Animal shelter closer to reopening

A couple of unexpected problems have delayed the reopening of the Putnam County Humane Shelter, the county commissioners learned at their recent meeting.

However, Animal Control Officer Brien Holsapple assured the commissioners at their Monday meeting that things are progressing toward reopening.

"We've made a lot of headway minus the two recent curveballs," Holsapple said.

The curveballs came in the form unforeseen of heating and air and electrical issues, Holsapple said. Three years sitting empty made the shelter ideal for rodents, which caused damage to the building's systems.

Holsapple credited volunteers who have fixed the problems at minimal cost to the county.

"We have gotten the facility cleaned up, disinfected," he said. "The public side of the facility is almost done."

Another hurdle to clear before reopening is employing a part-time veterinary technician to work at the facility. The county will be reaching out to nearby veterinary clinics, seeing if any techs are looking for part-time work.

A recently-completed project was also on the commissioners' agenda Monday, with Scott Dick of USI Contractors discussing costs of the Houck Covered Bridge project.

Dick reported that the actual cost of the project was $600,314 under the original $2,407,100 estimated presented by USI. Credit for this goes to the work of George R. Harvey and Son, the company that did the construction work.

While the cost savings realized in using Harvey and Son did not change the nature of the work done by USI, under a peculiarity of Indiana Department of Transportation rules, it reduces the amount paid by INDOT to the engineering firm.

Dick was at Monday's meeting to request that the county pay its originally agreed to amount of $58,100 to USI, despite INDOT's lower compensation. The county still saved $120,000 on its portion of construction costs.

The commissioners seemed favorable to the request, with County Attorney Jim Ensley recommending they agree to the original amount.

"If we didn't do this," Ensley said, "then the next time we hire USI or someone else, why would they try to save the county money?"

The move passed unanimously.

In other news:

* County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts gave a final report on 2014 road work in the county, saying 21.3 miles of road was chipped and sealed, along with six miles of cold mix and 3.2 miles of hot mix asphalt.

The department has moved on to other work, with three graders and two maintainers currently working gravel roads. Ricketts also said that three hand patching crews and two mowing crews have been working.

One coming problem for the department and the county is road salt for the winter. Ricketts said the county is searching for solutions, as it is 300 tons short of its estimated need, while salt prices have tripled since last winter.

* The commissioners also voted to change the time of their Monday, Nov. 17 meeting, moving it from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.