Kosciusko Community Hospital is negotiating with The Otis R. Bowen Center for Human Services Inc. to purchase the building currently owned by Bowen Center and operated as an inpatient unit.

Bowen Center's office building will not be affected by the sale.

Bob Murphy, of R.P. Murphy & Associates, planning consultants, told the Kosciusko County commissioners Tuesday that when the deal is struck, KCH will ask the Bowen Center to relocate all clients. Bowen Center has no place currently to relocate and serve clients needing inpatient care, Murphy said.

But Bowen Center wants to apply for a Housing & Urban Development Community Development Block Grant through the Indiana Department of Commerce to construct a facility. The Department of Commerce provides grants to cities, towns and/or counties for projects serving low to moderate income persons. Inpatient clients are "severely disabled adults," Murphy said, who need 24-hour-a-day services. Severely disabled adults are presumed by HUD to be of low to moderate income.

Since Bowen Center is not eligible to apply for the grant, Murphy, on behalf of the Bowen Center, requested that Kosciusko County, through the commissioners, be the applicant for the grant to purchase land and construct the inpatient unit.

The county would be the applicant but Bowen Center would provide all needed funds for the local match. Bowen Center would make recommendations to the commissioners concerning all contracts to be signed and would assure that sufficient funds are available for payment.

The commissioners' responsibilities would include holding two public hearings, sign the application and all forms, write 15 checks for payment of contracts using grant funds and sign reports for five years after completion of the audit by the State Board of Accounts.

Bowen Center's responsibilities would include paying for public hearing notices, providing all funds needed in excess of the grant, preparing a sub-recipient agreement, preparing the grant application, recommending contracts to be signed, overseeing construction and preparing all reports for five years after completion.

If the Bowen Center receives the grant, the Bowen Center will be required to operate the facility as an inpatient unit for at least five years after the State Board of Accounts audit. Since the county would be the applicant, if the Bowen Center should close at any time, the county would ultimately have the responsibility of care for the inpatients, Murphy said.

Bowen Center has been operating the current inpatient unit since 1978. It is a requirement that Bowen Center, as a community mental health center, operate an inpatient unit. Murphy said the likelihood that Bowen Center would not continue to operate the facility is not an option.

Ron Truex, middle district county commissioner, told Murphy that since they just found out about the application that morning, county attorney Mike Miner needs to review the application and a decision could be made in two weeks.

Murphy replied that the application has to be turned in to the state by Jan. 23 and a public hearing must be held before then.

"We're not going to make a decision until the 13th. I'm very confident of that," Truex said. He said they want to make sure they understand it before they make a decision on it. Truex said the application would be on the Jan. 13 commissioners' agenda.

Murphy said he would go ahead and advertise a public hearing on the application for that day or thereafter, which the commissioners said was fine.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved an emergency shelter grant for the Beaman Home.

• Approved the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation grant.

• Approved to accept Greystone Subdivision on Chapman Lake Drive into the county maintenance system.

• Approved Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson's recommendation of a bid from Koch Materials, Michigan City, for asphalt as part of the annual bids.

Kosciusko County Commissioners present Tuesday were Avis Gunter, southern district, and Ron Truex, middle district. Not present was Brad Jackson, northern district. The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, every other Tuesday. [[In-content Ad]]