The Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce had a group of special visitors on Tuesday.

Students from Open Door School attended, as a proclamation was read in honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

The proclamation makes March DD Awareness Month in Lawrence County. President Ronald Reagan first made March Developmental Disabilities Month in 1982 “to increase awareness of the contributions and challenges of millions of Americans who have some form of developmental disability,” read Commissioner DeAnna Holliday. “The Lawrence County DD programs serve over 600 individuals with developmental disabilities throughout Lawrence County and their families. We acknowledge that all people are capable of contributing to the community and support the full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all aspects of community living.”

The commission then took a moment to take their picture with the students before resuming the county’s business.

“We are glad everybody is here,” said Commission President Colton Copley.

Julie Monroe, superintendent with LCDD, thanked the commissioners for their continued support of LCDD.

“This month is about shining a spotlight on what our people need in this community,” she said. “They have abilities and give back just like everyone else.”

She added they look forward to all the events they will be having this month including their annual Chilifest be on March 22 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Open Door School, 606 Carlton Davidson Lane, Coal Grove.

“We look forward to seeing everyone there,” Monroe said.

Lawrence County 911 coordinator Nick Kuhn gave the commissioners a rundown of the calls they calls the 911 center got last year.

He said that in 2024, the dispatch center answered 43,072 calls, of those, 22,993 were 911 calls. 

Kuhn said while the numbers seemed different, if there was, say, a fire or a car accident, the center will get multiple calls from the public for the same event.

“We could get five or ten calls just for one thing,” he said.

Kuhn added that 98 percent of 911 calls were answered within three seconds, “which puts in the top tier for compliance with the state.”

He added the average time, from the call to the appropriate agency being notified, was 90 seconds.

The dispatchers have also been trained in fire dispatch protocols and with the new protocol and the short dispatch time, it helps to lower insurance rates for Lawrence County residents.

He added that other agencies across the state have been talking with their Lawrence County counterparts, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other counties’ dispatch center have begun mirroring Lawrence County procedures.

“This is all made possible by teamwork. There has been a lot of great teamwork happening,” Kuhn said, adding that dispatchers are putting in a lot of extra time and training to get better. He said before a recent snowstorm, people came in and slept in the office just in case an emergency arose in the county. “I am pretty proud of that.”

The Lawrence County Commissioners meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday on the third floor of the Lawrence County Courthouse.