7 DECEMBER 2021 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES
Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Art Little, and Rick Probst
Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor, Andy Baudendistel, Attorney, and Sue Hayden, Administrator
TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.
OLD BUSINESS- none
NEW BUSINESS
2022 County Extension Contract- Liz Beiersdorfer Director- $117,940 is the annual cost. 367 learner sessions, 7,733 educational contacts in the past year. Thatcher congratulated them on the 4H program. 3rd graders get a Captain Cash program also. Baudendistel reviewed the contract already. Approved and signed by Thatcher.
Update Local COVID Status- Dr Steven Eliason, County Health Officer- seeing 230 new positive cases- an uptick. Delta still a problem, but no Omicron detected here. Could hit red this week. Anticipates being yellow and orange thru the holidays. 57.2% of our total population fully vaccinated. Over 65 is over 99% fully vaccinated. Lost a total of 100 people. Delta deaths are about 30 or so. NUmbers pretty low at the schools. Positives are in older people mostly. Baudendistel
1.5% active cases then mask. at Lawrenceburg and South Dearborn. EC voted for no masks. St.Lawrence masked.
The Old Merchants Bank site for testing is available till June 2022. Vaccinations at the Heath Dept are 70-100 per day. It’s mostly boosters. There are some kids and first shots too. Health Dept staff is low- - lost clerk, nurse, and a preparedness person. Looking for replacements. Interviewng for nurse tomorrow. Ages 5 on up are available. Omicron in 18 states so far though not Indiana yet.
Annual Road Materials Bid Awards- Tim Grieve, Highway Superintendent- Fuel went up- Laughery Valley Ag Coop- Gas- $3.02 went up 86 cents from 2021. Road diesel- $2.90- up 79 cents form 2021. 30 % increase on stone. Asphalt was bid by Rohe, O’Mara, and Hei-way.
Aggregates bid by Harrison, Newpoint Stone, and Hanson.
Some discussion on whether they may need to scale the service to not running the salt trucks all night and day due to price increases in fuel etc. The last 3 years were with the same company- Laughery Valley. These bids are separate from the sheriff’s. Sheriff has a large tank and so a tanker can fill it. Approved the road materials bids.
NOTE: Listerman later in the meeting said he had looked up the budget and they had bid high the previous year and the fuel costs were then lower so he thought they would have a surplus to add to this year's budgeted money to cover the increase in fuel costs.
Todd Listerman, County Engineer:
2021 Bridge Inspection Review- as required by federal law. Derek Day American Structure Point- County has 100 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory. 100 bridges with 20’ span or greater. 53 are not deficient. 17 are structurally deficient due to condition ratings less than a 4 rating. 30 are functionally obsolete based on geometrics or alignment etc.11 structures are considered “scour critical” 28 are “Load posted”
Pedestrian bridges - we have only Triple Whipple Bridge. The federal gov’t does not participate in the costs for it. They do not do pedestrian bridges. There is additional money in the Cum Bridge Fund coming in. 26% are good, 58% are fair and16 % are in poor condition. Sufficiency ratings determine what can get federal funding. 19 have been replaced or reconstructed in past 10 years. 16 are scheduled for capital improvements. These costs are at $9.3 Million. That is just the construction cost- not the design ROW, etc.
Thin deck overlays have preserved about a dozen bridges since 2019.
Discussion on the economics of seeking federal funds versus not having to go through the expensive and time consuming federal process.We would also have to have the match. The federal process is more effective and economic when the project is big because then we pay 20% of the cost. Community Crossings can be used also for funding. Bridges can be preserved longer with the following maintenance items: cleaning decks and joints- 1-2 year cycle, tree and brush clearing, channel debris removed, deck sealing every 3-5 years, and crack sealing. Also riprap scour protection and erosion control and thin deck overlays.
Supplemental #1 Bridge 5 Laughery Creek Road Construction Inspection- HWC- total amount not to exceed $ 145,062.20, unless a supplement is executed by the parties that increases the maximum amount payable. This adjustment not to exceed fee provides for an additional $9,776.80 for inspection and travel expenses (mileage). Approved.
Supplemental #2 Lower Dillsboro Road Slide Correction- United Consulting -increase in NTE by $37,850- one of the property owners has a septic system in the front of house that is on top of the slide. The septic system cannot be moved. So the wall has to be redesigned and more land acquired. Approved.
Right of Way Services for Bridge #64 Sneakville Road - USI Consultants- NTE $42,050- Approved.
To encumber money for these projects -Quotes for thin epoxy overlays for Bridges #24 Cold Springs Rd- $44,250, #37 - $7,138 and #38 - $26,427 Schwipps Rd, #43 Platt Rd- $29,440, and #59 Salt Fork Rd- $15,400- all with Enneking Pressure Cleaning from Osgood- was the low bidder of 3 bidders. This keeps saltwater from seeping under the asphalt and preserves the bridge. Approved.
Community Crossings Matching Grant agreement 2021 Award for $1 million-approved. This will go for paving collector roads to be resurfaced. Pribble Rd from Pribble Circle to SR 1, Arlington Rd to 1.2 miles of West Laughery Creek and then to South of Oaks Street, Bonnell to Main St in Guilford, Wesy County Line at US 50to Cold Spring and Cold Spring to Chesterville.
Added on to agenda late- Highway Dept received $56,000 ( which is 80%) from INDOT for land acquisition for Bridge 108- Harrison Brockville Rd. Approved.
ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel:
Ordinance Amending Section 5.6 of Personnel Policies Handbook, Use of IT- Information Technology- prepared by Ramzi Nusibeh of Midwest Data- Approved.
INDOT Offer for disposition of property on SR48- $800 pus $55 recording fee for a quit claim deed for property by the hospital near the patient tower. Approved, signed, and notarized.
ADMINISTRATOR – Sue Hayden- discussed new insurance policies on IT. She will be absent from the next commissioners meeting.
AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold -Claims/Payroll and November 16th Minutes- approved.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS- Probst- thanked Sue Hayden for getting the agenda on the screens in the room. Noted a quote from Dr Eliason in an email “ This virus is a little monster with unpredictable behavior” He urged vaccinations. He stated that a dear friend and classmate died last night from COVID.
Little- Thanked Tim Grieve and Todd Listerman for all heir work on roads and Andy for his help as well.
Thatcher- echoed Probst on having a classmate die of COVID as the three of them had gone to school together - Fred Lester was their classmate. Also reminded everyone that today was the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION- none
PUBLIC COMMENT-none
ADJOURN- 10:38 AM
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
