County gives $2,500

Jay County Commissioners approved contributing $2,500 to the county’s bicentennial committee.
They also discussed options for making two dangerous intersections safer during their Monday morning meeting.
Doug Inman, chair of the bicentennial finance committee, brought the request to his fellow commissioners.
“The committee felt like all municipalities in the county should participate financially,” Inman said.
The committee also plans to request $10,000 from the Portland Foundation, of which Inman is the executive director; $1,500 from the City of Portland, $750 from the City of Dunkirk, $500 each from the towns of Redkey and Pennville and $250 each from the towns of Bryant and Salamonia.
Auditor Anna Culy suggested taking the money from Local Option Certified Shares, which is already used for paying other donations.
Commissioner Jim Zimmerman asked if Jay County Visitor and Tourism Bureau had been asked for a contribution. Inman was unsure if the bureau would have money available.
The bicentennial committee’s budget for events and celebrations is $18,060, with most of that yet to be raised. The Portland Foundation has already contributed $1,820.
The commissioners discussed with county engineer Dan Watson the intersection of Boundary Pike and county road 200 South.
Watson said about 30 accidents have happened there in the past 13 years, though he wasn’t sure what makes it a bad spot.
“You can see both ways,” Watson said. “It’s pretty open, but yet for some reason people just pull out.”
Reducing speed limits and making the intersection a four-way stop — county road 200 South currently has stop signs — are both options for making the intersection safer.
Transitioning to a four-way stop can be dangerous when drivers used to not stopping are unaware a change has been made.
“The fact that they’ve never had stop signs, I don’t think should be a reason for us not to consider it,” Inman said, noting that the intersection of Indiana 67 and Indiana 27 was converted to a four-way stop with rumble strips and warning signs to alert drivers to the change.
“We just have to go the extra mile,” to make sure drivers are aware of the new stop signs, Inman said.
Watson said county roads 200 West and 200 South also create a dangerous intersection, and both spots should be dealt with at the same time. That intersection has seen about 50 accidents in 13 years, he said.
“Most of the wrecks have happened from cars coming from the west, believe it or not,” Watson said, although the eastern part of county road 200 South is more visible to drivers at stop signs on county road 200 West.
But there is a jog in the road to the west.
“If you look quickly, you could miss a car,” Inman pointed out.
Watson feels four-way stops would be more effective than lower speed limits, but no decision was made.
In other business, commissioners Inman, Zimmerman and Faron Parr:
•Received an updated capital improvement plan from Jay County Development Corporation executive director Bill Bradley. They will review the plan, which covers 2016 through 2020, and vote on approval at their Jan. 4 meeting.
•Made Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison purchasing agent for updated court reporting software at a cost not to exceed $2,400, once funds becoming available. Hutchison said he will have to get creative with the court’s budget after Jan. 1 or ask county council for more money.
The software used now is no longer supported.
•Appointed Rob Bicknell to an at-large position on the Jay County Community Corrections advisory board.
•Heard from Sheriff Dwane Ford the collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies to make drug-related arrests using traffic stops will continue, particularly in areas beyond Portland. Of 128 stops made between Dec. 7 and 10, 56 were in Portland. The effort, Operation Interdiction, resulted in 24 arrests countywide.
•Also heard from Ford that he is considering adding a second K-9 unit. Deputy Brad Wendel is interested in the possibility.