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Harrison County Home holds a place in history

CHANGES MADE — Edward Banks, Harrison County Home superintendent, stands beside a mural inside the entrance of the “majestic-looking” facility. -- Carri Graham

CADIZ — The Harrison County Home has been entrenched in the community of Cadiz since the mid-1800s and continues to play an important role.

The “well constructed” and “majestic-looking” main building that was constructed in 1905 has been aiding community members and passersby for more than 100 years. Not only does the facility house the elderly today, but at one time it also was used to help the homeless “hobos” or wanderers that passed through the village. A small building on the property, which still stands today, was referred to as the “hobo house” and was offered to men and women who were passing through who had no place to stay.

There are currently 25 residents that call the HCH home and nearly 30 staff members working at the facility. The home provides 24-hour staffing for resident care.

Edward Banks was appointed to his current position of Harrison County Home superintendent in November 2017. He has been making adjustments and improvements since the beginning of 2018.

“We want to support these folks. It is their home. We’re just here to help,” Banks said.

At one time, the property of the county home was the site of 13 additional structures, including barns, feed storage sheds, tool sheds, the “hobo” building and a county infirmary. With the exception of the main structure, the large barn and silo are the only original structures left standing, Banks said.

Improvements started at the ground floor, he said, and continue throughout the facility’s three levels. The senior citizen facility has received a newly sealed and striped parking lot, awnings, canopies, change in job descriptions, support staff and polices.

An activity program for residents also has been implemented.

“We’ve fostered a relationship with Meadows of Cadiz. We do our activities together,” he said. “It’s a way of folks getting to know other folks, and see other folks, other than the folks they see every day.”

Some of the larger amenity upgrades include new roofs on three porches, a new custom outdoor sign and front door security. The county home has a number of projects: Lift chair installation, change of sprinkler heads in the entire building, laundry room remodel, and electrical and lighting upgrades.

Among the most recent upgrades is the modernization of the facility’s elevator, which was originally installed in 1974. The home submitted a proposal to the Harrison County commissioners in April. The request was approved and the home was allocated $133,00 for the project. The first installment and initial payment of half the cost, $66,500, was requested by Banks.

The commissioners unanimously approved the request for the down payment and invoice received from the contractor of the modernization, the Otis Elevator Co. of Wheeling.

The project will take around six to eight months to complete, Banks said, and will include the cabin, hoisting equipment, machine room equipment and controls, identifying water and any other penetration issues, along with necessary HVAC and electrical upgrades to meet the current state codes.

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