June 12, 2017 at 8:18 p.m.
County wants flood meeting
Commissioners seek group flood meeting
County wants flood meeting
Copyright 2017, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman would like the county to pick up part of the tab for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood risk management feasibility study.
But Jay County Commissioners said Monday they’d like to see the results of an earlier preliminary study by the Corps before taking any action.
And ideally they’d like to get all of the various engineering firms that have been looking at Portland’s flooding issues together in the same room so different proposals can be sorted out.
“People are asking, ‘What is going on?’” said Barry Hudson, attending his first meeting as commissioner after being selected by county Republicans to complete the remainder of Doug Inman’s term.
Geesaman will be in Washington next week and will meet with representatives of the Corps at that time.
A number of ways to mitigate downtown flooding have been proposed in the past few years, ranging from retention ponds north of the city to re-routing Millers Branch. But no clear consensus has emerged.
The county has contracted with the engineering firm of Butler, Fairman and Seufert for a study, while the city has been working with Jones and Henry and most recently with Choice One Engineering. The city also contracted with the Corps of Engineers for a preliminary study that cost about $100,000, but Geesaman acknowledged he has not yet seen that report.
The latest proposal from the Corps calls for surveys, hydraulic studies, cost engineering and other services at a total cost of $373,586. The local share would be $154,293, and the mayor said he hoped the city and county would split that cost 50-50.
“That’s just the cost of the study,” said Geesaman. “No construction (dollars) whatsoever.”
The Corps dredged the Salamonie River as a flood control measure after the devastating floods of 1957 and 1958, and since that time it has been a local responsibility to keep the river free of sandbars.
But over time the channel has narrowed. Simply re-dredging the river is not feasible today because of environmental concerns.
If the river channel itself is to be addressed, Geesaman said, “They say we have to go through this process.”
Commissioners, however, want to get all of the engineering options on the table before making any commitment. Hudson said he envisions a meeting with all the engineering firms, city council, commissioners and county council present to hear the competing ideas and ask questions.
Geesaman said he would report back in two weeks after his meetings in Washington.
Commissioners gave unanimous approval Monday to having steel siding installed on the large barn at Jay County Retirement Center, expressing a desire to protect the structure while maintaining its historic appearance. Hatzell Brothers of Redkey will do the work at an estimated cost of about $71,000, if an additional appropriation is approved by the Jay County Council.
In a realignment after Inman’s resignation, Chuck Huffman was elected president of commissioners and Hudson was elected vice president. Mike Leonhard will continue as president of the drainage board.
Leonhard will also serve as the county’s coordinator for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a role Inman had filled in the past.
In other business, commissioners:
•Learned excavation began Monday for the foundation of the first wind turbine in the Bluff Point wind farm project. Huffman urged the commissioners to develop a “framework” for how the economic development funds from the project should be used. The county will receive about $250,000 a year for four years, and while those funds have been earmarked for economic development, their specific use has yet to be determined.
•Received an update from Rex Pinkerton of the Jay County Cemetery Commission. “We do what we can with the money we’re given,” said Pinkerton.
•Approved spending $975 to have a county emergency management vehicle repaired after it was damaged by a piece of tin that had blown off the Bailey Building on Main Street.
•Learned from JEMS director Eric Moore that the “overtime budget is not where it should be.” Moore said he’s working on ways to bring overtime costs under control.
•Received a thank you from Eric Rogers, executive director of Arts Place, for a recent decision by Jay County Solid Waste Management District to provide financial support for the Arts in the Parks program. All those funds from the waste district will go toward programming in Jay County. In all, Arts in the Parks provides creative summer activities in 13 communities in five counties.
All Rights Reserved
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman would like the county to pick up part of the tab for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood risk management feasibility study.
But Jay County Commissioners said Monday they’d like to see the results of an earlier preliminary study by the Corps before taking any action.
And ideally they’d like to get all of the various engineering firms that have been looking at Portland’s flooding issues together in the same room so different proposals can be sorted out.
“People are asking, ‘What is going on?’” said Barry Hudson, attending his first meeting as commissioner after being selected by county Republicans to complete the remainder of Doug Inman’s term.
Geesaman will be in Washington next week and will meet with representatives of the Corps at that time.
A number of ways to mitigate downtown flooding have been proposed in the past few years, ranging from retention ponds north of the city to re-routing Millers Branch. But no clear consensus has emerged.
The county has contracted with the engineering firm of Butler, Fairman and Seufert for a study, while the city has been working with Jones and Henry and most recently with Choice One Engineering. The city also contracted with the Corps of Engineers for a preliminary study that cost about $100,000, but Geesaman acknowledged he has not yet seen that report.
The latest proposal from the Corps calls for surveys, hydraulic studies, cost engineering and other services at a total cost of $373,586. The local share would be $154,293, and the mayor said he hoped the city and county would split that cost 50-50.
“That’s just the cost of the study,” said Geesaman. “No construction (dollars) whatsoever.”
The Corps dredged the Salamonie River as a flood control measure after the devastating floods of 1957 and 1958, and since that time it has been a local responsibility to keep the river free of sandbars.
But over time the channel has narrowed. Simply re-dredging the river is not feasible today because of environmental concerns.
If the river channel itself is to be addressed, Geesaman said, “They say we have to go through this process.”
Commissioners, however, want to get all of the engineering options on the table before making any commitment. Hudson said he envisions a meeting with all the engineering firms, city council, commissioners and county council present to hear the competing ideas and ask questions.
Geesaman said he would report back in two weeks after his meetings in Washington.
Commissioners gave unanimous approval Monday to having steel siding installed on the large barn at Jay County Retirement Center, expressing a desire to protect the structure while maintaining its historic appearance. Hatzell Brothers of Redkey will do the work at an estimated cost of about $71,000, if an additional appropriation is approved by the Jay County Council.
In a realignment after Inman’s resignation, Chuck Huffman was elected president of commissioners and Hudson was elected vice president. Mike Leonhard will continue as president of the drainage board.
Leonhard will also serve as the county’s coordinator for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a role Inman had filled in the past.
In other business, commissioners:
•Learned excavation began Monday for the foundation of the first wind turbine in the Bluff Point wind farm project. Huffman urged the commissioners to develop a “framework” for how the economic development funds from the project should be used. The county will receive about $250,000 a year for four years, and while those funds have been earmarked for economic development, their specific use has yet to be determined.
•Received an update from Rex Pinkerton of the Jay County Cemetery Commission. “We do what we can with the money we’re given,” said Pinkerton.
•Approved spending $975 to have a county emergency management vehicle repaired after it was damaged by a piece of tin that had blown off the Bailey Building on Main Street.
•Learned from JEMS director Eric Moore that the “overtime budget is not where it should be.” Moore said he’s working on ways to bring overtime costs under control.
•Received a thank you from Eric Rogers, executive director of Arts Place, for a recent decision by Jay County Solid Waste Management District to provide financial support for the Arts in the Parks program. All those funds from the waste district will go toward programming in Jay County. In all, Arts in the Parks provides creative summer activities in 13 communities in five counties.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD