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County pledges $10,000 for Civil War monument
With the potential of $50,000 in grant money going toward preservation of the Civil War monument at Forest Hill Cemetery, the Putnam County Commissioners have committed $10,000 to the effort.
Phil Gick of the Heritage Preservation Society (HPS) explained to the commissioners on Monday that restoring and preserving the one-of-a-kind monument will take approximately $100,000.
With such a price tag, HPS has been seeking grants for assistance. One of these requires a 50 percent local match.
Of the required $50,000, HPS has been able to raise $30,000 through various fundraisers. Additionally, the City of Greencastle recently pledged $10,000.
Gick was present to ask for the same amount from the county, both to match the city's pledge and to meet the $50,000 in local funds.
Even with the stress of county council 2015 budget hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, the commissioners did not bat an eye at pledging to preserve a bit of county history. David Berry made the motion to put $10,000 in County Economic Development Income Tax toward the project in 2015 and 2016, with $5,000 paid each year.
Max Watts seconded the motion, and Don Walton's aye vote made it unanimous.
Much like HPS, the county is seeking grant funding for animal control and possibly other areas as well. Ron Brown, who was previously authorized to seek grants for the county, has been continuing to do so. However, applying for specific grants requires resolutions by the commissioners.
The commissioners authorized applying for six new grants on Monday through organizations such as Purdue University, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the National and Community Service RSVP Program, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
All six resolutions passed unanimously.
In other business:
* Dispatch Director Dave Costin gave an update on his pursuit of a Roachdale dispatch solution.
Costin had already reported reaching an agreement with Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co. to lease space on its tower off the Bainbridge-Roachdale Road just north of North Putnam High School.
On Monday, he reported having located a used concrete shack that can be purchased and placed on the site at a cost of $11,391. Estimates for a new shack ran as high as $32,000.
All told the cost of relocating the county's dispatch relay to the tower should be $68,290, well below the original $90,000 estimate.
The commissioners approved the purchase of the shack, so the Costin will continue moving forward with the project.
* Judi Purvis of the Transformers and Bridges Out of Poverty programs announced an Oct. 29 event featuring Phil DeVol, creator of the Bridges Out of Poverty program.
The public event is set for 9 a.m.-noon at the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics. Registration fee is $35. For more information, the public may contact Purvis at 301-4585 or gctransformers@gmail.com.
Purvis also encouraged the commissioners to attend an afternoon meeting for community leaders that will follow.
* The commissioners also fielded complaints about road conditions from Jim Limp of Heritage Lake.
Limp reported his disappointment with a recent project on County Road 750 East, chip-and-seal work on Heritage Drive and a large drop-off on the east side of County Road 674 East to the south of Heritage Lake.
The commissioners and County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts explained to Limp that as a state and federal aid project, the 750 East project is out of the county's hands.
Regarding chip-and-seal work, officials defended the viability of the practice, noting that it is also performed on state and U.S. highways as a way to preserve and prolong the life of roads.
Despite these claims, Limp continued to refer to the work as a step backward, saying many local residents would prefer no work be performed.
As for 675 East, the Ricketts will ask the county's risk management advisors at Bliss McKnight to look at the road and decide if it requires a guardrail.
* Ricketts also reported that chip-and-seal work is continuing on County Road 250 East, after which crews will return to Heritage Drive to complete the process.