Fair board seeking tile help

A solution to flooding issues at Jay County Fairgrounds may be on the horizon.
County Commissioners, acting as the county drainage board, are exploring options to repair a 2,500-foot long tile that runs from the fairgrounds to the Salamonie River.
The gravity-fed drainage system, which has undergone various repairs over the years, isn’t functioning properly and causing water to build up on the fairgrounds.
Jay County Fair Board members Bob Lyons and Tom Zimmerman relayed what they’ve discovered about the broken tile to the drainage board Monday.
 “It drains quite a bit into the fairgrounds, “ said Zimmerman. “We ran a camera down it two weeks ago. Every tile in there is cracked. Several have fallen in.”
Commissioner Faron Parr said he was told by surveyor Brad Daniels that about 650 feet of tile had been replaced a few years ago, and as much as 1,000 feet near the river may have been reconstructed prior to that.
One solution proposed during the meeting was replacing 500-foot long sections of the tile over the course of three to five years.
Lyons said he would prefer to replace the current 15-inch tile with an 18-inch model, which he said was currently priced at $14 per foot. He also suggested setting the drainage system so that it runs in a straight line to the river from the fairgrounds. This would cut the amount of tile necessary by about 400 feet.
“You can keep patching and keep patching and keep patching, but all you’re going to have is more trouble every year,” said
The construction effort may involve several political entities though. Lyons said he hopes the city of Portland will offer to foot the engineering fees that will be associated with the construction.
“Our hands are tied to a point, cause we can only do up to 40 percent or 60 percent, and it has to be reconstruction,” said Parr.
The commissioners will explore funding options and how much piping they are allowed to legally reconstruct before plans will move forward for the tile.
In other business, commissioners Doug Inman, Jim Zimmerman and Parr:
•Heard from Patty Clevenger of Jay County Retirement Center about a hole in the roof of the blacksmith building on the property. Clevenger was told to get estimates for the roof’s repair.
•Approved the removal of a culvert located near county roads 600 West and 700 South. The structure has been the subject of an ongoing drainage issue since its installation in early January. Zimmerman abstained from voting on the matter.
•Heard from Paula Confer, representing the Daughters of the American Revolution, who was seeking a letter of approval for a boulder which will be used as a memorial marker at Pioneer Cemetery. The county commissioners motioned for a letter to be drafted, which will be used to obtain approval from Washington D.C. and at the state level.
•Gave final approval for ordinance 2015-4, which extends how long Jay County residents have to pay off EMS bills and still receive a 10 percent discount. The time was extended from 10 to 30 days.