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Last week’s manure spill, that resulted, in the contamination of Rock Creek was the major talking point for the Wells County Commissioners Monday morning.
The commissioners thanked Wells County Surveyor Jarrod Hahn for his efforts to help resolve the situation, and in particular the extra hours he put in over the Sunday night, working through the early hours of the morning at the site.
Scott Mossburg noted that one of the major dilemmas encountered was determining what to do with the contaminated water. The commissioners asked whether it would be appropriate for the Area Plan Commission to make it a requirement of future permit applications for manure lagoons, or similar structures, that the landowner should have sufficient acreage to allow contaminated material to be pumped back into his land.
It was also noted that this is the third occasion within a time span of approximately one year that a manure spill has been an issue in the county, making it something that clearly needs to be addressed.
In other business, Paul Bonham advised that a special ceremony will be held to honor Karen Tuttle’s 39 years of service at Maplewood Home on June 14. The ceremony will be from 2 to 4 p.m. at Park United Brethren Church, in the 600 block of South Bennett Street.
Bonham also advised that one resident had already left Maplewood Home, and that arrangements were being made to transfer four to the Adams County home. The heads of the various Wells County government departments will be meeting at the end of this month, and will discuss how best to arrange the clearance of historical county records that are currently stored at Maplewood Home at that time.
Larry Owen discussed options for disposing of the structure that currently is the bridge over the Salamonie River at 900S. This bridge is due to be replaced, with Owen estimating a September letting of the project.
The current plan involves the Town of Ossian taking over the current structure, however this is proceeding slowly at this stage. Other potential options, should Ossian be unable to take the structure, include demolition, storage on adjacent or nearby land for a specified time to enable another organization that might want it, or (Owen’s least favorite option) to store it at the county highway garage.
The commissioners discussed several courthouse maintenance projects with courthouse Custodian Bobbie Studebaker.
The commissioners approved awarding a contract for new carpet in the circuit court to J. R. Flooring of Montpelier at a cost of $3,025.23.
The commissioners also approved the awarding of a contract for window cleaning at the court house to Fish Window Cleaning of Fort Wayne at a cost not to exceed $1,500.
The commissioners also agreed to provide $1,167.50 in funds towards renovations in the Community Corrections area at the court house, representing half the cost. The rest of the money will be provided by the Community Corrections Department.
Owen also advised the commissioners of plans to involve Craig Leonard in the project to rehabilitate the county highway garage. The garage was originally built as a train shed for the Marion Bluffton and Eastern Railroad, and is therefore regarded as an historic structure.
It is proposed that Leonard will provide expertise in the historic aspects of the building. His involvement will be contingent upon the project being funded by INDOT.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved a payroll amount of $196,170.07, and 167 claims totaling $364,943.28.
• Were advised by Sheriff Bob Frantz there are currently 118 inmates in the Wells County Jail. Of these, 29 are Department of Corrections inmates and 89 are county residents. Twelve inmates are women.
• Were advised by Sheriff Bob Frantz that the jail has once again been opened up to visitors, following the recent closure as part of the swine flu precautions. Sheriff Frantz reported that there were no serious health issues encountered at the jail, beyond the normal colds and other minor ailments.
• Approved a utility permit for Comcast on 850N at the railroad tracks, in the Ossian Industrial Park.
• Approved a utility permit for Verizon on 525N, just west of 200W.
• Were advised that Owen is still working on applications for stimulus funding through the various packages available.
• Discussed the issue of trucks using engine braking as they proceed through Liberty Center, and the drafting of a potential ordinance designed to prohibit this.
In addition to Mossburg, Commissioners Paul Bonham and Kevin Woodward were present at the meeting.
The commissioners’ next meeting will be at 9 a.m. Monday, June 1, at the Wells Carnegie Annex, 223 W. Washington St.
frank@news-banner.com
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