Moeder recognized for years of service to county home

CELINA - Mercer County commissioners on Thursday honored Jerry Moeder for his exemplary commitment to the staff and residents of the now vacated county home at 4871 State Route 29.

Moeder, a third generation superintendent of the taxpayer-funded custodial-care facility, logged in more than 40 years of service.

"We want to thank you for your years of service, you and your family," said commissioner Rick Muhlenkamp. "It's been a longstanding tradition of the Moeder family to be there all those years, and you provided a great service to the county."

"I appreciate working for you guys," Moeder replied. "Never had any issues."

As superintendent, Moeder lived on site in a separate area with his wife and three children, who have since grown up. His father, Joe, ran the place from 1962 to 1988, and his grandfather, Ollie, first filled the position in 1948.

In a previous interview with the newspaper, Moeder recalled, as a child, gathering eggs from the hen house and apples from the orchard when visiting his grandparents. The home at that time was a self-sustaining farm; most everything needed was grown or raised on site.

He began working part-time on site at the home in 1977, Moeder said Thursday.

"Dad put me on when I was a junior in high school," he said.

"I know there's a lot of memories for your family," commissioner Jerry Laffin said.

All nine residents of the home have found new living accommodations, clearing the way for county commissioners to take the next steps toward demolishing and clearing the property.

Support to transition and relocate the residents was provided by Mercer County Job and Family Services, the Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Foundations Mental Health Service, according to a report issued by commissioners.

Some found residence at assisted living and nursing care facilities and others at apartments. Commissioners agreed to pay one month's rent and deposit on apartments for residents found to be capable of self-sufficient living. The funds came from the county home's budget.

"It's been very quiet," Moeder said about the now empty home. "The quiet is really what gets me when I walk around the halls. You were always hearing people talk or TVs on or something going on."

Moeder's kept busy "cleaning up some things out there," adding there's lot of records on hand too.

Muhlenkamp said commissioners are assessing the county home for valuable equipment, furniture and materials which will be removed before the building is razed. The home also must be inspected before commissioners can solicit bids to have it razed, Muhlenkamp said.

They also are looking into rerouting the on-site electricity in a boiler building that also powers a wastewater treatment plant just east of the county home as well as the county jail, the Silver Lakes housing Development and a populated area along Fleetfoot Road at the Menchhofer Woods subdivision. Garmann/Miller Architects-Engineers are drawing up plans, Muhlenkamp said.

"So that way the waste treatment center out there will have its own supply of electricity, and then there will be a time period we'll have to get DP&L in to do some electrical line switching," he said.

Asbestos abatement, building demolition and site improvements are estimated at $400,000. Other anticipated expenses include employee unemployment, $170,000, and resident transition, $70,000. The expenses will be covered with 2021 county home revenue of $1.4 million made up of $616,800 in 2020 carry-over funds, $775,000 in tax levy collections and $10,000 in board and maintenance funds, per the report.

Commissioners in late January moved to close and eventually raze the building, citing a lack of residents, inadequate facilities and cost-prohibitive renovations.

Most counties had an operational county home in the 1900s but the majority have since closed. The Mercer County Home is one of only eight county homes still in operation in Ohio.

The number of residents has waned over the years, from 34 in 1994 to 22 in 2004 and an average of 12 residents in 2020. It then dropped to nine residents, according to a report issued by commissioners earlier this year.

Commissioners said the availability of other federal- and state-funded programs has expanded, and other local agencies such as nursing homes have expanded to serve the same clientele as the county home.

The home had typically served people who could not live on their own without some level of daily or hourly support. However, it also was a non-certified care facility due to its design and lack of licensed medical staff.

Because it was not a licensed care facility, the home was not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare funding, Optional State Supplementation Payments or Supplemental Social Security payments of behalf of the residents.

The facility also wasn't suited for people who need extensive medical care, according to the report. With small individual rooms, group bathrooms and limited handicap accessibility, the building didn't easily serve the needs of residents today.

A levy is the main source of the home's funding, although residents who are able to pay for a portion of their expenses do so. The levy brought in $775,381 in tax income in 2020, according to the report. County home residents who paid fees for room and board provided $27,811 in 2020.

Voters renewed the levy to operate from Jan. 1, 2020, until Dec. 31, 2024. However, Laffin said the levy will only continue to collect until the end of this year and is expected to bring in roughly $775,000 in 2021.