County GIS Director Surprised With Award At Commissioners Meeting
November 10, 2021 at 1:17 a.m.
County GIS Director Surprised With Award At Commissioners Meeting
By David [email protected]
County Surveyor Mike Kissinger said, on behalf of the Commissioners, the county offices and county residents, “I’d like to congratulate Kosciusko County GIS Director Bill Holder.”
He asked Holder to come up to the podium with him, which Holder seemed reluctant to do.
“So Bill is the recipient of the highest GIS Award given in the state of Indiana. It’s called the David C. Ford Award, and it was named after an Indiana state senator whose area was just south of Fort Wayne,” Kissinger said. Ford was a recognized leader in support and GIS technology, as well as legislation in Indiana.
The David C. Ford Award is IGIC's highest reward. It is presented to an individual for exemplary service and dedication above and beyond duties for accomplishments in coordinating Indiana GIS through dissemination of data and data products, education and outreach, adoption of standards, building partnerships and advancing the IndianaMap, according to information Kissinger provided later via email.
“Spearheaded by Commissioner Jackson and County Administrator Marsha McSherry, Bill was nominated by his fellow county employees. In selecting Bill, the Indiana Geological Information Council, also known as IGI, noted the following: What sets Bill apart is his dedication to our field. Bill has worked with the Kosciusko County Historical Society to map cemeteries, gravestones in Kosciusko County, and he was actually president in IGI in 2008 and 2009,” Kissinger said.
As IGI president in 2008, Holder was one of the five original signers of the letter requesting data from each Indiana county for the data harvest program, which is still very much alive today, Kissinger said.
“I’m going to go off script and basically say, if you’ve never been on the county GIS site, you won’t find a finer one in the state of Indiana. The mountain of information on there is incredible and he’s the architect of that system,” Kissinger said.
To Holder, he said, “On behalf of the rest of us in Kosciusko County, Commissioners and fellow employees, congratulations!”
Holder’s academic education was focused on geography. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of South Alabama and his master’s in geography from Appalachian State University, the information provided states.
After graduating with his master’s, Holder worked as a GIS specialist for the Knoxville/Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission in Knoxville, Tenn., for almost six years. He then moved to Kosciusko County where he has been the GIS director for over 23 years.
In other business, the Commissioners:
• Approved the Kosciusko Area Bus Service’s operating claims for July 1 to Sept. 30, as requested by KABS General Manager Tony Peterson. The claim of $121,085 is 100% federally funded.
Commissioner Cary Groninger asked what the ridership has been. Peterson said it’s averaging 3,000 a month, which is down 1,000 to 1,500 from previous years.
• Approved the annual contract with Johnson Controls for planned services. Johnson Controls helps the county with the controls of the HVAC system, boilers, etc. The contract is for $11,560.
• Approved for Highway Superintendent Steve Moriarty to apply for a grant for 2027 for bridge No. 123. If the county receives the grant, 80% of the bridge project would be paid for by a federal grant, while 20% would be paid locally.
“The amount we’re asking for, for federal funds, would be $1.7 million and the local match would be $447,000,” Moriarty said.
• Opened the annual bids for the Kosciusko County Highway Department. The bids were taken under advisement and Moriarty will return to the Commissioners with recommendations at the Nov. 23 Commissioners meeting.
County Surveyor Mike Kissinger said, on behalf of the Commissioners, the county offices and county residents, “I’d like to congratulate Kosciusko County GIS Director Bill Holder.”
He asked Holder to come up to the podium with him, which Holder seemed reluctant to do.
“So Bill is the recipient of the highest GIS Award given in the state of Indiana. It’s called the David C. Ford Award, and it was named after an Indiana state senator whose area was just south of Fort Wayne,” Kissinger said. Ford was a recognized leader in support and GIS technology, as well as legislation in Indiana.
The David C. Ford Award is IGIC's highest reward. It is presented to an individual for exemplary service and dedication above and beyond duties for accomplishments in coordinating Indiana GIS through dissemination of data and data products, education and outreach, adoption of standards, building partnerships and advancing the IndianaMap, according to information Kissinger provided later via email.
“Spearheaded by Commissioner Jackson and County Administrator Marsha McSherry, Bill was nominated by his fellow county employees. In selecting Bill, the Indiana Geological Information Council, also known as IGI, noted the following: What sets Bill apart is his dedication to our field. Bill has worked with the Kosciusko County Historical Society to map cemeteries, gravestones in Kosciusko County, and he was actually president in IGI in 2008 and 2009,” Kissinger said.
As IGI president in 2008, Holder was one of the five original signers of the letter requesting data from each Indiana county for the data harvest program, which is still very much alive today, Kissinger said.
“I’m going to go off script and basically say, if you’ve never been on the county GIS site, you won’t find a finer one in the state of Indiana. The mountain of information on there is incredible and he’s the architect of that system,” Kissinger said.
To Holder, he said, “On behalf of the rest of us in Kosciusko County, Commissioners and fellow employees, congratulations!”
Holder’s academic education was focused on geography. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of South Alabama and his master’s in geography from Appalachian State University, the information provided states.
After graduating with his master’s, Holder worked as a GIS specialist for the Knoxville/Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission in Knoxville, Tenn., for almost six years. He then moved to Kosciusko County where he has been the GIS director for over 23 years.
In other business, the Commissioners:
• Approved the Kosciusko Area Bus Service’s operating claims for July 1 to Sept. 30, as requested by KABS General Manager Tony Peterson. The claim of $121,085 is 100% federally funded.
Commissioner Cary Groninger asked what the ridership has been. Peterson said it’s averaging 3,000 a month, which is down 1,000 to 1,500 from previous years.
• Approved the annual contract with Johnson Controls for planned services. Johnson Controls helps the county with the controls of the HVAC system, boilers, etc. The contract is for $11,560.
• Approved for Highway Superintendent Steve Moriarty to apply for a grant for 2027 for bridge No. 123. If the county receives the grant, 80% of the bridge project would be paid for by a federal grant, while 20% would be paid locally.
“The amount we’re asking for, for federal funds, would be $1.7 million and the local match would be $447,000,” Moriarty said.
• Opened the annual bids for the Kosciusko County Highway Department. The bids were taken under advisement and Moriarty will return to the Commissioners with recommendations at the Nov. 23 Commissioners meeting.
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