The water main replacement work is funded by a 0% interest loan and a grant through the Ohio Public Works Commission. The roundabout safety improvements and final resurfacing total approximately $1.2 million, with federal Small Cities, Safety, and Urban Resurfacing funds through the Ohio Department of Transportation paying approximately $950,000 of these costs.

The fifth phase of the project has closed Miami Street between Monument Square and Walnut Street since Sept. 23. This section of roadway is scheduled to reopen on or before Nov. 6.

The Miami Street closure was planned to be the shortest closure of the project, but a week of closure is being added to ​assist the contractor in the final resurfacing work on the project. This closure will be equal in duration to the previous closures for the other legs of the project. Local and state route detours will remain posted.

The sixth and final phase of the project involves the final resurfacing of the project area, including the milling of the existing pavement surface, resurfacing and striping. Weather permitting, the contractor plans to mill the existing pavement surface on two consecutive evenings during the nighttime hours beginning Sunday, Oct. 27. Due to forecasted overnight temperatures during the week of Oct. 27, the paving work has been scheduled to occur during daytime hours versus the overnight paving schedule originally planned.

On-street parking restrictions will be posted within work areas during the milling and resurfacing work, and vehicles parked in violation will be towed. During some phases of paving work, thru-traffic may be restricted. In addition, flaggers will be used by the contractor to maintain traffic.

Businesses will remain open during this final construction phase, and city officials ask that residents and visitors patronize downtown businesses. On-street parking within the project area will be affected during the paving work, but nearby parking lots and on-street parking outside the project area will remain available.

For timely updates due to weather delays during the pavement resurfacing portion of the project, check the city’s website (urbanaohio. com) and Facebook page.

By Matt Sanctis - Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
​Nursing and truck driving are the most in demand jobs in the region that includes Clark and Champaign counties, with jobs in retail also near the top of the list, according to a state report.

The report from OhioMeansJobs provides a snapshot of online job ads posted in a one-month period for six different Ohio regions. It provides an indication of the most in-demand occupations and a list of regional employers doing most of the hiring in a given area.

The results were not a surprise, said Amy Donahoe, director of hiring and employer services for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. She said many companies, both locally and nationally, continue to struggle to find and retain qualified truck drivers.

Clark State Community College has a program to train drivers for the industry, she said, and the chamber is working with partners to find better ways to promote in-demand jobs in the region.

“We do recognize there is a need there and Clark State has a great program,” Donahoe said. “We also need to figure out how to engage the schools so they can help educate students about it becoming an option for them. If parents understand what kinds of opportunities there are and what kind of pay is involved, it’s a good place for some graduates to start.”
The report showed a total of 16,658 online job openings from Jan. 14 to Feb. 13 this year for a region that includes, Clark, Champaign, Montgomery, Greene and Miami counties.That’s an increase of about 700 job postings compared to the same time last year, and an increase of about 1,300 postings from the previous reporting period.

Kettering Medical Center was the highest number of job ads in the region with just more than 1,000 ads, the report says. Mercy Health, the biggest employer in Springfield, was also near the top of the list with 131 postings.
The report shows a little less than half the ads posted, about 44 percent, require at least an Associate’s degree. About 30 percent required a high school diploma or GED only and about 23 percent required a Bachelor’s degree.

In Champaign County, local officials have developed Community Job Connect, an online job site specifically for Champaign County businesses and residents. Many of the ads posted on that site include construction and manufacturing positions.
“Every employer is using every mechanism available to them to find employees,” said Marcia Bailey, economic development coordinator for the Champaign Economic Partnership.

With a low unemployment rate, Donahoe said industries such as retail will likely continue to see a gap between the number of applicants and available jobs as workers look for higher-paying work.

“When other businesses are hiring, you see a lot of people from retail go into manufacturing for instance,” Donahoe said of entry-level positions. “The pay could be a little more at times and sometimes it’s just equal. But there are also greater opportunities for upward mobility.”

