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Last updated on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
(BEDFORD) - The Lawrence County Commissioner signed a resolution allowing South Lawrence Utilities to apply for a $500,000 community focus grant to purchase a new water tower on Ind. 60.
The new to tower will increase water pressure and hold 100,000 gallons of water, twice the amount of the current tower. This will be the third time the utility has applied for a grant to replace the tower.
In other business:
* The commissioners received two bids for the construction of a new morgue.
In April, Lawrence County Coroner John Sherrill informed the commissioners the county required the use of another facility to conduct autopsies and store corpses. Dunn Memorial Hospital once served as the county's morgue.
However, St. Vincent, which purchased the facility in 2010, decided not to maintain its unit. Sherrill was granted access to a small facility at Indiana University Health Bedford Hospital, but that temporary arrangement will soon expire.
The commissioners plan to renovate existing space at Dunn Plaza into an office area, autopsy room, and walk-in storage and work area. The bids were from Rainey Construction for $234,963.48 and from Tri County Builders for $98,700. The commissioners took the bids under advisement.
* Lawrence County Sheriff Sam Craig says Advance Health Care will be providing psychological evaluations to inmates in need. They will be at the jail twice a week for four hours to help resolve issues and evaluate inmates. They will also be available for emergency situations. The firm will also provide training to officers and jailers.
Craig reported there were 123 inmates at the jail, 19 are female and 12 department of correction inmates.
* He also gave the commissioners an update on the old courthouse annex. He says asbestos samples have been taken and he is currently waiting on a report and quote on how much it will cost to remove the asbestos. Once that is done the building will be tore down.
* Emergency Management Director Valeria Luchauer asked the commissioners to sign a mutual aid agreement with Monroe, Washington, Orange and Jackson counties to provide mutual aid during emergency situations, like the tornados that hit Henryville. The counties will have no obligations. The commissioners also signed the salary contract for Allison Moore, Luchauer's assistant. Her salary of $50,000 is paid with grant funds.
* Bob Dillon, county projects director reported highway crews were preparing roads for paving. The bridge washing was completed and the first round of spraying for weeds was done except at the river bridges. He reported the second phase of bridge inspections will begin. And Bridge 20 east of Needmore should be open by Friday.
* Ron Pridemore voiced concerns that the commissioners were going to do chip and sealing on some of the county roads "as an experiment."
Commissioner Bill Spreen told those at the meeting that the highway department was going to chip and seal two roads in his district to see how they held up. He explained that the project was to see if the chip and seal would hold on the roadways. One of the road is a dead end with little traffic and the other has moderate traffic.
Pridemore was concerned because he didn't think the commissioners needed to "experiment" and could contact other counties that chip and seal their roadways.
Spreen explained he does not want to spend county money on purchasing equipment so the county can do their own chip and sealing without first seeing if the projects will hold up. Once Spreen and Commissioner David Flinn explained the process. Pridemore was content.
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