Logan County District Board of Health members examined at their Wednesday afternoon meeting a replacement for the facility’s outdoor sign that is malfunctioning in front of the Logan County Health District, 310 S. Main St.
Health Commissioner Travis Irvan said one side of the digital sign currently is not working correctly, and it would be difficult to simply repair the sign because of its age.
He related that the agency is leaning toward replacing the digital sign with a static metal LED sign that would be signficantly less in cost, coming in under $3,000, compared to the price of a new digital sign, estimated at $20,000.
“The LED sign would still be lit up at night, and since it’s metal, would be very durable and should last us for a long time,” Irvan said, noting that the health district’s logo and address would be prominently featured on the new sign.
Also during the meeting, Justin Noble provided an IT security training session for the board members, providing an overlook at a new domain name change that will be upcoming for the health district’s website and also the agency’s upgrades to the Microsoft 365 program.
Noble related the agency has been approved to switch to a .gov domain name, a change that will take place in the upcoming months, along with other website updates.
He said a .gov web address is more secure and “establishes an immediate trust between the LCHD and the community.” Registration fees also are waived through the CISA.
For the new Microsoft 365 program that will soon be implemented, Noble said employees will have access to all current programs, plus Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. The system also is cloud-based, making remote work easier.
There is a $4,650 one-time cost to implement the program, and then monthly fees of $442.80 (but reduced to $364.45 per month utilizing the agency’s available grant funding).
Overall, Noble said the system will offer increased data security for the health district and increased productivity for staff.
Irvan related that he is excited for the remote work possibilities for employees.
“I think this is a long-term gain for our agency,” he said. “With gas prices hovering at $4 to $5 per gallon, it’s nice to offer employees the option of working from home on certain days. “This has the ability to help us retain our employees.”
Also related to employee programs, Irvan detailed the upcoming Summer Education Conference for LCHD staff, slated for noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at Lions Park in West Liberty. The afternoon will include lunch and team-building activities for employees.
With the conference, the health district office will close to the public at 11:30 a.m. June 16.
Members also scheduled a special Health District Advisory Council meeting for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at the Richland Township Park shelter house, to coincide with the Quarterly Township Association meeting. The last District Advisory Council meeting in March did not have a quorum, so the purpose of this special meeting is to vote on bylaws and set the next meeting date.
In environmental health matters, the board declared the former West Liberty Elementary School building at 420 W. Columbus St., West Liberty, a public health nuisance and ordered the owner to correct the violation by removing the structure within 90 days.
The health district was approached about this aging building, which has holes in its roof, collapsing floors and a number of other issues, by the West Liberty Village Council, which discussed it at a previous meeting, as previously detailed in the Examiner.
The West Liberty Village Council is looking to Brownfield Grant Funding to have the structure razed if no further action takes place by the property owner.
The next board of health meeting is 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 8.