County will try to sway INDOT plans

There’s a potential nightmare on the horizon, but county officials hope they can convince the state to change its plans.

Jay County Commissioners said Monday they’ll contact Indiana Department of Transportation and speak with lawmakers in an attempt to reverse a decision that could tie up traffic most of the summer and pose a serious complication to the construction of Bluff Point Wind Energy Center.

County engineer Dan Watson told commissioners Monday that while a major improvement of U.S. 27 north from Portland to Bryant had been slated for bid-letting this month, he has since been informed by INDOT that the bid-letting has been moved to April.

And, Watson said, instead of re-paving with asphalt, INDOT is now planning to rebuild that section of highway with concrete.

“Switching it over to concrete is an entirely different deal because it involves closing the highway,” said Watson. “That’s probably our busiest bit of state road in the county.”

INDOT contacted Watson after the change was made so that he could suggest local detours, but there is no direct north-south option that would be passable by large truck traffic.

The official detour will likely involve Indiana 18, Indiana 1 and Indiana 26. Local drivers will use county roads, and many through truckers may attempt to do they same.

“They’re going to be jogging all over,” said Watson. “I’m going to have semis hung up everywhere. I don’t know what we’re going to do. … It’s going to be a real nightmare.”

To further complicate the situation, Watson said he had been told by those involved with Bluff Point Wind Energy Center that large components were to be trucked in from the north.

If the highway project goes forward as now planned by INDOT, work would probably begin in June, closing that section of U.S. 27 for three months or more. Work on the wind farm is expected to begin in earnest about mid-May, representatives of Blattner Energy, the contractor on the project, said Monday.

Doug Inman, president of the commissioners, indicated he would contact INDOT to urge a change back to the original asphalt plan.

He noted that Rep. Greg Beumer and Sen. Travis Holdman would both be in Jay County on Saturday at a Third House session sponsored by Jay County Chamber of Commerce and that he will speak with both at that time.

“It’s not too late to stop this thing,” said Watson, “because it hasn’t been bid yet.”

Blattner Energy’s drainage plans for the initial wind farm work have been provided, county surveyor Brad Daniels said.

“Farmers have been supplying them with maps of their tiles,” said Daniels.

Bettie Jacobs of the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District said each of the wind turbines will require a Rule 5 soil erosion plan that the SWCD will review in cooperation with the Jay County Building and Planning office.

“It will be a banner year” for Rule 5 reviews, said Jacobs.

In other business, commissioners:

•Expressed optimism that a Section 319 grant of $323,000 to help fund cost-sharing soil conservation efforts along the Upper Salamonie River in Jay and Blackford counties would be approved this month.

•Heard a report from Jay Emergency Medical Service director Eric Moore on the continuing assessment of everything from billing practices to staff scheduling at the emergency medical service. Commissioners urged him to report back monthly on progress.

•Approved Jay County Recorder Betty St. Myers as the purchasing agent for a new printer for her office at a cost not to exceed $2,000. The current printer, purchased in 2008, is failing. The replacement cost was included in her office’s capital improvement plan.

•Told courthouse superintendent Bruce Sutton they did not believe the state’s nepotism rules would be violated if he hired a sister-in-law as a part-time employee. That relationship is not cited in Indiana’s nepotism law.

•Opened clarifications on vehicle bids for the Jay County Sheriff’s Office which have been reviewed over the past two meetings. “Take everything with you and come back next Monday with your recommendation,” Inman told Sheriff Dwane Ford.

•Agreed to send a letter of support for a grant application being prepared by the Jay County Trails Club to develop a countywide plan for pedestrian and bicycle trails.

•Appointed Judy Affolder, Anita Mills and Robin Alberson to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.

•Agreed to a cash rent lease with Brad Dues to farm 258.87 acres at the Jay County Retirement Center at a rate of $195 per acre. The lease has a two-year term.

•Suggested that Wells County officials make a request in writing to split off the Six Mile Watershed from the Loblolly Watershed, since it drains to the north into Wells County.

•Were invited to the Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District annual meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at the 4-H Building at the fairgrounds.