Tornado declared a disaster

A formal disaster declaration received its final signature Monday morning.

Commissioner Mike Leonhard, who saw much of the roof of his home ripped off and extensive damage in the Nov. 5 tornado, had been too busy dealing with the personal impact of the storm to be able to add his name to the declaration signed last week by commissioners Chuck Huffman and Barry Hudson. He finally did so at Monday’s regular commissioners meeting.

The storm, which cut a path across the county from just north of Dunkirk to the Ohio line south of Trinity, damaged 53 homes, destroying 11 of them.

“The good thing is, it was rural. The bad thing is, it still hit us,” said county emergency management director Ralph Frazee. As to the response, he said, “It worked as smooth as a disaster can work. … I can’t say enough about the volunteers.”

Commissioners echoed that sentiment.

“This is what makes Jay County special,” said Huffman.

“Everybody just pitched in,” said Leonhard.

“It’s amazing how much stuff has been cleaned up already,” said county engineer Dan Watson. He noted that the county highway garage and the county retirement center were operating on generators for a couple of days before power could be restored.

Filling in for county highway superintendent Ken Wellman, who was meeting Monday morning with an insurance adjuster to discuss extensive damage at his home, Watson said, “They got most of the roads clean up pretty quick — except for 300 North” which saw some of the worst damage.

In other business, commissioners:

•Received a copy of the signed contract for an Army Corps of Engineers flood risk management feasibility study from Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman. Hudson agreed to be the commissioners’ representative on a local committee working with the corps in the months ahead on the study. Other members of the committee include, to date, Geesaman and flood control advocates John Young and John Moore.

•Appointed John McFarland, Emily Anderson and Gary Barnett to Jay Emergency Medical Service shift leaders shift supervisor positions, working with Leslie Peterson of Jay County Hospital. “You’ve got a great group,” said Peterson. “It really was their idea.” Commissioners unanimously agreed that the three should receive a total of $1,801 in back-pay reflecting the fact that they stepped up into new roles Oct. 1.

•Heard concerns from Redkey Town Council member Charles “Red” Coons about a flooding problem on Main Street just outside the eastern Redkey town limits. Coons urged that the side ditch be made deeper to handle runoff during times of heavy rains. County surveyor Brad Daniels said he will take a first-hand look at the issue.

•Learned from Watson that there will probably be three to four weeks of paving to be done next spring to repair roads as a result of the construction of Bluff Point Wind Energy Center. That paving is being done at the expense of wind farm developer NextEra Energy.

•Approved a three-year contract with Know Before, a company that specializes in software that teaches employees how to avoid “phishing” scams and ransomware.

•Agreed to pay Hatzell Brothers Roofing, Redkey, an additional $1,425 for work done on the barn at the retirement center.

•Expressed concern about road conditions at Tyson Road and Indiana 67 west of Portland. Watson noted that the intersection is under the control of the Indiana Department of Transportation. He was urged to contact local legislators in an effort to get INDOT to take action.

•Tabled discussion on providing a $5,000 stipend to Watson again in 2018 for inspection of roads and drainage systems related to the wind farm project. That stipend and a $5,000 stipend for surveyor Brad Daniels was paid this year with funds from NextEra.

•Reviewed the county’s current service agreement for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at Jay County Jail with Havel Brothers, Fort Wayne, and asked the company to return with a proposal for 2018.

•Received an update on the Upper Salamonie Watershed project from staffer Tim Kroeker.

•Approved a number of purchases for various departments from the cumulative capital development fund as reviewed at an earlier meeting. In all cases, multiple quotes were considered and the lowest quote approved. Purchases approved Monday included: A used Odyssey mini-van for the retirement center from P&D Auto, Portland, for $9,600; four computers for the auditor’s office from Cleaver Cabling and Consulting, Martinsville, for $3,600; a copier for the surveyor’s office from Office Concepts, Fort Wayne, for $4,950 with a $60 a month maintenance charge; a wide-format copier for the surveyor’s office from Office Concepts for $10,950 wth a $595 annual maintenance charge; two computers for the surveyor’s office for $1,978 from Cleaver; a Dodge Ram pick-up truck for the surveyor for $23,308 after trade from Fuqua Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, Dunkirk; a copier for the recorder’s office for $4,392 from Leap, Muncie; and a computer and monitor for Jay Superior Court for $1,533 from Cleaver. Commissioners asked the recorder to return with another quote on a new computer.

•Appointed Kyle Cook to the pedestrian and bike trail committee and added Matt Minnich and Duane Starr to the county road committee.