INDIANA – During the month of December, a Christmas star once again adorned the Lawrence County Courthouse, and the commissioners signed a contract with IU Health for ambulance service
A star once again adorned the Lawrence County Courthouse
A Christmas star once again adorned the Lawrence County Courthouse. The 20 feet tall star, contains 1,000 led lights and will be on display nightly through the end of December.
The official lighting of the star took place in conjunction with the grand marshal ceremony before the annual Christmas parade on Saturday, December 3, 2022.
Lawrence Circuit Court Judge Nathan Nikirk and his wife Amy Nikirk made a donation to the North Lawrence Career Center to cover the expense of the star and to ensure that no tax dollars were used for the project. Working closely with welding instructor David McCart, his students, and Lawrence County director of maintenance Dan Bush the star once again shines atop the courthouse.
With the help of Joyce Shepard at the Lawrence County History Museum, Judge Nathan Nikirk discovered that two stars were constructed and installed in 1960 by Horace Richardson, who was the director of the Parks Department for the City of Bedford at the time.
Joyce Shepard with the Lawrence County History Museum found a Bedford Daily Times-Mail article dated December 2, 1961, regarding the star. The article explains that Mrs. Ruth Voris was on the Bedford Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee in 1960 and she conceived the idea of two 25-foot stars to sit atop the Lawrence County Courthouse on the east and west sides.
Judge Nikirk added, “I spoke with Jay Fiddler of Johnny’s Signs, Inc. and he explained that the original stars constructed in 1960 were in disrepair in the late 1960s and he constructed two new twenty-foot aluminum stars that used glass tubes filled with neon in the early 1970s. The stars that Mr. Fiddler constructed were installed in the late 1960s and were used until the early 1980s when they were removed.”
Unfortunately, the neon stars were disposed of and since that time several civic groups have tried unsuccessfully to bring the stars back.
Judge Nikirk would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to the new Christmas star: Commissioners Rodney Fish, Wally Branham, and Dustin Gabhart for authorizing the committee to erect the new star on the courthouse. Dan Bush, Kelsey Young, Scott Nikirk, Kaden Nikirk, Eli Nikirk, and the entire Christmas Committee for their hard work on this project. Bedford Chief of Police, Terry Moore, for providing a police escort to safely transport the star from the high school to the courthouse. A special thank you to McIntyre Bros. Construction, specifically Jeff McIntyre, Ryan Griffith, and crane operator Brett Jean for providing the crane and expertise to hoist the star atop the courthouse free of charge.
Finally, thank you to welding instructor David McCart and his students.
The students that worked on the star are Reece Cobb, Draven Eads, Levi Guarneri, Garett Hayes, Autumn Holmes, Keaton Hutton, Cameron Holt, Jake Kinser, Jack Morgan, and Cole Smith.
“The dedication and hard work of the students put into the project brought back a tradition that began 62 years ago and that will be on display for many years to come,” said Judge Nikirk.
Commissioners signed a contract with IU Health for ambulance service
The Commissioners approved and signed a contract in December with IU Health to provide ambulance service for Lawrence County.
According to the contract, IU Health will station three 911 ambulances and one squad or chase vehicle in Lawrence County beginning April 1, 2023. These units will be stationed at Dunn Plaza. The county will provide and pay for the building and dorms for those manning the medical units.
These three ambulances will NOT leave Lawrence County. They will only leave when transporting a critical patient from an accident or incident scene to the closest appropriate care facility.
IU will staff an ambulance for the hospital’s inter-facility transports.
Lawrence County Central Dispatch will be responsible for dispatching ambulances. The county will also provide portable radios and mobile data terminals for the ambulances and squad.
The county agrees to pay IU Health a stipend of $300,000 to cover ambulance service from April 1, 2023, through December 21, 2023. The annual stipend will then increase in 2024, 2025, and 2026 to $400,000. All payments will be made bi-annually on July 30th and December 31.
The county will pay for this contract with American Rescue Plan Funds. Lawrence County received $4.4 million in ARP Funds.
Beginning on January 1, 2023, because of staffing issues, IU will provide two 911 ambulances and one squad. IU is in the process of hiring 16 EMTs and four or five paramedics to fill their contractual obligation and those of the hospital. Due to those staffing issues, IU will cut the cost of ambulance coverage by $100,000.
To help combat staffing issues, IU Health will be offering an EMT class beginning January 19, 2023. IU will pay those who attend the classes. Those who complete the class successfully will be offered a position with the IU LifeLine ambulance service.
