August 27, 2019 at 4:11 p.m.
Resident questions roadside policies
Concern stems from death of Ohio woman on Stateline Road
Resident questions roadside policies
Jay County Commissioners were asked Monday to imagine their worst nightmare.
The discovery last week of the body of a Union City woman trapped in her SUV in a steep ditch along Stateline Road brought Diane Siegrist before the commissioners to complain about conditions along that route.
Shawna Ressler’s body lay in the ditch for 10 days before her vehicle was discovered. The SUV had been concealed from view by weeds and other vegetation along the roadside.
“Why does an accident always have to happen before the highway department does something?” asked Siegrist, who lives in that southeast section of the county.
Mercer and Jay counties divide responsibility for Stateline Road, but that stretch south of road 400 South is Jay County’s to maintain.
“Why couldn’t something have been done?” she asked. “Why couldn’t the area have been mowed … on a consistent basis?”
Siegrist, who said she had written a letter to the editor a few years ago to complain about similar conditions, labeled the situation evidence of “neglect” by the Jay County Highway Department.
“I find it very disappointing,” she said. “It’s disheartening.”
Commissioners said they would take a look at the accident’s location and speak with county engineer Dan Watson about the situation.
Also Monday, commissioners received an update on efforts to sort out record-keeping and management at the Jay County Retirement Center.
Acting center director Hope Confer and Melodi Haley, who was hired earlier this year as a financial consultant for the center, outlined a number of problems in the wake of the departure of previous director Amanda Cox.
Confer said $3,000 — proceeds from a recent carnival — was found at the center which had not yet been deposited.
Another $2,000 was found which belongs to a former center resident. Those funds have since been deposited.
In addition, she said, applications for state assistance for residents had not been filed on a timely basis and were being sorted out.
“We’re still finding stuff,” said Confer.
Added Haley, “We will get it done, and it will be done properly. … It’s a work in progress.”
A switch in an elevator maintenance contract has already resulted in savings, and Haley said she is looking for competitive prices on fire extinguisher inspection services.
Commissioners unanimously approved a return to Kaup Pharmacy, Fort Recovery, to handle prescription needs for center residents. The contract with the current provider, Grandview, is being terminated. The change will take effect Oct. 1.
Jessica Clayton of Platinum Benefit Consulting Group told commissioners that the county is on track for a pretty good year when the time comes to renew its employee health insurance coverage.
Last year saw the county initially facing a 37 percent increase. That was then revised to 17 percent and finally come in at five percent.
“That was a miracle,” said Clayton. “That was a one-off year.”
For 2020, she said, the increase should come in at 10 percent or less, based upon employee health insurance claims so far this year.
One way to keep premiums in line, said Clayton, is to increase employee use of wellness programs offered by the carrier, Physicians Health Plan. She noted that only 18 of 142 eligible individuals had taken part in a wellness visit this year. “There’s a lot of room for growth there.”
In other business, commissioners:
•Learned from engineer Dan Watson that access road work has begun for Bitter Ridge Wind Farm. “My guess is they’ll start digging holes next week,” said Watson. “We’ll try to keep people posted. … It’s going fairly smooth so far.”
•Approved an addendum to Watson’s contract to provide an additional $5,000 this year for inspections related to the wind farm. He’ll receive an additional $10,000 in 2020.
•Approved the purchase of eight duct detectors for the courthouse fire alarm service at the recommendation of custodian Bruce Sutton. VFP Fire Systems, Fort Wayne, submitted the lowest quote of three at $2,217.
•Agreed to provide $56,000 in annual assistance for Lifestream’s New Interurban service. That is the same amount provided this year.
•Heard a request from Dru Hall and Randy Miller for funds in support of a mural to be painted on the side of a building in Dunkirk in 2020. The project is expected to cost $40,000, and the county was asked for half that amount. Later in the meeting, commissioners included $11,250 in their 2020 budget for the project, the same amount the county provided for the Portland Rockets anniversary mural in Portland. Additional support may be available from wind farm funds.
•Agreed to grant $12,100 in wind farm economic development funds to the Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation for renovation work at the Dunkirk depot. The funds represent the unspent balance of an earlier grant to the Dunkirk Glass Museum for roof repairs.
•Authorized a county credit card for Sutton with a limit of $1,800.
•Approved the purchase of a used 2014 Dodge van with 29,000 miles from Bart’s Car Store, Fort Wayne, at a cost of $16,500. The vehicle is for prisoner transfer and replaces an older model.
•Heard that the Jay County Sheriff’s Office is still testing different radio and modem systems to improve communication. Spotty service by Verizon in the eastern part of the county has been an issue, officials said. “We’re going to do what we can do so we’ll have connectivity through the whole county,” said Sheriff Dwane Ford.
•Authorized a new Section 319 grant for the Upper Salamonie River Commission. If approved, the three-year grant would be for $323,500, with a local match of $10,000.
•Received an invitation to a training session on mental health first aid, sponsored by the Purdue Extension Service with financial support from the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition. The event is set for 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, at IU Health Jay County Hospital. It’s free for the first 30 registrants. To register, visit http://www.cvent.com/d/9yqzm8.
•Approved the purchase of a new tankless water heater for the retirement center at a cost of $1,832.52.
