Commissioners receive courthouse stone proposal

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Putnam County Commissioners tentatively approved a $26,915 plan to repair damaged cornice and stones on the Putnam County Courthouse at Monday's meeting.

Putnam County is a step closer to dealing with a problem with the courthouse brought up earlier this winter.

County Planner Kim Hyten presented the Putnam County Commissioners with a proposal from Karr Tuckpointing to repair a number of decorative stones and cornices on the north and south sides of the structure. The commissioners tentatively approved the $26,915 plan, pending the review of County Attorney Scott Hoff.

Not only do the damaged stones present an aesthetic problem to the structure, they are a physical hazard.

"At minimum, we need to think about working on the south side," Hyten said. "That's the side that had stones fall this winter."

The job will include patching five square feet of the face of the cornice and two decorative stones on the north side of the courthouse, along with 35 square feet of the face of the cornice and two decorative stones on the south side.

The problems with the stones originated when water pooled on the top of the cornice. With nowhere to drain, it eventually seeped into the stone and damaged the bottom.

To alleviate this, sheet metal will be installed on the top of the cornice structures while removing any tar, caulking or metal previously installed on the tops of the cornice.

The commissioners met with Area 30 technology instructor John Tesmer about updating the county website. Both the design and the information on the site are currently outdated.

"It's really outdated, and I don't think it's the way this county should be represented," Tesmer said.

Commissioner Nancy Fogle voiced her agreement, saying she was frustrated with the unfinished nature of the site.

Tesmer said he and his students could help bring things up to date as well as keep it that way.

"I could develop this Website. I have a whole classroom full of students that could help with this Website," Tesmer said.

With the interest of the county officials, Tesmer said he could put in some work on a proposal and come back to a future meeting with a cost estimate on the work.

County highway co-supervisor Jim Smith addressed concerns many residents have expressed about the condition of blacktops throughout the county.

While many roads were heavily damaged between ice and flooding in recent months, the pothole issue cannot be addressed in an economic way until the weather is consistently warmer. Smith said the weather has to consistently be above freezing in order for the blacktop mix to adhere to the existing road.

He said early mornings with temperatures in the 20s will cause any patch work to pop back out.

"We can't throw away the money we have," Smith said.

He added that 90 percent of the county's gravel roads have been repaired since winter, so crews should be prepared to work the blacktops when the weather is better.

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  • I hope Putman Co. is keeping an eye out on where their money is going. sometimes they have other avenues and no one speaks up.

    -- Posted by LivininAvon on Wed, Apr 6, 2011, at 11:55 AM
  • "I hope Putman Co. is keeping an eye out on where their money is going. sometimes they have other avenues and no one speaks up."

    Putnam.

    P-U-T-N-A-M.

    Ugh..

    -- Posted by ProblemTransmission on Wed, Apr 6, 2011, at 2:35 PM
  • WOW! WE ARE PLANNING ON SPENDING MONEY ON FIXING SOME BROKEN STONES WHICH NO-ONE CAN EVEN SEE OR HAS CAUSED A SAFETY ISSUE! BUT NOT FIX OUR ROADS? I KNOW I LIVE IN THE COUNTRY - MADISON TOWNSHIP (4 ARCH ROAD)- WHICH HAS BECOME SAFETY HAZARD AND A CRUMBLED SMASHED OREO COOKIE!...I PAY ALOT OF TAXES BUT WE HAVE A CRAPPY ROAD!.....WHERE IS OUR MONEY GOING!...WHY PAY THE FOR WORKERS WHEN YOU DON'T FIX ANYTHING!

    -- Posted by cato on Wed, Apr 6, 2011, at 4:25 PM
  • Would the residents of Putnam County be willing to pay a few dollars in road repair taxes per year? Some of you people say, I already pay taxes to repair our roadways, and you are not wrong. However, our road repair money only comes from gasoline tax revenue. Even then we must depend on the state for our share. By the way, do you really think the state returns enough tax money to Putnam County to repair all the black top and gravel roads? We must depend on our county leaders to spend road repair moneys wisely. So not everyone will be happy with our road repairs or the lack there of.

