Walker Lane to close for culvert replacement

With road construction and repair season getting into full swing, motorists can expect delays and closures at various points throughout the county in the coming weeks and months.

However, the payoff should be smoother rides on the roads in question.

Walker Lane (County Road 300 West) will be closed from Monday, June 16 through Wednesday, June 18, County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts announced to the county commissioners at their recent meeting.

Crews will be replacing culverts on the road, leading to its closure of the 1.25-mile stretch of the road from Dunbar Road, south to West Walnut Street.

The project follows on the heels of this week's culvert replacement on Cemetery Road between Veterans Highway and Jones Road, as well as recent grinding work on West Walnut.

Ricketts said a number of projects involving grinding, chip-and-seal work and patching are going on throughout the county.

In bridge news, Houck Covered Bridge closed earlier this month, with the new, modern bridge set to open on June 18.

With ditching work also ongoing, Ricketts said county residents can contact the department about being on a list to receive excess dirt. The highway department can be reached at 653-4714.

In other business:

* 911 Dispatch Director Dave Costin said Putnam County Hospital is interested in sharing the cost on a panic button system with the county. The system will give hospital departments as well as county office housed at the hospital a way to instantly contact dispatch in an emergency situation.

* Ron Brown, who has been helping the county pursue grants for re-establishing animal control, announced that funds may be available for another large county undertaking.

With the county facing a nearly million-dollar price tag on updating the emergency dispatch software, Brown said National Justice Institute funds may be available to cover a significant portion of the expense.

Brown told the commissioners he fast-tracked the application to get it turned in late last week.