Board OKs plans

Drainage plans for a major expansion at FCC Indiana were unanimously approved by the Jay County Drainage Board on Monday after being reviewed by Jay County Surveyor Brad Daniels.
The board also approved drainage plans for Green Valley Ranch LLC, a large-scale poultry operation planned at 2104 E. 300 South. Green Valley Ranch will include five chicken layer barns, an egg-processing facility and an open egg wash lagoon.
Daniels told the board that both the FCC project and the plans for Green Valley Ranch meet all requirements that the county has in place.
Increased ditch assessments are on the horizon for a number of county watersheds. The board scheduled hearings for five watersheds where it believes an increase of more than 25 percent is needed and is looking at raising ditch assessments in eight other watersheds by less than 25 percent. If the increase is less than 25 percent, no hearing is necessary.
The board proposes raising ditch assessments by $2 an acre and $20 per plot for the Wehrly, Little Salamonie, Ross and Days Creek, Halfway and Brooks Creek watersheds.
Hearings on those five will be held June 22 on the following schedule: Wehrly at 9:15 a.m., Little Salamonie at 9:30 a.m., Ross and Days Creek at 9:45 a.m., Halfway at 10 a.m. and Brooks Creek at 10:15 a.m.
Ditch assessments will be raised by 50 cents per acre for the Lupton, Foskuhl, Iris Scholer, Wikel, M. Luteman, Hotmire Redmond, Goss Switzer and Beatle watersheds.
Acting as the Jay County Commissioners, Faron Parr, Doug Inman and Jim Zimmerman also:
•Approved a new lease agreement with Jay County Hospital for the Jay Emergency Medical Service base in Portland.
•Continued to discuss new regulations to protect county roads from heavy equipment traffic.
•Met with representatives from WorkOne and Lifestream about their services.
•Discussed holding an auction to dispose of surplus equipment and furniture.