MOUNT VERNON — Knox Public Health is again looking for new space.
Health Commissioner Zach Green told the county commissioners on Thursday that Knox Community Hospital plans to sell its two suites at 809 Coshocton Ave.
KPH leases one of the suites for its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
“We are actively seeking a new location,” Green said.
The current space offers 1,200 square feet. Green said 1,500 to 1,800 square feet with ADA accessibility is ideal.
“We would love to have them eventually be at our downtown campus,” he said.
Green anticipates Sol Harris Day will have a master plan in July for the West Vine Street location.
KPH is still working with the Knox County Land Bank on demolishing the structure at 205 W. Vine St. The beauty salon at 103 S. Mechanic St. has been demolished.
Green is working with Jeffry Harris of Bricker Graydon on the New Markets Tax Credits program to see whether it benefits KPH’s building plans.
“But the first piece is how do the parcels lay out?” Green said.
He noted a completed campus is three to five years out. The board is considering moving some operations into modular structures during construction.
In other public health news, Knox Public Health will undergo re-accreditation this summer. Green and the health board will also start a five-year strategic planning, focusing on increasing efficiency between departments in different locations.
Additionally, Green said the community health center received a $50,000 school-based planning grant to explore locating a health center in Centerburg.
The center would either be in the school or accessible to the school.
“It’s intriguing to me to see what we can do,” Green said. “There are a lot of dense [population] areas that are [health] deserts.”
OSU Extension
On Tuesday, Tanner Cooper-Risser and Catie Hayes updated the commissioners on the SNAP-Ed program.
The duo taught 137 direct and 21 indirect programs from January through March. The programs directly reached 1,292 participants (163 adults and 1,129 teens and youths), and another 3,480 indirectly participated.
Direct programs include demonstrations and taste-testing with an educational component. Indirect programs are taste-testings at farmers’ markets without an educational component.
Grants include a Danville Head Start grow tower and an Arch Park community garden storage shed.
Hayes is working on a grant for InJoy’s food pantry in Martinsburg. The pantry, based at Say a Prayer Ministries, serves 40 to 80 families a month.
The grant will cover a packing table and utility cart.
The Green Teen program, hosted by the Knox County Food Council, is hiring six teens to work in the community garden at Arch Park. The council inaugurated the program in 2023.
Legislative action
The commissioners took the following legislative actions last week:
•Approved Notice to Proceed from Beck Electric Company, LLC, for the Knox County Engineer Generator Project
•Authorized Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) Grant Renewal Proposal for the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office – Victim Assistance Program, $40,575 and $25,706, respectively
•Approved Contractor Agreement between Knox County Department of Job and Family Services and Jessica Spraker and Angela Ward for Ohio Means Jobs Summer Youth Job Coach Position
June 5
•Approved Star Ohio Bank Statement for General Fund Interest Earned in May 2024, in the amount of $14,011.34 and Star Ohio Bank Statement for Program Income Fund Interest earned in May 2024, in the amount of $2.48
•Approved Knox County Treasurer Depository and Investment Income Report for May 2024, in the amount of $110,498.31
•Authorized Contractor’s Application for Payment No. 5 from V.O. Menuez & Son, Inc., for the Krause Road Bridge Replacement (KNO-TR 112-0.36) in the amount of $133,813.88
•Approved Bill of Sale/Invoice for Stoops Western Star of Ohio for Knox County Engineer Purchase of Two (2) 2025 Western Star 47X Trucks in the amount of $281,644.00
•Authorized School Resource Officer Contract between the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and East Knox Local School District, $17,500
•Accepted Amendment to the Contract between Knox County Department of Job and Family Services and Forensic Fluids Laboratories, Inc.
•Approved Contractor Agreement between Knox County Department of Job and Family Services – Ohio Means Jobs and Elite Transport Group for Curb-To-Curb Transportation for Eligible Participants in Youth Programs
•Approved Memorandum of Understanding between Knox County Family and Children First Council and Knox Public Health regarding the contracted Family Team Support Coordinator Position
•Amended the scope of work and budget for Village of Brinkhaven Sidewalk Improvement Project and Village of Martinsburg Water Facility Improvements
•Accepted Environmental Review Certification Form for General Administration, Fair Housing and Planning for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
