A long meeting

 Last week a memorial sculpture at the Fairgrounds was dedicated. An Eagle Scout planned and raised funds for this monument that honors five branches of military service and also the police, firemen, and EMS responders.

The Fairgrounds has a new digital sign at its entrance.

There is also a new memorial bench in the Historical Society area.

The Commissioners met Monday for their June meeting. They had a buried cable request that is part of the REMC project of providing broadband internet throughout the County but did not act on it because they wanted more information. The meeting was very long, over three hours, and before they recessed, the additional information was provided. The request was for several bores that total 3850 feet and it was approved.

The Commissioners approved a suggestion from the Health Department that the County follow CDC guidelines regarding COVID. Those guidelines say that those who have been vaccinated do not need to wear masks. Upon passage, almost everyone in the room removed their masks. The Commissioners also eliminated compensation for County employees who must quarantine. 

There were two public hearings on the agenda for vacating alleys in Kniman. The Commissioners expected these items would not take much time, but they were wrong. One hearing was for one alley and was initiated by a landowner who owned two lots that were separated by an alley. His proposal was opposed by a neighbor who worried that the owner would expand his landscaping business to the additional lot which was directly across the street from his house and bedroom. There was a long discussion that I could not follow because I do know know Kniman and eventually the item was tabled. The other public hearing was to vacate the rest of the alleys in Kniman. The discussion revealed that some of the alleys in Kniman were used to access garages. This motion was denied.

Later this year the County will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the building of the Court House. There is a committee investigating what can be done to mark the occasion and one idea is to renovate some of the sidewalks around the Court House. The committee wants whatever it does to fit with Rensselaer's planned Downtown Revitalization plans, so the consultants for that plan gave a presentation what was proposed for County property. The Commissioners approved the committee to continue working with the City and the consultants.

The Commissioners opened bids for work on County roads that will be funded by a Community Crossings grant. There were two bids, one by Town and Country (now part of Reif and Riley) for $904,888.29 and the other from Milestone for $946,684.70. The Commissioners approved the low bid pending receipt of the grant money from INDOT and review by legal counsel. 

Back from the May meeting was a request to use County land adjacent to the airport as a shooting range for 4-H shooting events. Those events include archery, pistol, rifle, shotgun, and muzzle-loader. The Airport manager said that clay pigeon shooting was incompatible with an airport and that he was worried that the noise of shooting would make a bad impression on visitors. The Commissioners decided that they would wait until after the next Airport Authority Board meeting (June 10) to decide.

The trustee for Keener Township had asked the Commissioners at the previous meeting to transfer a plot of land in the DeMotte Cemetery to the Township. The paperwork was approved at this meeting. He then asked the Commissioners if they could tell the Township what the EMS subsidy would be before they prepared their annual budget. The Wheatfield Township trustee requested $115,000 from Covid funding for several items that its EMS service could use. Mentioned in the discussion was that there was an effort underway to establish an EMS service for central Jasper County.

The Health Department has had difficulty in hiring and keeping a food inspector and wants to make the position full-time. They proposed making the position full time and to make the receptionist position part-time when it becomes vacant. The Commissioners approved that proposal subject to Council approval. The County Prosecutor has for several months been requesting that his investigator position be made full time. He has argued that it will be almost impossible to fill it with a qualified person if it remains part-time. There was a discussion of how he could use some money from child-support funding to help pay for the position. His request was approved subject to his working out the mechanics of funding with the auditor. He also requested use of the Court House lawn for an August 6 event that will highlight child support and that request was approved.

The Sheriff outlined new catastrophic insurance coverage needed because the previous supplier of the insurance was no longer offering the coverage. The Commissioners approved the bid and also permission to replace two jail officers and one dispatcher positions. He mentioned that DeMotte is losing an officer and expected that they would fill the position by hiring one of his deputies. (DeMotte pays more.) The Department has a vehicle with 170,000 miles that it no longer needs and is available if another County department can use it. He noted that he gets frequent complaints about speeding on County roads and suggested the Commissioners consider buying some boxes that flash speed to drivers. The Department has one speed trailer but there are multiple places where it can be used.

The Commissioners reviewed estimated costs of replacing or repairing four bridges that are deteriorating and approved work on the two that the consultant considered highest priority. They also approved spending no more than $2 million for paving and chip-and-sealing County roads. After approving mostly routine business, the three-hour long meeting was recessed until June 21 at 8:30 if needed.