Sewer line heading to city

The county has become the temporary owner of a sewer line in a process that should eventually see it dedicated to the city of Portland.

"I think we're in good shape," said attorney Bill Hinkle as he presented the Jay County Commissioners with three separate documents that will take ownership of the line from POET Biorefining.

"The end result is that the city will become the effective owner," Hinkle said.

The issue came up as POET has been shelling out nearly $2,000 per month in electric bills to keep pumps along the sewer line in operation.

Hinkle has been working to see that the line becomes property of Portland, which treats the sewage and is responsible for maintenance.

Hinkle said all requirements have been met and that the city will accept the line once the legal hoops have been cleared. That means the county has to become temporary owners of the line until the title can be transferred over to Portland.

That will mean the city's sewer lines will extend to a lift station near the POET plant southwest of Portland, which will become the eventual connection for a project in the works of the Jay County Regional Sewer District that will add homes along Ind. 67 and Foxfire Drive (see related story elsewhere on page one).

Commissioners Jim Zimmerman and Faron Parr gave authority to president Milo Miller Jr. to sign the documents authorizing the transfer from POET to the county. Hinkle said the county should incur no costs - outside of recorder's fees of $70 to certify the documents - during the process.

Hinkle said that the city will likely accept title to the line at a Board of Works meeting on Thursday.

In other business Monday, the commissioners:

•Asked Jay County Surveyor Brad Daniels to look into a drainage problem on county road 350 West north of 400 North. Miller had received a complaint about water running over the road in the area and suspected a tile or open ditch may be broken or plugged.

•Approved a drainage assessment combination for two adjacent parcels owned by Cornelius and Freda Corwin, 8445 N. Ind. 1, Bryant.

•Were informed by Jay County Soil and Water Conservation educator Bettie Jacobs that an inspection at the Jay County Landfill will take place on Thursday.

•Reviewed information from Adams County about fees for buggy plates presented by attorney Lon Racster. The commissioners have been considering raising the cost of those plates.

•Were informed that the county Web site was updated at the end of last week to reflect office holders who started at the beginning of 2009.

•Decided to remove funding for the ICE program, which is run by the high school, in the 2010 budget. Culy said there is not enough work in the courthouse to warrant paying hourly wages to the ICE participant.

•Were presented with a quote for maintenance to the generator at the Jay County Jail. Although the current generator will be replaced by a larger one when the expansion is complete, the commissioners considered using it at another location such as the highway department garage.

The commissioners told Sheriff Ray Newton to go ahead and have the maintenance completed.

•Signed a state grant that pays for half of the county's Emergency Management Agency's salaries. Jay County EMA director Ralph Frazee said the commissioners already signed this grant earlier in the year, but the state lost the paperwork, so he has to mail it again.

•Received a copy of the report from Jeff Badders of SchenkelShultz on the soil boring work done on the jail expansion site.[[In-content Ad]]