The Washington County Commissioners and Council had a joint special meeting with township trustees on March 1 to determine who will pay for 11 miles of road that currently is not receiving tax money. 

The county is in the process of updating their pavement asset management plant for the Community Crossing Grants and have discovered that the county is maintaining approximately 11 miles of roads of roads not receiving any tax money the maintenance. 

The 11 miles of roads is in incorporated town limits. 

Superintendent Rick Voyles said county road money should not be used to pave roads within the limits. 

The towns need a pavement asset management plan in order to qualify for grant monies. 

The council and commissioners informed the towns that the county would be willing to pay the cost of the pavement asset management plan for the first year only. 

HWC Representative Paul Lincks stated the cost would be $1200. 

Once the plan is done, the towns could contract with HWC to apply for grant monies. 

It was the consensus of the commissioners and council to provide the funding for the plan and decide at their regular March meetings. 

The Washington County Commissioners met in a special session last Thursday afternoon to award bids in the courthouse restoration project. 

The board voted to approve the $1,038,000 bid from General Restoration Corporation from Columbus, Ohio. 

The base bid was $965,000 with three alternate bids for copper roofs, porticos and belfry covered in EPDM. 

Other bidders were Bodenbender and Shalwer who turned in a bid of $1,642,488 (with a base bid of $1,459,088), NR LEE RESTORATION with a bid of $1,080,700 (with a base bid of $989,400), BOLLEY & ANDREWS MASONRY with a bid of $1,597,777 (with a base bid of $1,342,777) and MIDWEST MAINTENANCE, INC with a bid of $1,808,000 (with a base bid of $1,635,000).

The commissioners thanked everyone for bidding. The board asked Fritz Hergot with Arsee Engineers to review the bids and give them a recommendation. 

At the board’s regular monthly meeting on Monday, other business included:

BRIDGE 236

THE COMMISSIONERS OPENED BIDS FOR BRIDGE 236.

TEMPLE & TEMPLE bid $182,250 and E & B PAVING turned in a bid for $450,010.

The commissioners asked highway superintendent Rick Voyles to review the bids and make a recommendation at their next meeting. 

WTH AGREEMENT

The commissioners tabled this until their next meeting

HIGHWAY

Highway superintendent Rick Voyles gave information to the commissioners about the underground facilities and the county’s responsibility for roads on the southern and eastern boundaries. 

COMMISSIONER SHELL

Commissioner Shell discussed the sheriff towing fee ordinance that was recently passed by the county council. Shell believes the fee should not be collected by the towing companies due to the bonding requirement by the state board of accounts. Attorney Howard will look into the bonding requirements and report to the findings at the April meeting. 

CLAIMS/PAYROLL/MINUTES

Commissioner Shell made a motion to approve the claims, payroll and the minutes from the previous meeting and the March 1 special meeting.

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Roberts. The motion passed 3-0.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The board gave approval to replace the part-time health nurse.

Indiana State Police will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint this upcoming Friday night and early Saturday morning. The exact location and time will not be released. Motorists that are not impaired can expect only short delays of 2-3 minutes while passing through the checkpoint.

Troopers encourage all motorists to call 911 or the closest Indiana State Police Post when they observe another motorist that may be impaired. Be prepared to give a description of the vehicle, location and direction of travel.

The Indiana State Police are committed to traffic safety and will continue to conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints to apprehend impaired drivers and to deter others from drinking and driving.

LaGrange County-A Coldwater, MI woman ended up in jail facing marijuana and methamphetamine charges following a traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road.

On March 9, 2018, around 11:20 p.m., Trooper Zarek Finley stopped a westbound Toyota for several moving violations near the 112 mile marker.  This is approximately nine miles west of the Howe/LaGrange exit.

While speaking to the driver and female passenger, Finley purportedly could smell marijuana.  He also noticed a small child in the back of the Toyota.  Following a search of the Toyota, approximately 28 grams of suspected marijuana and paraphernalia were located.  Approximately one gram of suspected methamphetamine was found hidden on the front seat passenger, identified as Jasireee Bauder, age 30 of Coldwater, MI.

Bauder was arrested for preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Level 6 Felony, Possession of Marijuana, A-Misdemeanor, Possession of Paraphernalia, C-Misdemeanor, and Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Level 6 Felony.  Bauder was taken to the LaGrange County Jail.