The Pulaski County Commissioners will meet tomorrow in executive session to interview five candidates for the assistant EMS director job. The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. EDT at the courthouse. EMS Director Nikki Lowry asked the commissioners to conduct the interviews so she can avoid the appearance of favoritism, since she knows each of the five applicants personally. If the commissioners do the hiring, they must do so during a public meeting.
The former superintendent of Pleasant View Rest Home in Pulaski County is suing the commissioners, auditor and county attorney for defamation, slander, libel and invasion of privacy. Sandra Hurd’s lawsuit stems from the circumstances that led to her suspension with pay and subsequent termination last August. Her lawsuit claims she found a possible clerical error in reports filed with a state agency last July, notified them and asked how to fix it. Hurd contends the commissioners convened an executive session July 29th and accused her of committing Medicaid fraud. She filed the necessary paperwork the following day to correct the error, according to the suit, and the county was notified in writing on Aug. 22 that no fraud was committed. The commissioners fired Hurd during an emergency public meeting on Aug. 27th.
“She can be fired for screwing up these reports, which she admits she did, and she resulted in the county paying a fine,” county attorney Kevin Tankersley tells WKVI news. “These are all hard facts that nobody can dispute. The wrongful discharge has got no chance of winning, no chance. The defamation is equally bad, because it doesn’t say anything we said.” Continue reading
Pulaski County EMS is down one ambulance until one damaged during a recent fire can be either certified and put back into service or totaled and replaced.
Director Nikki Lowry told the county commissioners Monday that the county’s insurance adjuster asked her to inspect the truck. Lowry said she’s not qualified to do anything more than determine whether it’s clean. The vendor from whom the county bought the most recent ambulance is willing to help if the county will bring the truck to Iowa.
A young man from Winamac has the blessing of the Pulaski County Commissioners to make his ambitious Eagle Scout project a reality. Clark Gudas wants to turn Rhinehart Park next to the Pulaski County Family YMCA into a skate park. He says it will give area youth a safe place to participate in activities like skateboarding, rollerblading and BMX biking.
The Pulaski County Commissioners approved an IT contract during an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
The commissioners had to hold the meeting as RB Walters left county IT service provider Degroot Technologies and he was the technician who took care of the computers at the Pulaski County Justice Center. Company officials believe he would be the best person to continue working on the computers as he is the most familiar with the processes at the jail. Degroot Technologies would continue servicing the county’s computers and the Justice Center would be handled by a separate contractor.
The Pulaski County Commissioners will meet in emergency session today at 3:20 p.m. ET to consider an IT contract to prevent disruption of the 911 system at the Pulaski County Justice Center.
The IT contract was discussed at the Pulaski County Council meeting on Monday night and the members discussed getting some sort of agreement with the current contractor to continue. The council wants to move forward as quickly as possible so coverage doesn’t lapse.
The onset of storm season has brought an ongoing issue for the Pulaski County Health Department back to the forefront.
Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen says they desperately need a generator in case of a power failure so their $80,000 worth of refrigerated vaccines don’t spoil. The county recently acquired two 400 kHz military surplus generators, but they are not compatible with the building’s existing infrastructure.
None of the Pulaski County government buildings have fire alarm systems tied in to the 911 system to immediately notify the fire department in the event of an emergency, and the courthouse does not have any sort of sprinkler system in place. Those issues were raised during Monday’s county commissioners meeting when Teri Hansen from the health department asked why the fire alarm system at the annex building on Riverside Drive does not go anywhere. Maintenance supervisor Jeff Johnston says he will look into the cost of doing hard-wiring it to the dispatch center. He says the annex building at least has a zoned sprinkler system in place. “If there’s a fire on the third floor, only the third floor suppression goes off,” Johnston said.
That’s more than the courthouse has in place, according to Johnston. “Over here, there’s nothing. If there’s a fire downstairs in the hallway, this is going to be a nightmare. This is something we’ve looked at. We’ve got battery- powered smoke detectors stuck on like you’ve got in your house.” Continue reading
The Pulaski County Commissioners awarded the contract for concrete work at the county recycling center to the low bidder when they met Monday evening. Winamac-based TM Construction bid $10,450 to pour a 34-by-96-foot, 4 inch concrete pad. Art Mau submitted a bid of $12,096, and Form It Corp’s price for the work was $13,056. The county has run afoul of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in the past because recyclable materials were sitting directly on the ground.
Maintenance supervisor Jeff Johnston says drainage continues to be an issue at the recycling center. Every time it rains, at least six inches of water stands there, and this winter the ground was an ice rink. The concrete pad will have a basin in the center for drainage, but that won’t solve the problem. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week reorganized the county home board, appointing eight people to the board after receiving a number of applications. Commissioner Larry Brady said the commissioners met last week in an executive session to review the county home board, and some of the questions asked of applicants was how they see the county home in the future, past work experience, education, party affiliation, organizational skill sets, strengths and weaknesses.
Debora Girton with the county rest home is on the agenda as well as David Weber, building inspector assistant, to discuss the adoption of a flood hazard.
The commissioners will also discuss the county home board and a new appointment to the Star City Sewer Board.
County attorney Kevin Tankersley reviewed the document for a few minutes and recommended that the approval of the contract be tabled as there isn’t a clear description of equipment use and a fee is not included. The commissioners will discuss the agreement at a future hearing.
Overall, the numbers looked good and Commission President Larry Brady explained the county is saving money in working with the insurance company to spread health awareness.
Their business was displaced due to the bridge project and Phillips and Combs were offered a settlement to vacate the building so the project could move forward.
Highway Superintendent Mark Fox explained that he has gone through 58 percent of his gas, lube and oil line item in the budget and 65 percent of another critical budget – and it’s only February! Fox indicated that he, the commissioners and the council will need to discuss these budgets as the lack of funds will cause trouble as the year goes on.
