Guidance needed

Jay County Commissioners would like to help. But they’d like a little more guidance from Jay County Fair Board.

Fair board members approached the county in early October, hoping to tap some of the remaining discretionary economic development funds from NextEra Energy’s Bluff Point Wind Energy Center.

The goal is to replace or renovate the Farmer’s Building, which originally dates to 1942 and was moved to its current location in 1983.

But it was clear Monday that fair board members aren’t in agreement on whether the building should be completely replaced or if renovation is a smarter course of action.

Original estimates for a new building, with concrete sidewalls, were $175,000, and fair board member Brian Aker said Monday the revised estimate is $150,000.

But fair board member Tom Zimmerman said the historic nature of the building could be preserved with a restoration and renovation for about $40,000.

He indicated the board is split on the issue.

Commissioners still have $133,000 of the wind farm funds at their disposal and have expressed support for the project. Commissioner Mike Leonhard had originally proposed a grant of $75,000, but with the build-new-or-renovate question unresolved, the waters have been muddied.

“It’s up to the fair board to decide what they want to do,” Leonhard said Monday.

Commissioner Barry Hudson agreed.

“I need to hear from the board what you need,” he said.

Commissioner Chuck Huffman at one point floated the idea of a $50,000 grant that could be revisited later, but ultimately the matter was tabled until the commissioners’ next meeting on Dec. 26.

“We will help, but we’ve got to know what your game plan is,” Leonhard added.

In other business, commissioners:

•Learned Jay Emergency Medical Service is on track to end the year with its fiscal house in order. “We’ll finish the year within our budget with no additional appropriations,” said Gary Barnett, one of three JEMS employees directing the service.

•Entered into an agreement with SRI of Indianapolis for a tax certificate sale in spring 2019. Municipalities have approached the county in the past to acquire blighted properties at no cost via the certificate sale so they could be razed. “We need to make sure the City of Portland knows there are properties that can be gathered up at no cost,” said Hudson.

•Unanimously supported a recent call by Jay County Solid Waste District to have the City of Portland return more than $52,000 in unused grant funds intended to subsidize the cost of curbside recycling.

•Approved a report from the superintendent of Jay County Retirement Center.

•Learned from Tim Kroeker of the Upper Salamonie River Watershed that there will be an update and report on the watershed project on Saturday at the 4-H Exhibit Hall at the Jay County Fairgrounds. The report is part of a pesticide applicators re-certification program than runs from 2 to 4:30 p.m. that day.

•Tabled a contract with county engineer Dan Watson for 2019 until they can meet with him. Watson was unable to attend Monday’s meeting.

•Agreed to acquire 20 additional licenses for county email addresses at a cost of $97 each. Some employees have been using email addresses on sites such as Hotmail rather than using the county’s domain. “County stuff should go through the county server,” said auditor Anna Culy.

•Appointed Shawn McCoy and Cindy Shepherd to Jay County Convention and Tourism Bureau, replacing Blake Watson and Scott Benter.

•Reappointed Diana Smith and Eric Betts to Jay County Health Board for four-year terms.

•Appointed Huffman and incoming commissioner Chad Aker to the board of Jay County Regional Sewer District, replacing Hudson and Joe Sommers.

•Appointed Leonhard, Hudson and Travis Richards to Jay County Redevelopment Commission.

•Appointed Culy to the economic development income tax advisory committee and the tax abatement advisory committee.