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.
Johnston said the annex building needs some concrete work done after a crack developed on the southern wall. The contractor is working to get that resolved, and Johnston said he will soon have a better idea about what the repairs will entail.
Pulaski County may soon be outsourcing their property tax statements after the commissioners this week authorized Treasurer Lynn Wilder to contract with Master’s Touch, a printing company, to print and send tax statements this year. Wilder approached the commissioners and said she was interested in outsourcing the paperwork to save money and said there were a number of other benefits as well.