Unmatched coverage
The Springfield News-Sun provides award-winning coverage of jobs and the economy in Clark and Champaign counties, including recent stories tracking local unemployment rates and expansions at Topre America and Silfex.
By the numbers:
16,665 — Online job ads from Jan. 14 to Feb. 13 in the region that include Clark and Champaign counties
1,305 — Increase in job ads from previous reporting period
722 — Increase in job ads compared to same time last year
44.5 percent — Jobs requiring an Associate’s degree
Source: Ohio Means Jobs

Manairco Inc. (Manairco) and Hughey and Phillips LLC (H&P) announced that the companies entered into a definitive merger agreement under which H&P will acquire substantially all the assets of Manairco. Manairco is a well-established sales and manufacturing company with a reputation for excellence in the manufacture and design of airfield lighting systems and accessories. The company has a broad installed base throughout North America and across the globe. Manairco is an industry leader in both product quality and customer service.

Upon the closing of the merger transaction, Manairco’s product and service offerings will be added to the Hughey and Phillips product offerings and sold through the combined global sales force. Manairco’s existing operations and customer service will be maintained at its current manufacturing facility in Mansfield.

“Manairco has built exceptional relationships across the airfield lighting industry over the years with its broad product offerings and commitment to meeting the needs of its customers,” said Gayle Gorman-Green, president and CEO of Manairco. “We believe this merger represents an opportunity to combine the technical and customer service of the companies across a broader spectrum of customers and geographies. I look forward to continuing to lead the Manairco team at this exciting time.”

“We at Hughey and Phillips are delighted about this opportunity to work closely with Manairco’s strong team and its existing customers to bring customized solutions to the airfield lighting industry,” said Steve Schneider, president and CEO of Hughey and Phillips. “This partnership allows Hughey and Phillips to continue its expansion into the airfield lighting market by offering a combination of lighting and marking products as well as power management solutions for airports and heliports both large and small.”

About Hughey and Phillips LLC
Hughey and Phillips is one member of a conglomerate of companies serving the aviation, transportation, security and medical markets from its headquarters in Urbana, Ohio. H&P is a global leader in obstruction and airport products and has been serving the safety needs of the transportation industry since the 1930’s. H&P offers complete solutions for lighting systems designed and manufactured by H&P in the USA including strobe and LED offerings. The company has a full engineering staff providing complete support and design in optical, electrical and mechanical disciplines. Contact Hughey and Phillips at www.hugheyandphillips.com.

About Manairco Inc.
Manairco, a woman owned small business concern, has served the airport/heliport lighting market with quality, economical lighting equipment since 1955. Manairco offers a broad range of lighting and marking products as well as power management solutions for a variety of aviation applications. Contact Manairco at www.manairco.com.
​
Submitted by Hughey and Phillips, LLC.

Read more about the Simon Kenton Trail at www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/2017/october/13/ohio-s-simon-kenton-trail/.

By Katherine Collins - Springfield News-Sun Staff Writer
​A $1.3 million project to upgrade a stretch of road on one of the major arteries in Champaign County should improve safety for pedestrians and prevent flooding, Urbana city leaders said.

​A contractor has been chosen to fill in sidewalk gaps, add streetlights, a crosswalk, storm drains, gutters and curbs on U.S. 36 East between Berwick Drive and South Dugan Road. The project will be funded with grant money from state and federal agencies, Urbana City Engineer Tyler Bumbalough said, as well as matching funds from the city and Urbana Twp.

The road is the main east-west highway in Champaign County and gets a lot of commercial traffic, he said, with at least 10,000 cars passing through each day.

“The speed limits are 35 out there and it is quick and it’s busy,” Bumbalough said.

The stretch of road to be addressed has both the Champaign Family YMCA and Champaign County Public Library, he said — two locations people often want to walk to.

Dirt trails have been worn along the road where people have frequently walked.

