Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Wednesday, October 19, 2016
(BEDFORD) - Senator Brent Steele was honored Tuesday by the Lawrence County Commissioners when they passed a resolution naming Bridge 25 after the retired senator.
Bridge 25, located on Leatherwood Road near Otis Park, was renamed the Brent E. Steele Bridge.
Steele, 69, has served in the Indiana Senate since 2002, when he was appointed to succeed Becky Skillman, who became lieutenant governor.
He had previously served in the state House of Representatives from 1995 to 2002.
The bridge is being rebuilt thanks to a Community Crossing Grant. The county is partnering with the City of Bedford to rebuild the bridge and improve the landscaping around the bridge.
In other business:
Highway Superintendent David Holmes reported crews have finished all the chipping and sealing in the county for the year.
Crews are milling and repaving Oolitic Road and Stars Boulevard. Oolitic Road was paved on Tuesday and Stars Boulevard will be paved on Wednesday. Dillman Road will be paved on Thursday, weather permitting.
Crews are also working on culverts. The culvert on Stove Road was replaced.
The county dump trucks are in Arkansas getting the beds worked on.
Bridge 113 on Springville Judah Road is now open to traffic. This spring crews will complete the top coat. The bridge over Spring Creek was closed after an accident in July knocked out a pier from under the bridge and caused other substantial damage. The bridge is located between Popcorn and Harrodsburg roads.
Crews have cut a large section, 10 feet by 20 feet, on Bridge 83 on Logan Donica Road just off Logan Bottoms Road, to repair the deck after a large hole weakened the concrete deck. The section has been framed and will be poured Wednesday weather permitting.
"It will take 12 to 14 days to cure, before the bridge can be reopened," Holmes added.
Work continues to have Bridge 150 replaced. The historic bridge located on Mill Creek Road is in the design phase and is scheduled to be replaced in 2021.
The commissioners received 11 bids to provide fuel for the county. Those bids were taken under advisement.
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Sheriff Mike Branham reported there were 148 inmates in the county jail. Of those 29 were females, 11 were Level D felons and there were 11 Department of Correction holds.
Sheriff Branham also presented the commissioners with a contract for his salary. Sheriff Branham has been working without a written contract in place and according to Indiana Code one needed drafted.
His pay will not change and will remain the same the duration of his term.
Sheriff Branham informed the commissioners that he had not heard from DLZ, who is going to repair the ramp in front of the sheriff's department.
"The project was to be ready for bids on October 14 and that day has come and past and I have not heard from them," Sheriff Branham says. "I have sent them an email to see what is going on."
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Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer asked the commissioner to pass a resolution for the creation of a 911 advisory board.
The board is needed to help resolve issues after the creation of a Central Dispatch Center.
Now all 911 calls will be dispatched from the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department. Mitchell Police Department will still have one dispatcher on station Monday through Friday during regular business hours to handle random calls or if someone comes on station with a complaint. But all calls will be dispatched thought the Sheriff's Department.
The City of Mitchell lost their funding for 911 when the state decided to create a central dispatch center for each county.
The City of Bedford will continue to handle all of their 911 calls.
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