Sheriff Chuck Black gave the Monroe County Commissioners a tour of the Sheriff's Office during their meeting on May 13. The administrative offices section of the Sheriff's Office have been under renovation for just over a month, and progress is revealing a dramatic change. Work is set to complete soon with only one office left to renovate.

The renovation is expected to cost close to $10,000. The offices were all gutted and refinished with new windows, laminate flooring, trim work and wall finishings. The offices had fallen into disrepair to the point that Sheriff Black said the floors had raised spots, and the old windows allowed in heat during the summer and cold during the winter.

Sheriff Black reported that labor costs were being defrayed by using incarcerated prisoners to do the work. Sheriff Black said estimates are that they have saved at least $30,000 to $50,000 in labor costs due to this arrangement.

After the tour, Sheriff Black requested that commissioners allow the department to utilize more than just its own general fund for the project. Commissioners discussed other funds within the Sheriff's Office that could be used. However, they told Sheriff Black that they would like to see the final cost of the renovation before deciding which funds to utilize.

Several issues were discussed in regards to the oil and gas industry during the meeting as well. Anthony Capp and Jim Wilson of Percheron Field Services met with commissioners to discuss a proposed pipeline they are working on with Bluegrass Pipeline LLC. If installed as planned, the pipeline would cut through Monroe County.

Capp said the proposed pipeline would not enter the construction phase until early 2015. The proposed pipeline is designed  to reach from Marshall County, WV to Martinsburg, KY where it will hook in with another pipeline. Capp said the pipeline is designed to carry natural gas liquids from the shale oil fields to processing facilities in Louisiana and Texas. 

Modern Home & Hardware celebrated the grand opening of its new, larger store in Woodsfield on May 10-11. While the entire store’s expansion and redesign was featured, the main event was the opening of their new Little Caesars restaurant. The business saw a steady stream of local citizens, who were treated with free Little Caesars samples, during grand opening festivities.

Expanded to more than 20,000 square feet, the new store doubles the size of Modern’s previous floor plan. The new layout will allow Modern to enhance and increase its already comprehensive selection of products and services, building on its status as an invaluable and trusted community resource.

“We’re a tight knit community, and we realize that people here turn to us for many services and products they may not otherwise have access to in a town our size,” explains store owner Karena Reusser. “Our new store not only helps us strengthen our existing services and the variety of products we offer, but add news ones to benefit our customers.  We’re very excited to welcome everyone to Modern Home & Hardware to discover everything we have available.”

Indeed, the new store features many new and greatly expanded product categories, including sporting goods and fishing/hunting supplies – highlighted by their Head Fur the Hills Outfitters department – as well as appliances, home décor, toys, commercial and residential oil field supplies, handcrafted goods and gourmet foods.

In addition, the new store will house a broad range of other essential community services, including a Verizon Wireless activation center, Kodak instant picture processing and a Little Caesars. The store will also feature a full range of Radio Shack products. 

Members of the Woodsfield Fraternal Order of Eagles have been busy raising awareness for the complex developmental disability known as autism.

The Auxiliary ladies sold puzzle pieces for name sponsorship and heavily decorated the Eagles with them, quickly spreading awareness. The puzzle piece is used to symbolize the mysterious nature of disorders on the autistic spectrum.

F.O.E. #2302 also set up a table at the 2nd Annual Autism Awareness Day on April 13 at the Monroe County fairgrounds. Eagles members donated materials and made rag flip flops to sell that day with 100 percent of proceeds going to Monroe County Autism Society of Ohio.

Beginning May 15 through May 22, Monroe County SR 145 (from the 5.0 MM to the 8.0 MM) will be closed from 7 AM to 3:30 PM daily to allow ODOT crews to begin tree trimming along the roadway.  

ODOT will be removing trees branches to enhance sight distance, improve height clearance for trucks and eliminate any potential hazards of falling branches.

The Relay For Life of Monroe County is now looking for teams for the 2013 event to be held June 7 and 8 at Hannibal Locks and Dam. If you would like to start a team, you may contact Crystal Longwell, event chair, at 740-483-1024.

Several events have occurred and are being planned for this year, Kickoff was in October with Bras Across the Bridge, which was a huge success and is being planned as an annual event in October.  Other fundraisers include the Bump, Set and Score a Cure volleyball game, Relay teams’ Longaberger Basket Bingo, and the teams are busy making plans for their individual fundraisers.

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service. 56 Monroe Countians have been served 159 times through the following American Cancer Society programs during the past year: Hope Lodge, I Can Cope, Look Good Feel Better, gift items or wigs, Reach to Recovery and 20 individuals received transportation assistance dollars ($1,638.00). There were 30 new cancer diagnoses reported to the American Cancer Society this past year in Monroe County.

Whether you know what you need or you’re not even sure where to start, a call to the American Cancer Society’s 24 hour, toll free information service or a visit to its Web site can be a critical step in understanding your disease and deciding how to overcome it.  Involvement in Relay for Life allows the American Cancer Society to offer these services that mean so much to cancer patients, survivors, and their families.  By visiting www.cancer.org or by calling 1-800-227-2345, anyone touched by cancer can quickly find information, comfort, and support.

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity.  It offers everyone in communities an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.  Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path.  Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event.  Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Relay for Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to celebrate lives of those who have battled cancer, Remember loved ones lost to the disease, and to Fight Back because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Monroe County represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.  For more information on Relay For Life, please contact American Cancer Society staff partner Chad Gardner at 1.888.227.6446 x3210 or Chad.Gardner@cancer.org