Annex plans still in flux (02/10/2009)

Plans to move a county agency into the new courthouse annex on Meridian Street are at a standstill.

John Knipp, director of the Jay County office of the Purdue Cooperative Extensive Service, spoke with the Jay County Commissioners again Monday afternoon with two quotes on getting phone service hooked up to the building.

The commissioners looked at the two prices, one from Embarq and one from Prep4 Business Solutions, but were unsure of what exactly was needed in the building and if the figures were appropriate for the entire building or just enough to service the extension office.

The infrastructural needs of phone and data lines are creating headaches on where to run the lines and to house equipment in the building.

Knipp said he'd try to get Steve Searles from Embarq to speak with the commissioners next week to hash out the details of phone installation.

Then the discussion turned again to use of space. Knipp was trying to get a definite answer on how much space he can use to nail down moving plans.

"I want some insurance there'll be some permanency to those rooms upstairs," Knipp said.

"I'm trying to get some stability to what I'm doing."

A total of seven people - Knipp, three full-time, two part-time, and one full-time summer employee - are tentatively slated to fill at least five rooms, with one additional space being used for a conference room.

The inclusion of the conference room will bump three employees upstairs into an extra two offices, but Knipp has pointed out the benefit of a meeting room on several occasions.

The building is also limited by a lack of an elevator, making the second floor handicap inaccessible. The conference room would double as an office for the upstairs employees, which would include the 4-H educator and home economics and nutritional program employees, to meet with anyone unable to climb to the top floor.

"I can see the benefit of the conference room downstairs so everyone can get at it," agreed commissioner Faron Parr.

The commissioners are figuring out what to do with the additional rooms upstairs, whether renting them or using them for storage. There has been some interest in the location, but so far, the extension office is the lone occupant.

"We had some people down there looking at three rooms," said commissioner Milo Miller Jr., who said Community Corrections was eyeing the location, but the handicap inaccessibility of the upstairs scrapped those plans.

In other business Monday, the commissioners:

•Decided to stay with Bliss McKnight through Bixler Insurance as the provider for the county's property insurance. The commissioners spoke with representatives from both interested parties, Bliss McKnight and Barnum and Brown, Monday morning, before making the decision.

•Were informed two dump trucks will be kept at the Jay County Highway Garage. The two trucks, a 1980 Ford and 1988 International diesel single axle trucks, were advertised for sale, but no bids were received for either.

•Signed an emergency claim for $30 for payment of a title application fee to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles in order to obtain new license plates for county equipment[[In-content Ad]]