Commissioners hear JCDC complaints (06/26/07)

Complaints about the operation of Jay County's community and economic development entities were heard Monday by Jay County Commissioners.

Many complaints revolved around the reconstruction of the Salamonia school, and the role played by Jay County Community Development.

Town council members and officials with the Friends of the Salamonia School group claim Jay County Community Developer Ami Huffman did not foster proper communication between contractors, architects and the town to complete the project the proper way.

That led to the wooden floor inside the building being stained incorrectly in different shades, said John Brooke, an attorney representing Salamonia. Problems also exist with a handicapped access ramp leading to the school.

"Decisions are being made and money's being handed out without any oversight," Brooke said of grants administered by community development.

Richard "Chuck" Huffman (no relation to County Developer Ami Huffman) said Jay County Development Corporation only recently learned of the severity of problems with the Salamonia school and would work with county commissioners to discuss issues at hand.

"We want to get to the bottom of this," said Chuck Huffman, who is past president of JCDC.

The community developer position, which has been in place for about eight years, is a JCDC employee, but does not work directly under the executive director.

JCDC is currently searching for an executive director. Longtime director Bob Quadrozzi died in May from a tear in his artery while driving in Delaware County. After falling ill, he crashed his JCDC-owned vehicle into a semi-trailer parked at a business along Ind. 67 between Muncie and Albany.

Gloria Pfeifer, president of the Salamonia Town Council, said Ami Huffman told her and other residents to avoid contact with the project's architect and contractor, which contributed to many of the problems. She added that Salamonia residents were not able to go into the school or check on the project's progress.

"We should have access to our building," she said.

Commissioners' attorney Brad Burkett said that if project supervision was desired, an outside source should have been hired.

Pfeifer also said the Salamonia town council never saw copies of the project's contract or bids.

She also alleged that Economic Development Income Tax money may have been misused when Ami Huffman brought her a check for $3,000 to pay utility bills for the building.

Problems with JCDC procedures also were evidenced in a Redkey water project, Brooke said. Money that was supposed to be used to fund the endeavor was used instead to fund salaries and overhead costs, Brooke charged.

Brooke proposed that Jay and Delaware counties share a grant writer to help avoid future problems. Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. said the idea would be considered. "That's something that might materialize, it might not."

Terry Billington, representing Bryant, said small towns around the county are not being adequately involved in the decision-making process, and too much power is vested in JCDC without local voices being heard.

"We have to go through a committee board that the town council has no say so over. We don't like that," Billington said.

In other business, Patrick Norton, information technology director for Adams County, discussed his county's change in 911 service with commissioners. He said five homes in northern Jay County would be affected by the switch, which involves emergency calls being sent to Geneva's system.

Adams County is changing service providers from EMBARQ to Indigital, Norton said, but the transition should be seamless.

"It should really be transparent," he said. "They shouldn't even know it happened."

Commissioners also approved the purchase of a $2,500 copier from Indy Office Solutions, Indianapolis.[[In-content Ad]]