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Last updated on Wednesday, September 10, 2014
(BEDFORD) - The Lawrence County commissioners voted Tuesday to have DLZ prepare an ADA Transaction Plan for the county to meet the federal guidelines for the American’s Disability Act.
If the county does not meet the ADA standards and does not have an ADA Transaction Plan in place the Federal Highway Administration and the Indiana Department of Transportation could withhold funding for highway and bridge construction.
"This has been something we have been dealing with for three to four years," says Commissioner Bill Spreen. "We had drug our feet for as long as we could and now we could see repercussions if we don't do something. And this will keep the Feds off our backs."
The commissioners asked Mike Keeven, of DLZ, in December to gather information on the estimated cost and requirements for the project and report back to the commissioners which he did.
"Our job is to identify short falls and come up with plans to rectify problems," says Keeven.
Commissioner President David Flinn says major problems will be addressed first and then the county will address other issues.
"The codes have changed, but none of our buildings have," added Commissioner Chris May. "It's a problem we have to address."
DLZ is charging the county $34,850 to visit 8 county own buildings and to look at the parking lot and sidewalks surrounding those buildings.
In other business:
* Sheriff Sam Craig reported there were 93 inmates at the county jail, of those 2 were Department of Correction holds and 24 were females.
The commissioners addressed safety concerns about the radio tower in the parking lot of the jail. Tri-County will build a concrete barrier around the tower at a cost of $3,600.
The county will also be accepting bids on older county vehicles. The vehicles will be on display at the jail parking lot on October 3 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
* Lawrence County Highway Superintendent David Holmes says demolition of the old Mount Pleasant bridge is complete and crews are finishing doing clean up in the area.
Crews will also tearing down and building a new bridge on Tunnelton-Dennison Road. SLR will be building the bridge.
The county also received the Fracture critical assessments on truss Bridge 52 in Fort Ritner and Bridge 54 on Jasper McKeaigg Road. Crews should begin work at the Jasper McKeaigg bridge this week. Construction should be complete in about two weeks, weather permitting.
Road crews continue to patch roads and paving is completed on County Complex Road. Crews will be paving in District 1 and 2 this week, weather permitting.
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