From the Feb. 17 Calhoun County Board of Commissioners Meeting On the consent agenda at this meeting, the Board approved a reimbursement to the Veterans Affairs office for training. Click here for the meeting agenda In new business, the Board approved,  a Road Department RFP recommendation for cold patching a lease recommendation for Michigan Works Southwest in the Albion Human Services Building a lease recommendation for Xcel Staffing in the Albion Human Services Building contract amendments from Senior Services related to funding for Dental and Hearing Programs, which are paid for by the Senior Millage

A message from Calhoun County Administrator/Controller Kelli Scott Black History Month is an opportunity to learn about contributions to our society by Black Americans. The United Way of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region has been sharing information on its Facebook Page about Black leaders, both locally and nationally, in history and today. Those who have been featured so far this month with stories about their impact are, Ruby Bridges - first African-American child to desegregate a Louisiana elementary school in 1960 and civil rights activist Leatrice Fullerton - Community Education Director of the Disability Network of Southwest Michigan Lucille W. Gorhan - first African American person to serve on the Greenville Public Schools Board Fannie Lou Hamer - American voting and women's rights activist and community organizer Follow the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region for these highlights throughout February. Want more? This Black History Month website pulls together resources from the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, and more. Click here for a complete list of interesting exhibits, collections, and resource guides.

Highlights from a few boards, committees, and events: There was a meeting of the joint budget committees on Friday, Feb. 4, which included some Commissioners and elected officials, as well as department heads who sit on the internal budget committee. A presentation was given about the need for renovation of the Calhoun County Juvenile Home. On Feb. 9, 2022, the Veterans Affairs Committee met. The Board approved adding Albert Smith to the committee, and it approved two Veterans Relief Fund applications out of five presented to the committee. On Thursday, Feb. 10, the internal Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee met. The committee discussed the recent all-employee diversity training that was been rolled out, other trainings that committee members have participated in, and an initial draft of committee mission and vision statements. A Joint Information Center briefing was held about the county's COVID-19 response on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Information was provided about the declining COVID-19 rates in Calhoun County, December vaccine data, and historic data on the COVID-19 variants. Watch the JIC on the City of Battle Creek's Youtube channel. Wednesday, Feb. 16, the Solid Waste Management Planning Advisory Committee met. The committee voted for a chair and vice chair to serve for 2022, and reviewed three applications for open positions on the committee.

Update from the Calhoun County Road Department Calhoun County Road Workers are tackling winter maintenance tonight as we experience more snow countywide. Please drive safely, especially after unseasonably warm conditions yesterday led to standing water on the roadway, which is now freezing in many places. Plows will be salting and clearing the roads tonight and again starting early tomorrow morning and into the day, as necessary. See where Calhoun County snowplows have been using the snowplow tracker. Sign up for updates directly from the Road Department on Textcaster.

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