“Pedestrians, I do see them crossing once in a while and they’re risking their lives doing so,” Bumbalough said.

“We want to make it more walkable and safer for them.”

The YMCA has taken safety precautions because of the lack of sidewalks, Champaign Family YMCA CEO Paul Waldsmith said.

“We don’t have children enrolled in programs walking out onto 36 at this point in time,” he said.
[Read the full article at SpringfieldNewsSun.com]

by Joshua Keeran, Weekly Current (Full Article)
Future improvements to Champaign County’s transportation systems received a boost on Jan. 27 when Gov. John Kasich designated the Logan-Union-Champaign (LUC) Regional Planning Commission as an Ohio Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO). With this designation, which covers Logan and Champaign counties, the LUC’s RTPO will be working hand and hand with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

“It means that the LUC’s RTPO is formally recognized as a body to enhance the planning, coordination and implementation of statewide strategic long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement programs, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of non-metropolitan areas of the state,” LUC Director Dave Gulden said. He noted the Ohio RTPO designation came following the LUC’s involvement in ODOT’s two-year RTPO Pilot Program, in which grant funding was used to complete and adopt a regional transportation plan last year for Champaign and Logan counties.

Champaign County Engineer Stephen McCall, who serves as LUC Regional Planning Commission Board president, said, “The RTPO is another potential avenue for transportation funding, and this official designation bodes well for the program.”

Along with formalizing the transportation planning process with ODOT, Gulden said, the RTPO designation gives the LUC a seat at the table when transportation decisions are made at the state level that affect Champaign and Logan counties.

Addressing regional transportation issues
From now until July 2017, Gulden said, the RTPO component of the LUC will be funded through an ODOT grant, with the focus on carrying out the RTPO’s scope of work.

“The next two-year scope includes involvement with the ODOT planning process, data items like traffic counts, grant writing like using the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) program for transportation improvements, and regional transportation plan implementation.”

One area the 2015 regional transportation plan highlighted as needing to be studied more in-depth was the Indian Lake area, specifically the impact of seasonal traffic and population on the area’s transportation system.

As for Champaign County, Gulden said, the LUC’s RTPO will be looking into two specific forms of transportation – freight and bicycles.

“A freight profile will be developed as another sub-area plan, which will include Champaign County,” he said. “Also, ODOT is designating state bicycle routes that will impact Champaign County.”

City of Urbana Engineer Tyler Bumbalough, who also serves as an LUC Regional Planning Commission Board member, said developing a freight plan for Champaign County would benefit the city, especially the downtown area.

“Out of about 25,000 vehicles a day that pass through Monument Square, 7 percent are trucks,” he said. “That means about 1,750 trucks pass through each day, so, yeah, I think there’s demand for a freight plan.

“Grimes Field is an under-utilized asset for the city of Urbana, too. More freight coming in and out of there could benefit the city economically,” he added.

As for a U.S. Route 68 bypass being a possible part of the freight plan, Bumbalough said he doesn’t see the bypass being economically responsible at the state or local levels.

“Locally, downtown and the U.S. 68 corridor would suffer because drive-by business is critical to their well-being,” he said. “From a state standpoint, many existing infrastructure needs outweigh a new project.”

Champaign Economic Partnership Economic Development Director Marcia Bailey, who served on the steering committee during the creation of the regional transportation plan, said the LUC being designated an Ohio RTPO is a “great asset” for economic development within Champaign County.

“The plan identified areas of improvement in our transportation that would allow and foster economic and community growth in our region,” she said. “The LUC will be able to better assist the communities as we move forward with planning for development projects (residential, commercial and industrial) regarding transportation needs.”

From a county economic development perspective, looking at ways to improve how freight makes its way in and out of the county is something Bailey is looking forward to.

​“A freight transportation plan will be vital in establishing a safe, cost-effective route for current and future businesses,” she said.

Joshua Keeran may be reached at 937-652-1331 (ext. 1774) or on Twitter @UDCKeeran.