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Quarry reopening plan causes bridge concern
While a reopening quarry in Monroe Township is good news for local commerce, its possible effect on nearby bridges has county officials concerned.
On Monday, the Putnam County Commissioners approved a request to rezone the Bainbridge Quarry property (formerly Harris Stone Quarry) at 5588 N. CR 50 East from Rural Preservation (A1) to Natural Resources.
The unanimous approval affirmed a Feb. 12 advisory decision by the Putnam County Area Plan Commission to grant the rezone with the following stipulations:
1. Water removal is done in such a way as to not flood the area.
2. Work with surrounding property owners on seismograph installations at or near their property boundaries.
3. The only allowable uses for the property are mineral extraction and agriculture.
While the approval itself is of no controversy at all, Commissioner Rick Woodall noted that use of the south route away from the property by loaded trucks would damage a pair of load-rated bridges in the area.
While the quarry is accessible from U.S. 36 with no load limits via County Road 100 East, 650 North and 50 East, it can also be accessed from U.S. 231 via County Road 500 North and 50 East.
However, this would require crossing Bridge 78 on 500 North, which has a 12-ton weight limit. The quarry owner estimated that loaded tri-axles leaving the facility would have an average weight of 18 or 19 tons.
Even if the drivers were to heed the warning signs at the intersection of 500 North and 25 East (Shortcut Road), their most likely alternate path would be to head north, where they would immediately go over Bridge 297, which has a 15-ton limit.
Woodall warned Sheriff Jerrod Baugh, also present at the meeting that his deputies would need to monitor this situation even if drivers are told at the quarry that they should not head south, as their own instincts and Google Maps might inform them otherwise.
Baugh noted that education, followed by enforcement, would likely be in order.
Also under the purview of County Building and Planning Director Lisa Zeiner, the Commissioners approved an interlocal agreement with the Town of Cloverdale to perform its zoning administration tasks, similar to agreements already in place with Roachdale and Bainbridge.
The agreement is part of the county’s new unified development ordinance, which brings Bainbridge, Cloverdale, Roachdale and Russellville under the same umbrella as the county zoning laws.
The Commissioners also approved a new planning fee schedule. Zeiner noted that building fees were increased in 2020, but planning fees had remained untouched.
In other business, the Commissioners:
• Agreed to pay half of the health insurance fees for one employee in the Adult Probation Office.
Chief Probation Officer Teresa Parrish and Circuit Court Judge Matthew Headley noted that these fees had previously been paid from the Alcohol and Drug Program budget, but that this fund had taken a serious hit over the last year. The employee’s salary is paid from three different funds, including the county general fund.
While the Commissioners question whether this could have been dealt with during annual budget hearings last summer, they ultimately voted 2-1 in favor of the move, with Woodall and Tom Helmer in favor and David Berry opposed.
Berry noted that there was still sufficient money in the Drug and Alcohol Fund to cover this year and it could be dealt with in future budgets.
• Learned that Putnam County EMS Chief Kelly Russ has been asked by the National Association of EMTs to testify before Congress on during EMS on the Hill Day in Washington, D.C., on April 17-18.
Russ told the Banner Graphic that the trip will be to advocate for EMS-related bills before Congress and will include speaking with the members of Congress from Indiana and before the entire House of Representatives the second day.
• Agreed to contract with USI Consultants for engineering a pair of highway projects — $20,000 for preliminary work on the county’s $2 million Community Crossings project for 2024 and $35,000 for the 2024-25 Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) report.
• Tabled consideration of the 2024 Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) plan until a special meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15.
• Welcomed two new Putnam County Sheriff’s Office merit deputies who were introduced by Sheriff Baugh.
The new deputies are Patrick Landis, who spent the previous decade as a Bainbridge reserve before that town council recently dissolved its reserve program, and Kaleb Silbert, who has previously served as a jail officer for PCSO.
Baugh also noted that the dissolution of the Bainbridge reserves brought a new, experienced reserve to his department in Michael Clampitt.
The Commissioners were joined at the meeting by Auditor Kristina Berish and County Attorney Jim Ensley.