•Scheduled an executive session at 3 p.m. Friday to interview applications for the retirement center director’s job.
The discovery last week of the body of a Union City woman trapped in her SUV in a steep ditch along Stateline Road brought Diane Siegrist before the commissioners to complain about conditions along that route.
Shawna Ressler’s body lay in the ditch for 10 days before her vehicle was discovered. The SUV had been concealed from view by weeds and other vegetation along the roadside.
“Why does an accident always have to happen before the highway department does something?” asked Siegrist, who lives in that southeast section of the county.
Mercer and Jay counties divide responsibility for Stateline Road, but that stretch south of road 400 South is Jay County’s to maintain.
“Why couldn’t something have been done?” she asked. “Why couldn’t the area have been mowed … on a consistent basis?”
Siegrist, who said she had written a letter to the editor a few years ago to complain about similar conditions, labeled the situation evidence of “neglect” by the Jay County Highway Department.
“I find it very disappointing,” she said. “It’s disheartening.”
Commissioners said they would take a look at the accident’s location and speak with county engineer Dan Watson about the situation.
Also Monday, commissioners received an update on efforts to sort out record-keeping and management at the Jay County Retirement Center.
Acting center director Hope Confer and Melodi Haley, who was hired earlier this year as a financial consultant for the center, outlined a number of problems in the wake of the departure of previous director Amanda Cox.
Confer said $3,000 — proceeds from a recent carnival — was found at the center which had not yet been deposited.
Another $2,000 was found which belongs to a former center resident. Those funds have since been deposited.
In addition, she said, applications for state assistance for residents had not been filed on a timely basis and were being sorted out.
“We’re still finding stuff,” said Confer.
Added Haley, “We will get it done, and it will be done properly. … It’s a work in progress.”
A switch in an elevator maintenance contract has already resulted in savings, and Haley said she is looking for competitive prices on fire extinguisher inspection services.
Commissioners unanimously approved a return to Kaup Pharmacy, Fort Recovery, to handle prescription needs for center residents. The contract with the current provider, Grandview, is being terminated. The change will take effect Oct. 1.
Jessica Clayton of Platinum Benefit Consulting Group told commissioners that the county is on track for a pretty good year when the time comes to renew its employee health insurance coverage.
Last year saw the county initially facing a 37 percent increase. That was then revised to 17 percent and finally come in at five percent.
“That was a miracle,” said Clayton. “That was a one-off year.”
For 2020, she said, the increase should come in at 10 percent or less, based upon employee health insurance claims so far this year.
One way to keep premiums in line, said Clayton, is to increase employee use of wellness programs offered by the carrier, Physicians Health Plan. She noted that only 18 of 142 eligible individuals had taken part in a wellness visit this year. “There’s a lot of room for growth there.”
In other business, commissioners:
•Learned from engineer Dan Watson that access road work has begun for Bitter Ridge Wind Farm. “My guess is they’ll start digging holes next week,” said Watson. “We’ll try to keep people posted. … It’s going fairly smooth so far.”
•Approved an addendum to Watson’s contract to provide an additional $5,000 this year for inspections related to the wind farm. He’ll receive an additional $10,000 in 2020.
•Approved the purchase of eight duct detectors for the courthouse fire alarm service at the recommendation of custodian Bruce Sutton. VFP Fire Systems, Fort Wayne, submitted the lowest quote of three at $2,217.
•Agreed to provide $56,000 in annual assistance for Lifestream’s New Interurban service. That is the same amount provided this year.
•Heard a request from Dru Hall and Randy Miller for funds in support of a mural to be painted on the side of a building in Dunkirk in 2020. The project is expected to cost $40,000, and the county was asked for half that amount. Later in the meeting, commissioners included $11,250 in their 2020 budget for the project, the same amount the county provided for the Portland Rockets anniversary mural in Portland. Additional support may be available from wind farm funds.
•Agreed to grant $12,100 in wind farm economic development funds to the Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation for renovation work at the Dunkirk depot. The funds represent the unspent balance of an earlier grant to the Dunkirk Glass Museum for roof repairs.
•Authorized a county credit card for Sutton with a limit of $1,800.
•Approved the purchase of a used 2014 Dodge van with 29,000 miles from Bart’s Car Store, Fort Wayne, at a cost of $16,500. The vehicle is for prisoner transfer and replaces an older model.
•Heard that the Jay County Sheriff’s Office is still testing different radio and modem systems to improve communication. Spotty service by Verizon in the eastern part of the county has been an issue, officials said. “We’re going to do what we can do so we’ll have connectivity through the whole county,” said Sheriff Dwane Ford.
•Authorized a new Section 319 grant for the Upper Salamonie River Commission. If approved, the three-year grant would be for $323,500, with a local match of $10,000.
•Received an invitation to a training session on mental health first aid, sponsored by the Purdue Extension Service with financial support from the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition. The event is set for 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, at IU Health Jay County Hospital. It’s free for the first 30 registrants. To register, visit http://www.cvent.com/d/9yqzm8.
•Approved the purchase of a new tankless water heater for the retirement center at a cost of $1,832.52.
•Scheduled an executive session at 3 p.m. Friday to interview applications for the retirement center director’s job.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD