Menu
County also seeking $250,000 grant for small businesses
Like the City of Greencastle and the Town of Bainbridge, Putnam County is set to apply to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) for a COVID Phase III grant to help local small businesses.
At their recent meeting, the Putnam County Commissioners passed a resolution to apply for the maximum $250,000 for the COVID grant.
If approved by the state, the grant could provide up to $10,000 each for local small businesses that apply.
Grant administrator Kristy Jerrell told the Commissioners there have been 20 county applicants so far, with 25 needed to utilize the full $250,000.
Should the county have more than 25 eligible applicants, the fund would be split evenly among all of them.
While there is no local match requirement in this grant, the Commissioners have committed to pitch in $6,250 in county EDIT funds to the effort.
While the local match is important for showing local commitment to the effort, perhaps more important is the regional aspect of the application.
With Greencastle and Bainbridge both applying as well, Jerrell hopes to pitch the local commitment to the state as a regional partnership aimed at helping businesses across the county.
Jerrell said the original deadline for application was Feb. 26, but due to significant interest in the program, that was extended to March 11.
She previously informed the Greencastle City Council the state has in excess of $20 million it plans to distribute to an estimated 110 grant recipient cities and towns.
With the new deadline, Jerrell said the grants would likely be awarded on April 15, with the county able to get checks to businesses by the middle of June to early July.
Commissioners Rick Woodall and David Berry gave the resolution a 2-0 approval. Commissioner Tom Helmer was absent following the recent death of wife Cheryl.
In other business, the Commissioners:
• Opened bids on a new ambulance for Putnam County EMS.
All three bids were for a Ford E-450 Type 3, with Chief Kelly Russ wanting to move from the truck chassis of most of the current fleet to more of a van chassis.
She noted, though, that despite the “van” chassis, these will still be box ambulances. Department officials simply prefer the van bodies as they are more fuel efficient and less expensive to repair.
Siddons-Martin Emergency Group submitted a bid of $230,356, with a bid of $208,459 from Fire Service Inc. and a bid of $240,406 from PL Custom Emergency Vehicle.
One particular ambulance is of concern. Medic 5 was crashed two years ago, when it was still the property of Operation Life, and was never properly fixed. Both Russ and the Fire Service representative in attendance Monday agreed the truck should have been totaled out by the insurance company.
Russ explained that the front wheels are now pigeon toed and grind through commercial tires every six to eight weeks.
The Commissioners did not act on the bids, but planned to revisit the matter during a special session set to take place at 2 p.m. Thursday and the Putnam County Highway Department.
Chief among their concerns are having a good way to pay for not only this ambulance, but the department’s future needs.
The 2021 budget has $60,000 allocated for ambulance replacement, and while by the time the first lease payment came due next year, that number would be $120,000, it still does not allow for replacing another in a year or two.
The numbers — which will also include the sale of old ambulances — were set to be reviewed more closely on Thursday.
• Heard a request from Putnam County Health Department Administrator Joni Young to add an additional nurse to the department staff.
“One health nurse for a county of 37,000 is not enough, let alone during a pandemic,” Young said, adding that she had been granted permission to pay for additional nurses as needed through grant funds, but this is not sustainable.
“I’ve been asking for five years for a public health nurse,” Young said, “and I think now, a pandemic is showing the need for one.”
In the midst of the pandemic, current department nurse Sara Burnett took no vacation time in 2020.
Young added that there will still be plenty of work once the pandemic is over, saying that administering vaccines (even of the non-Covid variety) and the requisite paperwork keep Burnett busy enough that the department has had to cut things such as wellness programs in local schools.
She added that more and more duties are being transferred from the Indiana State Department of Health to local departments.
Woodall added that the issue has been researched and Putnam is the only county of its size or greater with Just one nurse on staff.
No decision was made on the issue, as it is a longer term matter that will require input from both the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council.
The Commissioners also granted a request by Young to provide small gifts as tokens of appreciation to some of the repeat volunteers who have helped the department’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic run smoothly.
She noted that one volunteer travels from Tippecanoe County three times a week to help.
• Approved the annual freeze-thaw ordinance implementing temporary weight limits on county roads.
With the freezing and thawing cycles of late winter and spring, roads can become soft, leaving them especially susceptible to damage by heavy vehicles.
When it is deemed necessary, the county may enact specific restrictions on specific roads for up to 90 days.
The restrictions go into effect upon the posting of the weight limit signs.
• Heard from Clear Creek Conservancy on needed asphalt improvements over the dam at Heritage Lake.
Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts said that if INDOT approves the county’s Community Crossings request in 2021, the road will be on the agenda for new pavement in 2022.
• Gave Coroner Jon Myers their blessing to get two gas keys to purchase gas from the Putnam County Highway Department rather than paying the higher rate at a commercial gas station.