Requests may reach $100,000 (03/19/07)

Costs involved with dealing with the 14-plus inches of snow that fell in February could be as much as $100,000 for the county and its communities, Ralph Frazee, director of Jay County Emergency Management, said today.

Frazee told commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr that he would be attending a meeting in Muncie today to learn about federal grants administered through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security which could reimburse a portion of the costs incurred.

He said those costs were incurred by the Jay School Corporation, each of the communities in the county, and the county for overtime pay for highway employees.

"There was a lot of labor in removing the snow from the roof of the (Jay County) high school and their parking lot," he said. "It was a significant snow."

Frazee said that the emergency declaration does not cover costs incurred by individuals.

Additionally today, commissioners formally appointed auditor Freda Corwin as their representative to the recently established Economic Development Commission, and county council president, Marilyn Coleman as that entity's representative. Commissioners have the final vote naming the representatives.

The Portland City Council is expected to nominate a representative to the three-member commission during its meeting tonight.

Commissioners also heard Redkey Town Council president Dottie Quakenbush ask to have the banks of Halfway Creek through Redkey sprayed for weeds early this year.

She was told to make her request to surveyor Brad Daniels.[[In-content Ad]]