Last Thursday, county officials discussed their latest achievements, plans and desired direction for the county as part of the State of the County address hosted by the Butler County Chamber of Commerce.

In doing so, they discussed a range of topics, such as the pandemic, the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport and the opioid epidemic.

The following is a breakdown of those topics and their involved discussions.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche talked about the county’s ongoing bout with COVID-19. She said it’s not over yet, but she felt Butler County navigated the pandemic better than most thanks to three major focuses.

“Our county really came out on the other side of that,” Osche said.

The first, she said, was excellence in governance. She said throughout the pandemic the commissioners tried to stay consistent with projects and initiatives while also shifting focus to the pandemic and helping people through it.

Osche said the second focus was on economic development and transportation. She commended the work being done through the Butler County Growth Collaborative. The collaborative connected residents and businesses to state and federal resources and assistance programs.

Osche said she has worked diligently with the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission to ensure the region gets the necessary state funding for road projects. She highlighted the work being done on Route 228 as one source that benefited.

According to Osche, the third focus was on upgrading public health, safety and quality of life, for everyone in the county.

Osche said throughout the pandemic, the commissioners conducted weekly calls with community members and businesses that work in these areas, such as Butler Health System and the county’s school districts.

Those conference calls were weekly through the height of the pandemic, but Osche said she sees relevance moving forward too.

“Those calls every Monday, we’ve decided we’re going to continue that monthly,” she said.

Commissioner Kim Geyer spoke at length about the Pittsburgh-Butler Airport, its status and a wish list for its future development.

Geyer said the first priority is finding a new manager for the facility, as former manager Ike Kelly retired after five years in charge. She said a committee will be working to interview and select the next manager.

“We’re trying to find the right person and the right fit to take the airport into the future,” Geyer said.

On the positive side, Geyer said the airport now has public water, which is vital to being eligible for future upgrades, such as renovating some of the older buildings.

Geyer said she would like to see additions, such as new hangars and a longer runway that will open a new realm of possibilities. She said those type of upgrades will bring new business that has already been waiting for the right moment to move in.

“That’s the deterrent right now is having our runway at 4,800 feet,” Geyer said. “We have businesses and people who want to come here. We just need to get our runway to 5,000 feet.”

Geyer also applauded the flight school attached to the regional airport, as they have consistently met the demands of a growing need for more pilots. She said some of the graduated pilots have already moved to flying for commercial airlines, ahead of schedule.

“The school is bursting at the seems,” Geyer said. “We need to take advantage of these things.”

Commissioner Kevin Boozel also talked about the pandemic and the difficulties it presented, which led into specifics of its affects on mental health and the opioid crisis.

“We know the pandemic has been stressful,” he said.

Boozel said the pandemic isolated parts of the population that already were struggling in isolation, sometimes compounding the problem; however, he said there have been some improvements. He said the pandemic helped establish telehealth as a core tool in many areas of health care.

But teleheath hasn’t solved all the problems the pandemic presented. Boozel said emergency medical services continue to struggle to keep up with heightened demands. He said it’s something he will continue working toward improving.

Meanwhile, on the opioid-front, the county is set to receive a boost to its substance-abuse disorder programs. Butler County was one of more than 50 counties that joined a multibillion dollar global settlement with the nation’s three major pharmaceutical companies.

Pennsylvania alone is set to receive $1 billion out of the settlement.

“For us in Butler County, that’s about $9.5 million coming over the course of 18 years,” Boozel said.

Boozel said luckily those funds have an open-range of possibilities. He said the funds could be used for children and youth programs, recovery programs or rehabilitation programs for those exiting the criminal system.

“We need to tailor that (funding) to our needs,” Boozel said.

Osche said providing places for those in recovery to work will also be a priority.

“We gotta have everybody who is able to work employed to keep all of us whole,” she said.

While Thursday’s event offered a large overview of projects and plans for the county’s governance, many residents will find that attending the county’s regular meetings will offer even further insight and detail into the happenings of Butler County.

The Butler County board of commissioners meets publicly every other Wednesday at 10 a.m. on the fifth floor of the County Government Center, 124 W Diamond St. It’s next meeting is March 16.

Other county committees and commissions also have public meetings, the dates and times of which are available on the county’s website, www.butlercountypa.gov.