July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Officials planning for future disasters (1/17/05)

Commissioners talk with EMA director

By By Mike [email protected]

It’s official: This month’s ice storm and flooding were emergency situations in Jay County.

And after signing proclamations to that effect this morning, Jay County Commissioners discussed those events and possible plans for the future with the county’s emergency management agency director.

The emergency declarations cover from Jan. 6-10 for the ice storm, and from Tuesday to Friday for the flooding

Ralph Frazee, director of Jay County EMA, said that the preliminary estimate of costs incurred in the county related to the ice storm could top $800,000.

Local officials met last week with a representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and turned in estimates of those costs. The state plans to ask the federal government to declare parts of the state as disaster areas, making them eligible for reimbursement of up to 75 percent.

Among the topics this morning for the commissioners was the possible acquisition of a generator to power some courthouse functions and questions surrounding equipping large-scale shelter sites.

Frazee said this morning that he has been invited to the next meeting of the Jay Community Center Board of Directors to discuss using that newly-expanded facility as a shelter.

Frazee told Commissioners Gary Theurer, Faron Parr and (Continued on page 9)

(Continued from page 1)

Milo Miller Jr. that a board member said the facility would be open for use as a shelter, but currently has no generator.

Frazee and the commissioners said that if the county purchased a generator to power the community center, fairness would dictate that one should be purchased for the West Jay Community Center in Dunkirk, as well. He said that Dunkirk Mayor Sam Hubbard has offered the WJCC as a shelter site.

Miller asked Frazee if former EMA director Tami Mann had made an application for a grant that would pay for a natural gas-powered generator to power the EMA office, the auditor’s office and sump pumps in the basement of the courthouse.

Frazee said he was not aware of such an application, but said he would check into the matter.

Also this morning, the commissioners reluctantly agreed to allow an $80 claim that paid for four deeds for property obtained for bridge rights-of-way to be recorded in the county recorder’s office.

The fee was imposed by county recorder Betty St. Myers on the deeds recorded recently by county engineer Dan Watson.

Research into state law by commissioners’ attorney Brad Burkett showed Myers’ decision was correct to charge the fee.

The fee was paid out of the cumulative bridge fund, with most of the proceeds going into county general. A portion of the fee remains in the recorder’s perpetuation fund.

The check for the fee had already been written by the auditor’s office and cashed by the recorder’s office.[[In-content Ad]]
PORTLAND WEATHER

Events

November

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

To Submit an Event Sign in first

Today's Events

No calendar events have been scheduled for today.

250 X 250 AD