DELHI - At the Delaware County Planning Committee meeting held Sept. 8, director Shelley Johnson-Bennett announced Fort Bragg personnel will assist with Delaware County’s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) event to be held July 10 - 21, 2023. Approximately 75 to 100 servicemen and women will help run the 10-day event aimed at providing underserved communities with health care services.
Services offered at the event, which will be at SUNY Delhi, will include medical exams, vaccinations, dental care, optometry, and veterinary services.
From July 10 - 21 Delaware County residents can receive free health care services including a free pair of glasses, dental crowns, and limited dental surgery. There are no income limits for participants and no identification will be requested, she said. Johnson-Bennett is working to secure transportation for those who want to participate. Vaccinations for senior citizens will be an important portion of the event, Johnson-Bennett said. Even with the use of health insurance, vaccinations can cost hundreds of dollars out of pocket, Johnson-Bennett said.
In other business:
• A public information officer (PIO) position will be created and budgeted for in 2023. The position will have a $10,000 stipend. Johnson-Bennett will be recommended as the PIO. According to Tina Molé, supervisor chairperson, Johnson-Bennett has been performing PIO duties since 2020. Responsibilities will include sending press releases, posting to social media, and monitoring public questions on social media.
• It is anticipated that a public hearing will be scheduled by supervisors for Wednesday, Oct. 12, regarding agricultural district four which includes the towns of Delhi, Kortright, Meredith, and Davenport.
• According to Johnson-Bennett, as of Sept. 7, Delaware County has a COVID-19 positivity rate of 6.6%, a stagnant vaccination rate of 59%, and 32.7% have received booster shots. There have been 75 COVID-19 related deaths in the county.
• The available grants manager II position will be reclassified to grants manager I to allow more qualified applicants to apply.
• Johnson-Bennett applied to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for a $150,000 grant to match a county American Rescue Plan Act grant to create a county comprehensive plan. A housing study will be included in the plan, she said.
• Planning department summer interns identified over 200 culverts in Harpersfield that were not previously mapped. Interns will map Meredith in 2023.
• Johnson-Bennett requested that Environmental Planner Josh Roe, be authorized to update planning and public works department computer programs. Molé will discuss the request with the Information and Technology department.
• Kurt Riegel from the Coventry Museum Association will assume ownership of historical items preserved from FEMA Flood Buyout homes. The county is required to inventory and preserve historical items prior to demolition of homes.
• Johnson-Bennett is working with the economic development department to create an interactive county recreational map as a part of tourism promotion.
• Roe is working with Pete Montgomery, county maintenance superintendent, on placing markers at the Delaware County Poor House cemetery on Arbor Hill Road in Delhi.
The next Delaware County Planning Committee meeting will be held Oct. 13, at 1 p.m.