    -- Posted by Blindside on Wed, Apr 6, 2011, at 8:45 PM
  • Good job,Blindside,in explaining the situation! Maybe cato can comprehend your explanation....

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Thu, Apr 7, 2011, at 6:02 AM
  • Then perhaps a part of all those millions coming in the next few years should be put towards these repairs if we can't get the money otherwise. THAT would be using it in a way that ALL the people of Greencastle could feel its benefits...but we all know WHICH roads would be the ones to get re-paved if the money were so used...

    -- Posted by stranded67 on Thu, Apr 7, 2011, at 9:44 AM
  • Explanation? For complaining about Putnam County Roads! My hubsand and I ride all around Putnam county and the surrounding counties and believe me our roads are the worse and we pay more taxes then alot of other counties. I understand where the road repair money comes from but our road has not been touched for over the last three years. Gravel patch and then graded down to no blacktop because it cost to much to fix the right way!...Where do you live? On one of the in town Depauw roads? Well drive around and see what roads get fixed and what roads don't. What we need is less people with hats and give the money to our roads!...Believe me I am born and raised here and our roads are the worse I have seen in a very long time. When I was kid the county use to mow the sides of the rodes and now your home owners do that JUST to be able to see around corners!...So don't lecture to me about how things are ran! I am a home owner and do pay my taxes!

    -- Posted by cato on Thu, Apr 7, 2011, at 2:35 PM
  • Why pay for more taxes so the politians can get richer!....I have paid over $2000 grand in Putnam taxes for this period...so I don't believe I need to have another tax just because our state cannot put the money where it is needed! This is how stupid our state is with money Reelsville, IN has a bridge that no-one even walks on or see but we had to have it to get the other bridge fixed but millions of grant money went to a concrete bridge that does not even need to be there! Just like spending $30,000 on repairs to stone that no-one even notices UNLESS you a very materialized person which alot of people are. Instead of fixing things that actually needs fixed? Would you allow your furnace to broke in the winter? Would you allow your plumbing to be backed up? Would you allow your car be broke down when you go to work? Well we need our roads to be fixed so we can continue to drive to work to pay those taxes we currently have taken out of our checks now! Do you want me to go on?

    I don't comment very often but if you had to drive down my road every day and hope & pray that my car makes it out off that hole that I just dropped into! I usually don't even read comments that are added in the site BUT I am really tired of giving and not receiving!

    -- Posted by cato on Thu, Apr 7, 2011, at 2:44 PM
  • Stop it,no more cheese for the whine.....

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Thu, Apr 7, 2011, at 3:28 PM
  • The Roads here in Afghanistan and the ones I have been on when I was in Iraq are FAR better then the one currently in Putnam County when I was home last. What a POOR representation of our County and not to mention, in some cases, a Safety concern. And just dumping some asphalt in a hole and calling it good is NO solution as stated! Our roads are in PATHETIC Condition and this is TOTALLY Un-Acceptable!!

    -- Posted by Afghan Contractor on Sat, Apr 9, 2011, at 11:05 AM
  • I have called the road department and said the same thing as Afghan Contractor. Our road (900 East-Hendricks/Put Co line road) looks like it has been shelled, often. It is not only damaging to the cars but is DANGEROUS, literally throwing your car from one side to the other.

    There are many State and Federal funds that the county can apply for and they do, but there is only so much they qualify for so it goes to the projects they target. Projects that benefit them politically and their favored engineering firms.

    In their defense theirs is a difficult job and funds are limited. Also this IS the system, always has been and is almost the same in every county. Our commissioners are just more obvious. Our county is known by their counterparts for their obvious "good old boy" and "one hand washes the other" conduct.

    This should not be accepted. Schedule an appointment at the Commissioners monthly meeting. Take pictures and get your neighbors to sign a petition. Call the commissioners once a month. Write more comments here (they DO read them!) Being the squeaky wheel can get you results.

    -- Posted by ladyinthewoods on Tue, Apr 12, 2011, at 8:48 AM
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