Commissioners change appointment to CVB
Less than a year after reorganization, the Putnam County Convention and Visitor Bureau will have at least one new member in 2016.
The Putnam County Commissioners, making a two-year appointment to the CVB, chose Monday not to reappoint Cloverdale businessman Don Gedert, instead selecting Kit Newkirk, executive director of the Putnam County Museum.
Commissioner Don Walton initially moved to appoint Gedert, but the motion failed for lack of a second.
Newkirk's nomination then passed 2-1, with David Berry and Rick Woodall voting in favor.
Steve Greeson, also appointed by the commissioners in May, was unanimously reappointed on Monday.
Gedert was one of four appointments made by the commissioners last year, and one of two who had previous CVB board experience. Fellow veteran Donna Houser and newcomers Tanya Mentgen and Page Cotton were appointed to terms that expire in January 2017.
The remaining six appointments are made by either the Greencastle mayor or the Cloverdale Town Council.
From the mayor's appointments, Eric Wolfe's seat will be up for appointment, while Gail Smith and Michele Faison are set to serve through January 2017.
The Cloverdale Town Council will be tasked with making two appointments when it meets on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The seats of Mike Kantilal and Dianna Gorrell are up for reappointment, while Rick Patel will serve another year.
Newkirk was appointed the executive director of the museum in February 2014. Prior to that, she had been involved with the museum in various capacities from its founding until she moved away from Greencastle in 2008.
Only three other commissioners' appointments are changing hands, with Rob Mann replacing his father Fred on the Putnam County Hospital Board; Chuck McElwee taking a vacant position on the Animal Care and Control Board; and Jim Hilburn taking a vacant position on the Walnut Creek Fire Protection District Board.
Reappointments in 2016 include Joe Ferguson, Alcoholic Beverage Commission; Perry Wainman, Airport Authority; Jon Rice and Steve Fenwick, Cemetery Board; Jerry Ensor, Roy Haddon, Tom Helmer, Todd Shedron and David Nelson, Emergency 911 Board; Gary Salsman and Steve Thomas, Board of Health; Eric Hayman, Planning Commission; and Randy Bee and Raymond McCloud, Board of Zoning Appeals.
The commissioners also selected which boards they will serve on in 2016, with Walton serving on the West Central Economic Development Board and the Solid Waste Board; Woodall serving on Operation Life Board, Board of Health and Greencastle Putnam County Development Board; and Berry serving on the Planning Commission, Redevelopment Commission, Emergency 911 Board and Emergency Management Agency.
In other business:
* County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts reported that crews were working on the roughly 20 roads that flooded during heavy rains last week. All roads were reopened as of Monday morning, but repair work was ongoing.
"It wasn't too bad for the amount of water we had," Ricketts said. "We got pretty lucky."
* County Attorney Jim Ensley reported that the ordinance codification project is in its final stages, with the final copies of the ordinance books likely to be delivered in a few months.