Support voiced for the county facility

Residents of Jay County Retirement Center delivered a clear message Tuesday morning: Don’t close it down.

Budget concerns had led Jay County Commissioner Chuck Huffman to suggest that the time had come to look at alternatives.

But about 10 retirement center residents appeared before the commissioners Monday to attest to the value of the facility, one of only 11 county homes still in operation in Indiana.

“I’ve been there about 18 years,” one man told commissioners. “If you shut it down, I have no place to go.”

Retirement center director Amanda Cox said she brought the group to the meeting because “we want you to see our faces.” She added, “If they weren’t in our home, they’d be on the streets of Jay County.”

Portland pastor Steve Arnold and volunteer Paula Confer also spoke in support of continued funding for the retirement center.

“I look at it as a ministry for the county,” said Arnold. “Out there, we’re taking care of people.” 

“It’s a worthwhile expenditure,” said Confer. “I think it would be a sad, sad change” if the county were to close it.

“No decision on this has been made,” responded Huffman. “We just feel we need to look at alternatives.”

Cox acknowledged that Jay County isn’t alone in facing this particular challenge.

“All the county homes are in the same situation,” she said.

Commissioner Mike Leonhard remains a strong supporter of the retirement center. “You’ve got to realize this is a service,” he said.

In other business, commissioners:

•Awarded a contract for major rural paving projects this year to Milestone Contractors, Portland. Milestone was the low bidder with a price of $1,403,220.

•Approved the purchase of a Bobcat and a mini-excavator from Bobcat of Mercer County, St. Henry, Ohio, at a combined price of $63,224. That amount will be supplemented by an insurance settlement of $35,144 to cover the loss of an earlier Bobcat in a fire earlier this year.

•Approved the purchase of a power washer from Aqua Blaster at a cost of $4,495, which was the low quote submitted.

•Officially created the part-time position of fiscal coordinator for the retirement center.

•Appointed Josh Atkinson to the board of John Jay Center for Learning, replacing Wes Schemenaur.

•Approved the opening of the Farmers’ Market, beginning this Saturday and running through October. The market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon, with vendors of produce and handmade crafts setting up at 7 a.m. Amy Ardizzone is managing the market this year.

•Approved a $2,500 donation to the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department for its Fourth of July fireworks display.

•Noted that not all county employees have participated in the latest round of computer security training from KnowB4.

•Received thanks from Randy Fisher for the county’s support of the mural being painted on the side of the Ritz in Portland commemorating 60 years of the Portland Rockets.

•Approved a resolution authorizing LifeStream to apply for funding from the Indiana Department of Transportation for 2020.

•Were informed that as many as 44 county computers running Windows 7 will either need to be upgraded or replaced by January when MicroSoft will no longer support that software.

•Approved the purchase of three computer monitors from Progressive Office Products, Portland, at a cost of $1,137.