the season for thistle spraying. Ernie (Weed Superintendent Price) has been busy with that. We are also trying to get the ditches sprayed. This year, the poison hemlock is crazy right now and we have a chemical mix that’s been knocking that down. And Phragmites keep popping up too. And on the roads side, there have been a lot of calls (since all the rain) and they are addressing those. This won’t be an overnight thing, and I have to mention we are also a couple of operators down.”
• Commissioner Robertson reported how the administrative assistant at the York County Veterans Service Office has passed testing which allows her to perform the duties of the veterans service officer, if need be.
• Commissioner Joe Burgess noted how the state will no longer being doing inspections of swimming pools in the near future – that task will be taken on by local health departments.
• Grotz said they would continue looking into using a specific mapping system for road assets.