County seeking grant for Como

Como Road is the next project in sight for Community Crossings in 2020.

County engineer Dan Watson told Jay County Commissioners on Monday morning he’s working on a Community Crossings grant application to repave Como Road between county roads 900 South and 50 South, a stretch of more than 9 miles.

Watson estimates the construction cost at $1,472,000, with the local share $472,000 and $1 million requested from Indiana Department of Transportation via the grant.

That project would come on the heels of Community Crossings-funded repaving of Mount Pleasant Road and Boundary Pike.

Watson said the Mount Pleasant Road project came in under budget at $685,938.68. As a result, the county will return $33,795.99 to INDOT.

Matching dollars for Community Crossings come from the local road and street fund.

Watson also said INDOT has a major paving project planned in 2020 for Indiana 18 from Fiat to Bryant that is expected to take in the neighborhood of three months.

Commissioners gave their support — with a caveat — to providing professional assistance to a volunteer task force that has been working on the county’s animal control problems for the past several months.

On a 3-0 vote, commissioners Chuck Huffman, Mike Leonhard and Chad Aker approved allocating $1,500 from NextEra Energy economic development funds related to Bluff Point Wind Energy Center so that the task force can engage a Fort Wayne architectural firm to get a handle on what sort of facility might be needed.

“I guess I’m in favor of the expenditure,” said Huffman, stressing that he wants to see estimates on operational costs before any building project advances.

The task force has been working with Jay County Humane Society, Midwest Pet Refuge and the county’s contracted animal control service in a search for solutions.

“We can’t keep kicking the can down the road,” said Julie Forcum, who has been spearheading the task force. “There are significant shortfalls in the system we have.”

Grinsfelder Associates Architects will work with the task force to try to define the scope, size and potential cost of a new facility.

“This work will help us with estimating that operating cost,” said Dean Jetter, who has worked as a volunteer facilitator for the task force.

In addition to looking at a new facility, the group has been working on potential new animal control ordinances for local government.

Commissioners were sympathetic to a request from Jay County Historical Society toward its purchase of a property at 828 E. Water St., Portland, as an annex to the society’s museum. But commissioners weren’t sure where they could find the money.

“Let us give that some thought,” said Huffman.

“Obviously it’s a worthwhile cause,” added Aker.

“I don’t need an answer today,” said historical society co-president Rob Weaver. “Anything you can do for us would be appreciated.”

Weaver said the Water Street house cost $97,000, and the historical society has raised $75,654 to date.

In other business, commissioners:

•Learned that Melodi Haley resigned Monday from her position as a financial adviser to the Jay County Retirement Center, saying the pay had not been at the level she had been promised. “We followed the adopted pay scale,” said auditor Anna Culy.

•Approved three new residents for the retirement center, one of them on a split 2-1 vote with Huffman dissenting. Huffman has consistently opposed accepting new residents from outside Jay County with no local connection. The retirement center now has 19 residents, and there are no vacancies on the first floor. Director Hope Confer is seeking quotes on a stairlift so that more second floor rooms could be used.

•Agreed that Jay County Clerk Jon Eads should seek quotes for flooring and wiring work in connection with the new case management system to be installed later this year. The floor in the clerk’s office is slightly elevated to allow for computer cables to be run, but that work was done about 20 years ago and is beginning to fail.

•Agreed to buy two new Dodge pick-up trucks for Jay County Sheriff’s Office to be used by the department’s investigators. The trucks will be purchased from Fuqua Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep of Dunkirk at a cost of $26,681 each.

•Heard updates from Jay County Development Corporation executive director Travis Richards and community developer Ami Huffman.

•Authorized highway superintendent Donnie Corn to get quotes on snow plows for two new dump trucks. “We always get new ones when we get new trucks,” said Corn.

•Appointed Terry Hanks to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Jim Bruner to the Community and Family Service Board and the public defender board, Matt Minnich and Aker to the county plan commission, Steve Ford and Lee Newman to the zoning appeals board, Huffman to the regional sewer district board and Richards to the county redevelopment commission.

•Learned that the county’s asset management plan and asset management plans for Bryant and Pennville have been submitted to the Local Transportation Assistance Program at Purdue University and approved.

•Reviewed a contract with Atlas Building Services Inc., Wabash, for masonry restoration work on the courthouse.