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Last updated on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
(BEDFORD) - The Lawrence County Commissioners approved the purchase of three 2013, three-quarter ton 4-wheel drive pickup trucks Tuesday morning.
Highway superintendent David Holmes presented three bids to the commissioners Bill Spreen and Dave Flinn for their review. Commissoner Chris May was out of town on a business trip.
The lowest bid was from Bedford Ford.
Each truck will cost the county $24,905.52.
The trucks will replace three 2004 models that have more than 200,000 miles on them. The new trucks will be used by the foreman of each district.
Holmes told the commissioners that crews have been busy mowing, ditching, culvert work, doing hot patching and preparing roads for paving.
The commissioners accepted all of the bids for paving that were submitted last meeting.
"We bid all the roads separate now and that seems to work much better," Holmes added. "We get a little better pricing and a little more continuity."
The commissioners also opened three bids for the reconstruction of the intersection on Bartlettsville Road. Those bids were taken under
advisement and it will be awarded at the next commissioners meeting.
The bids did not include the cost of materials which the county will supply at a cost of $12,500.
In other business:
* County Project Director Bob Dillon told the commissioners work continues on Dunn Bridge, in Heltonville.
"They are completing the deck work and we hope to have the bridge opened the first week of June," Dillon added. "There were some setbacks after the equipment was vandalized.
Bridge crews have completed the annual bridge cleaning and continue to spray for weeds as the weather allows.
* Sheriff Sam Craig reported there were 129 inmates at the jail, of those 20 were women and 21 were Department of Correction holds.
Craig informed the commissioners that the county made $22,500 from scrapping the old Army surplus machinery that had been stored at the County Complex.
Craig says he will be adding a sliding metal gate at the security checkpoint at the courthouse plaza.
"It will fold back during daytime hours and will be pulled closed after hours to protect the scanning equipment," Craig says. "WorkOne holds evening hours and this will allow the equipment to be protected so no one could tamper with it."
Commissioner Dave Flinn was concerned about fire exits being blocked.
Craig says it shouldn't be a problem, because the emergency exits would not be blocked. But Craig would looked into the issue before installing the gate.
*Homeland Security Director Valerie Luchauer introduced her summer intern Cody Ikerd to the commissioners.
She also presented the commissioner with the Lawrence County Emergency Response Plan. The plan is revised every six months.
"I am thankful we have our plan in place and hope they did in Oklahoma," Spreen says. "I just hope and pray we never have to use it, but if we do we have a solid plan of action on how to handle things."
The commissioners also adopted the weather travel advisor plan.
* David Webb of RTC, out of Montgomery, will be placing fiber optic cable in the Bryantsville area. Webb asked permission to lay the cable on county right-of-way. The cable will be laid along Stumphole Bridge Road, Port Williams Road and in Dogwood Acres.
"We have obtained permission from private homeowners and will have the work done in about a month," Webb says.
* The commissioners granted a request to create a non-reverting fund for the aviation commission for fuel. County Attorney Dave Smith says the fund is required by the State Board of Accounts to monitor fuel sales.
* The commissioners approved the request to increase SRI tax service fee from $70 to $75. The fee was increased because the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that now when a property goes up for a tax sale the mortgage companies must be notified by certified mail that the property is up for sale.
* County Clerk Myron Rainey asked permission to seek funds to purchase carpet and have it put in and paint the new voter registration office that will be located in the courthouse basement. The estimated cost of the project will be $2,419.83. The office is being moved as part of the new security measures that will be instituted at the courthouse. His request will now be presented at the county council meeting on Tuesday.
* Probation Director Nedra Brock Fleetwood asked the commissioner permission to hire a new Drug Court Manager. The position was going to be filled by Wanda Harper, but she has since resigned from the probation department to become a counselor. Fleetwood will now present her request to the county council.
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