County is now at 45 cases

Jay County’s coronavirus numbers continue to creep up, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases now at 45.

But changes in behavior — social distancing, wearing face masks, frequent hand-washing — are making a difference.

“We’re doing all right,” Jay County Health Department environmentalist/administrator Heath Butz told county commissioners Monday morning. “People are doing the best we can.”

Butz said of the 45 cases, 30 of those individuals have recovered. Eight required hospitalization, and one required a ventilator.

“You’re seeing them all over the place,” he said. “You’re seeing a broader age range.”

Butz said Jay County’s cases have ranged in age from 20 to 80.

“Everything depends on the public,” he said. “If we can continue to do those things (social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing), we’ll get through this a lot quicker and a lot safer.”

Commissioners agreed that county government operations should continue to be by appointment only under current state guidelines.

“I would suggest that we continue as is for another two weeks,” said commissioners president Chuck Huffman. “But at some point we need to say we’re open as usual. … The goal for everybody is to get things going and keeping people safe. It’s a tightrope.”

County auditor Anna Culy told commissioners up to $673,662 in COVID-19 related county government expenses could be reimbursed under the CARES Act approved by Congress.

“It turned out to be a substantial amount,” said Culy. “I’m trying to track it all.”

Ami Huffman of Jay County Community Development is working her way through the paperwork and details to make sure the county is reimbursed for all eligible extraordinary expenses.

Huffman is also working on a potential $45,628 grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute that would cover the cost of hiring an additional employee to do COVID-19 cleaning in areas related to the criminal justice system, including the courts and the Jay County Jail.

In other business, Chuck Huffman and fellow commissioners Chad Aker and Mike Leonhard:

•Approved Milestone Contracting, Portland, for a 9-mile paving project on Como Road. Milestone was the low bidder at $1,328,276 for the Community Crossings-assisted project.

•Asked county engineer Dan Watson to get additional quotes from engineering firms to design a replacement bridge over the Salamonie River on Seventh Street in Portland. Watson had presented a quote from Beam Longest and Neff, but commissioners said they would like to see competing proposals.

•Agreed to pay the $58,000 balance of the county’s pledge toward the Farmer’s Building at Jay County Fairgrounds and to release $22,800 to the Town of Redkey for a roofing project. In both cases, the money came from wind farm economic development funds.

•Approved providing up to $2,500 to Jay County 4-H to cover the cost of COVID-19 sanitizing supplies during the 4-H fair.

•Learned that traffic count data on county road 250 West between county roads 800 South and 900 South showed about 150 semis during a two-week period. “The complaint is real,” highway superintendent Donnie Corn said. “Most of the traffic was coming out of Randolph County, heading north.” Corn said he forwarded the information to Sheriff Dwane Ford. “He says he’s going to get on it,” said Corn.

•Adjusted the bond agreement with Scout Clean Energy from $4,681,498 to $3,745,199 to reflect road work already done during the construction of Bitter Ridge Wind Farm. “It was provided for in the road use agreement,” said county attorney Bill Hinkle.