Miami County closes buildings to public

Commissioners approve state of emergency due to COVID-19 outbreak.

The Miami County commissioners Thursday approved a state of emergency in the county due to COVID-19 and voted to close county buildings, the city of Troy also announced late Thursday that it would close City Hall.

“I have been on this board for 16 and one half years and we have always tried to make this as open a courthouse as possible. Unfortunately, because of things that have happened in the past, we have had to (recently) institute security ... This now on top of it, closing the Courthouse, Safety Building and all county buildings has become, unfortunately, a case of having no option whatsoever for protection of you the public as well as our employees,” said Commission President Jack Evans.

The exception to entering buildings will be for those who have made an appointment or need to visit the courts or the sheriff ’s office. “If you do have reason to come, make sure it falls within when it needs to really be done. Otherwise, we ask for your assistance in not spreading the disease, stay at home,” Evans said. Those attempting to enter the county Safety Building and Courthouse will go through security checks and tell the deputy on hand why they are there.

The commissioners’ votes followed a meeting earlier in the day to discuss the building clos

ings with other elected officials and department heads. They were asked to come up with a staffing plan that might include rotation of employees week by week or other options The commissioners approved paid administrative leave for employees under the board of commissioners for up to 30 days. The employees on paid administrative leave would be required to be available by phone during their regular work hours.

County Engineer Paul Huelskamp

said his highway crews would continue working as long as possible. They currently are doing work on road berms, which is outdoors and employees are not working in close proximity, he said.

During the officials meeting, details were provided on the planned “fogging” of county buildings with a COVID-19 specific product. That work is scheduled to begin Friday evening. The electrostatic fogging is being done by a company that has provided the disinfectant service to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and other government facilities, said Chris

Johnson, county facilities and maintenance director.

Commissioner Ted Mercer said extra precautions such as the fogging is part of an effort “to do all we can to protect employees.”

Municipal Court Judge Gary Nasal had asked for added cleaning of courtrooms in the county Courthouse during a meeting earlier in the week. “Thank you to the board of commissioners for getting on this and getting it done,” he said.