On the recommendation of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) committee, the Kosciusko County commissioners approved over $1 million in grant requests Tuesday.
At their Oct. 16 meeting, the committee approved grant budget reductions so that unused money from previously approved ARPA grants from the county could be appropriated toward other new requests. The committee then approved recommendations to the commissioners and county council for new uses of those funds.
The first recommendation to the commissioners Tuesday was from Kosciusko County Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP) Coordinator Amy Roe, on behalf of Pierceton, for $67,201.55 for the town’s sidewalk project.
“So we are moving forward on our HELP projects, the projects that would receive the funding from OCRA (Office of Community and Rural Affairs) for the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) monies that the county put towards, the three projects times two, so six for each community,” Roe said. “Pierceton was a project that after two bids, bidding processes, had an overage.”
She said County Administrator Marsha McSherry found that in the money the county had already earmarked for the process for HELP, there was $67,201.55 that was not already earmarked for a specific project.
“This was money that we had told OCRA that we would put toward a HELP project, and so, after speaking with Pierceton multiple times, and (County Commissioner) Cary (Groninger) and others it was decided to present before the ARPA Committee to put that money toward the overage,” Roe said. “It is not all the money for the overage. Pierceton is also going to add to that to make sure the project can be complete.”
Roe said the ARPA Committee approved recommending the funds go toward the Pierceton sidewalk project. After the commissioners’ approval, the county council will be asked to approve the funds next.
Groninger said Pierceton rebid the project to get the cost down and they were able to do that, but the town still ended up a little short. He said the funds were already dollars the county allocated but are being redirected toward a different project.
The total overage for the project is about $105,000, with the town paying for about $38,000 of that. Roe said the $67,201.35 from the county will help the town, which is already using all of its ARPA funds toward the project, as well as CDBG funds from OCRA.
The commissioners approved the ARPA grant request.
McSherry presented seven other ARPA grant requests, also recommended by the ARPA Committee.
Those include $721,340 for the Justice Building parking lot; $144,553 for the Justice Building parking lot lights; $125,000 for Work Release fiber internet to the Highway Department; $85,000 for courthouse chiller labor; $79,600 for the three Public Safety Communications shelters that have HVAC; $65,000 for Work Release fiber from the Warsaw Police Department to work release; and $47,500 for Justice Building parking lot fiber.
The commissioners approved the recommendations.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Mulligan’s request to purchase a 2022 Ford F150 from N & J Auto Sales for $41,999. The vehicle will be used by the KCSO Investigation Division, with funds to purchase it coming from the Insurance Vehicle Replacement Fund.
• Kosciusko County Emergency Management Agency Director Kip Shuter’s request to apply for a Emergency Management Performance Grant for salary reimbursement for $51,847. He said the grant application is due next week.
• The request from Kosciusko REMC to rezone property from agricultural to industrial 2. The property is south of U.S. 30 and north of East Washington Road, Pierceton.
There were no remonstrators against the rezoning. The Area Plan Commission voted 8-0 at their last meeting to recommend that the commissioners approve the rezoning.
Attorney Steve Snyder, on behalf of KREMC, said it’s a substation right now for KREMC. The proposed use is a computer data center and a relatively small one as those go, he stated.
“But as with any other data center, it requires a significant amount of power, and REMC just happens to have a substation there that can accommodate it,” he said.
REMC put some voluntary conditions on the rezoning and those will be a part of the zoning ordinance that limits the real estate to being used for a substation and computer data center, unless otherwise approved by the Plan Commission and commissioners.
The next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 4 instead of Tuesday, Nov. 5 due to the election.