The Starke County Park Board is moving forward with the replacement of the gate house at the Bass Lake Beach. The structure was seriously damaged when a pickup truck reportedly crashed into it back in November. Starke County Building Inspector Terry Stephenson believes the accident, along with wood rot and the settling of concrete, has left the building unsafe.
But at this point, it’s not entirely clear whether the pickup truck owner’s insurance will cover the entire replacement cost, according to park board member Roger Chaffins. “More than likely his insurance is not going to cover it, all of it,” he said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “So there, we go from his insurance to Callahan’s insurance; his is next. The county’s insurance is third.” County Attorney Marty Lucas suggested looking into why the driver would not be fully covered.
Chaffins said Stephenson gave him a list of four construction companies who may be willing to rebuild the structure. Chaffins considered asking them for quotes, while others suggested bidding the project out formally.
Lucas explained that how board members should proceed depends on the cost of the work. “The estimate is important, in terms of how formal this has to be because the bidding rules would apply because it is a public works project,” he said.
Bass Lake Beach Assistant Manager Larry Clarich raised concerns about whether the gate house could legally be rebuilt in its current location or if would have to be farther from the highway. Chaffins agreed to look into that, but didn’t think it would be a problem either way. “You could always go back,” he said. “If you have to go back two or three feet, that wouldn’t hurt nothing.”
“Maybe people wouldn’t run into it,” Lucas added.
Chaffins also wants to discuss the gate house replacement with the county commissioners, to see how they want to approach it.
