Commissioners award grants

Lorain County commissioners considered withholding a $51,167.29 grant June 6 from the city of Lorain due to a past dispute.

The 2018 Community Incentive Grant comes from the Lorain County Solid Waste District’s tipping fees and is based on the previous year’s income from recycling and are to be used for recycled products for the city.

Solid Waste Director Keith Bailey said that money then is divided among the communities in the county based on how much they recycled the previous year.

Lorain’s recycling is up about 70 percent since it moved to the garbage collection and recycling system used throughout the county.

Commissioner Lori Kokoski questioned whether the board of commissioners should withhold the funds because of an outstanding debt the city has with the county estimated at about $275,000.

In about 2008 or 2009, the city had applied for a solid waste grant to purchase products for the city, but once the products were purchased and an audit was performed, the items they bought did not qualify for the grant, Commissioner Ted Kalo said.

“It goes back to, heck, almost a decade,” said Mayor Chase Ritenauer.

The city and county leaders have spoken about ways to resolve the funding situation without Lorain facing a grant reduction or having to repay a large amount of

money, because money is tight for the city, Ritenauer said.

Possibilities could include the use of city property or recycling materials at the city-owned land known as the RTI site between the steel mills and Black River, he said.

There has been no final decision, but the mayor said he is open to discussion on ways to remedy the situation.

After some back and forth between the commissioners and County Administrator James Cordes

about the various options for withholding the money, the grant was approved.

The village of LaGrange also received a $5,382.92 grant through the same program.

In other news, the commissioners proclaimed June 17 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

After Kalo read the proclamation declaring the county’s commitment to senior citizens, Chandel Dusenbry, supervisor of Adult Protective Services, spoke about the work her eight-person unit does.

“We strive to do the best we can, but that does not come close to the number of phone calls that we would actually get,” Dusenbry said citing the 2,000 calls they’ve received since October 2017 that they have not been able to take care of due to state law.

“I am currently working with the state level to try to change the legislation in Ohio so that we can address more of these concerns and to see that there’s more criminal justice brought to some of these abuses that we’re seeing,” she said.

Dusenbury identified some of the warning signs of elder abuse as: changes in their appearance or demeanor; if they no longer go outside; and if they make comments of a questionable nature.

She urged anyone who believes they are witnessing possible elder abuse to call the unit.

All calls are anonymous, Dusenbry said.