Commissioners To Take Next Step Toward Sewer District
June 13, 2018 at 5:27 p.m.
Commissioners To Take Next Step Toward Sewer District
By Mark [email protected]
Ken Jones, president and CEO of engineering firm Jones, Petrie Rafinski, told commissioners he attended a pair of meetings with Chapman Lake residents. He estimated a third of the residents came out between the two meetings, and the feeling was that most were in favor of having sewer service available for their homes.
Jones said he estimated the engineering work is about 70 percent complete. He also provided commissioners with some guidance in setting up the district boundaries.
He suggested the boundaries include homeowners that may want service years from now as well as others who might want service in the next year or two. Some homes are located at the end of roads or in cul-de-sacs that have sufficient acreage to install a second or third septic system, which might be the more cost-effective option for all involved.
Jones and county attorney Chad Miner said that to keep the project timeline intact, the commissioners will need to set and approve the boundaries by the end of July.
In other business, Miner presented commissioners with a pair of proposals. One was a resolution to authorize use of a special purchase system and allow county administrator Marsha McSherry to purchase an upgrade to the security system at the justice building. Miner said there are concerns the system is becoming outdated, and this will allow improvements to be in place sooner.
The other proposal renews a contract with the City of Warsaw for patrolling of county parking lots within city limits. Commissioners approved both measures.
The majority of the meeting was spent hearing budget proposals from not-for-profit agencies providing various services to the county. Presenters included Jerry Frush of the historical society; Melissa Zorn of the 4-H Council; Randy Hall of Cardinal Center; Glenn Hall of Home Health Care and Hospice; Tracie Hodson of the Beaman Home; David Neff from the Council on Aging; Katey Zeman of the Animal Welfare League, Kurt Carlson of Bowen Center; and Matt Meersman of the St. Joseph River Basin Commission.
The budget requests were for the same amount of money or for small increases, but Zeman did ask commissioners for a one-time $500,000 contribution toward the future AWL building. Zeman said they have $1.2 million in place and need another $1.19 million “to have a facility that will serve the animals of Kosciusko County for decades to come.”
County emergency preparedness coordinator Ed Rock received permission from commissioners to apply for five different grants, two of which are to be prepared in cooperation with the sheriff’s department. The grant money, if received, would help pay for improvements to hazmat services, reimburse the county for 50 percent of the salary for an assistant in the emergency preparedness office, an alert system to be implemented in most of the county schools, for security and public education training and an infrared camera drone that can help locate children lost in a field.
Amanda Landis of KABS received permission to purchase a new bus to replace an 8-year-old vehicle in the agency’s fleet.
The next county commission meeting will be at 9 a.m. June 26 in the old courthouse.
Ken Jones, president and CEO of engineering firm Jones, Petrie Rafinski, told commissioners he attended a pair of meetings with Chapman Lake residents. He estimated a third of the residents came out between the two meetings, and the feeling was that most were in favor of having sewer service available for their homes.
Jones said he estimated the engineering work is about 70 percent complete. He also provided commissioners with some guidance in setting up the district boundaries.
He suggested the boundaries include homeowners that may want service years from now as well as others who might want service in the next year or two. Some homes are located at the end of roads or in cul-de-sacs that have sufficient acreage to install a second or third septic system, which might be the more cost-effective option for all involved.
Jones and county attorney Chad Miner said that to keep the project timeline intact, the commissioners will need to set and approve the boundaries by the end of July.
In other business, Miner presented commissioners with a pair of proposals. One was a resolution to authorize use of a special purchase system and allow county administrator Marsha McSherry to purchase an upgrade to the security system at the justice building. Miner said there are concerns the system is becoming outdated, and this will allow improvements to be in place sooner.
The other proposal renews a contract with the City of Warsaw for patrolling of county parking lots within city limits. Commissioners approved both measures.
The majority of the meeting was spent hearing budget proposals from not-for-profit agencies providing various services to the county. Presenters included Jerry Frush of the historical society; Melissa Zorn of the 4-H Council; Randy Hall of Cardinal Center; Glenn Hall of Home Health Care and Hospice; Tracie Hodson of the Beaman Home; David Neff from the Council on Aging; Katey Zeman of the Animal Welfare League, Kurt Carlson of Bowen Center; and Matt Meersman of the St. Joseph River Basin Commission.
The budget requests were for the same amount of money or for small increases, but Zeman did ask commissioners for a one-time $500,000 contribution toward the future AWL building. Zeman said they have $1.2 million in place and need another $1.19 million “to have a facility that will serve the animals of Kosciusko County for decades to come.”
County emergency preparedness coordinator Ed Rock received permission from commissioners to apply for five different grants, two of which are to be prepared in cooperation with the sheriff’s department. The grant money, if received, would help pay for improvements to hazmat services, reimburse the county for 50 percent of the salary for an assistant in the emergency preparedness office, an alert system to be implemented in most of the county schools, for security and public education training and an infrared camera drone that can help locate children lost in a field.
Amanda Landis of KABS received permission to purchase a new bus to replace an 8-year-old vehicle in the agency’s fleet.
The next county commission meeting will be at 9 a.m. June 26 in the old courthouse.
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