Fagner explained the grant will be used to support the coroner’s efforts, to purchase items like bodybags, toe tags, mobile printers to be used in the field, GPS units and other items.
Commissioner Larry Brady made a motion to approve her request. Terry Young seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
The Pulaski County Commissioners agreed to back the Medaryville Fire Department in their quest to receive a grant for a new fire department/community center.
Fire Chief Shaun Hauptli told WKVI that they are seeking a $400,000 grant to build a new fire house which can also be used as a community center for town events. He added that they are in the very first stages of the process and will have more solid details this week after meeting with an architect.
Pulaski County Surveyor Jenny Keller appeared before the commissioners Monday night to discuss the move to the highway garage.
Keller told WKVI that she wanted the commissioners to know her feelings and the feelings of those in the office about the idea of moving from their space in the courthouse out to the county highway garage. She is not in favor of the move and had expressed that opinion to the commissioners in previous talks on the issue.
Polling places for voters in Pulaski County will be streamlined during the upcoming election following action by the county commissioners. They adopted the election commission’s recommendation to make the county highway garage on U.S. 35 north of downtown Winamac the polling place for all four Monroe Township precincts. The commissioners also combined the Indian Creek, Harrison and Van Buren Township precincts into one location. Residents of all three will vote in Star City at the community center. The voting machines purchased by the county several years ago will easily accommodate this consolidation, as they can be set for each individual voter. The consolidation also means the county will need fewer Election Day poll workers. Continue reading
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn discussed the development of a security plan for the safety of those in the courthouse during business hours.
It has been suggested that a security plan be put in place. Judge Shurn told the commissioners that he will soon be putting together a plan in order to not only keep his court secure, but protect the visiting citizens as well.
A visit from the state fire marshal has spurred the move of the Pulaski County Assessor’s Office, as the county commissioners last night passed a motion to move the assessor into the office in the courthouse currently held by the county surveyor, who would be relocated to the county highway garage. The commissioners also approved a motion to seek estimates on constructing an office in the highway garage, which currently has a lot of space but no unoccupied offices.
Assessor Holly VanDerAa told the commissioners that the fire marshal visited her office and advised her that the tables located in the hallway were unacceptable and that the office’s counter is also infringing on the distance to the hallway. Because the office is so cramped, VanDerAa said they have had to use the tables in the hallway in order to deal with taxpayers. Continue reading
The former Pulaski County Highway Garage next to the recycling and transfer station will soon be reduced to a pile of rubble. The county commissioners Monday authorized county attorney Kevin Tankersley to send a notice to quit to Fletcher Well Drilling giving them 30 days to vacate the building directly behind the old county highway garage because that building was also deemed unsafe and no longer fit for their occupancy.
The company has paid the county $500 per month to use the space for the past several years, but no formal lease agreement has surfaced. As a result of their at-will tenant status, Tankersley says the 30 day notice will be adequate. The county maintenance supervisor has deemed the building beyond repair.
The highway garage, however, is expected to soon be demolished. The gas service was recently disconnected and capped off at the street. While the building occupied by Fletcher Well Drilling is not up for demolition, the county deemed it a hazard and not worth repairing, and because of liability concerns, the county is asking the company to vacate the building.
The commissioners also approved the hiring of Christy and Justin Chapman to serve as live-in caretakers at the facility after the previous caretaker was released from his contract due to reported violations.
The Pulaski County EMS Department may soon be taking advantage of a free smartphone app to help lessen the burden on dispatchers in incidents requiring medical airlift support. Nikki Lowry, EMS director for the county, told the commissioners that there is a new app available to allow responders at the scene to call for a helicopter based on dispatch information. The app only requires a written agreement between the county and a medical helicopter provider such as Samaritan or LifeLine.
American Contracting Service offered a bid of $302,515.20, while LaPorte Construction submitted a bid for $181,102.35. Jack Isom Construction sent in a bid for $169,999.99, JCI Bridge Group submitted one for $176,527.32, and Yates Construction entered their bid for $312.903.27. Rieth-Riley Construction entered a bid of $299,988.
