Coroner Rob Herr Addresses Commissioners

Last updated on Wednesday, February 11, 2015

(BEDFORD) - Lawrence County Coroner Rob Herr addressed the commissioners Tuesday morning with concerns at the morgue.

"We need to address some concerns about fathom odors and sightings," Herr told the commissioners.

Herr was seeking permission to put a door in the hallway between the morgue and Dr. Deborah Craton's office.

The morgue is located behind Dr. Craton's office in Dunn Plaza.

The door would eliminate any residual odors and any sighting of bodies. Currently Herr is using a fan and air freshening products and a screen to address the issue.

Herr received three bids to install a door. The lowest bid is $4,530. Herr requested the door be paid for through rent earned through county owned properties. The request will now be forwarded to the County Council for approval.

In other business:

Herr discussed plans to work with Indiana Organ Procurement Organization and have the county morgue serve as a central location for the organization to do organ and tissue harvests.

IOPO's mission is saving and enhancing the quality of life through organ and tissue donation. IOPO is the federally designated organ procurement organization for Indiana and a certified tissue and eye recovery agency.

As such, they play several roles in the process of organ, tissue, and eye donation working closely with the donor families, with transplant surgical teams and hospital staff, and with the United Network for Organ Sharing facilitate giving the gift of life.

The organization would pay the county a fee to use the facility. That money would then be placed in the county's general fund.

Veterans Affairs Officer Brad Baugh is working on establishing a veteran's patient clinic in Lawrence County. Baugh is partnering with the Lawrence County Veterans Group to submit signed petitions to federal representatives for the request.

Chief Deputy Cody Medlock reported there were 126 inmates being housed in the Lawrence County Jail. Of those 28 were women and 4 were Department of Correction holds.

Highway Superintendent David Holmes reported highway crews have been patching roads, cutting brush and working on culverts.

Holmes reported the piping and box culvert for the Tunnelton Road project arrived. Crews plan to close the road for about two days during spring break to do the repairs.

Commissioner Chris May stated the position of bridge foreman and project supervisor are still open and some interviews have been done. May says the opens have allowed for discussion and a re-evaluation of the structure of the department.

"We should be able to come to a conclusion in 3 to 4 weeks," May added.

Holmes says the department will also be looking for a mechanic at the sudden death of Robert Lee. Lee suffered a fatal heart attack.

"We were all saddened by the loss of Bobby Lee," Holmes says. "It hit us all pretty hard."

Valerie Luchauer the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, gave the commissioners a rough draft of the county's ADA action plan.

DLZ inspected county properties for possible breaches of the ADA act and identified problems, listed recommendations and prioritized the projects to bring the county into compliance. If the county is not in compliance the county risk losing access to federal funds and can become vulnerable to legal action.

"Most of the improvements consist of signage, the replacement of door hardware and door thresholds and some renovations to bathrooms like installing handrails," Luchauer added.

There was also mention of some needed sidewalk repairs around the courthouse and parking issues which will be addressed during the renovations of the courthouse yard through the Stellar project.

There is no time frame for the county to finish the project.

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