A member was appointed to the Kankakee River Basin Commission by the Starke County Commissioners on Monday night.
The Kankakee River Basin Commission will soon turn into the Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Development Commission on July 1. Executive Director Scott Pelath explained what the commission was looking for in terms of membership.
“The statute says that the members of the commission should have a background in either construction, project management, flood control, drainage, or another similar professional background,” said Pelath. “However, it does not define what those words mean. It simply states them. The bottom line is it’s up to the interpretation of the individual counties to follow the statute.”
Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem said there were several good applicants for the position. She said she got a call from State Representative Doug Gutwein who recommended Dan Gumz, who sent information to all three commissioners. Norem said Representative Gutwein indicated Gumz is well-qualified candidate. She also mentioned that Gutwein attempted to call Commission President Charlie Chesak and Commissioner Bryan Cavendar to discuss the endorsement but was unable to communicate with them.
Norem made a motion to nominate Dan Gumz for the position, but the motion failed for a lack of a second.
Commissioner Bryan Cavendar said he contacted several residents in the farming community who have farmland in the basin area. Cavendar said they supported Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase for the seat. He made a motion to that effect which was seconded by Chesak. The motion passed on a vote of 2-1, with Norem opposed.
Crase will join a nine-member board on July 1 for a two-year term. One representative from each of the counties in the basin area will be on the board with one appointment made by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
