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Last updated on Tuesday, June 26, 2018
(BEDFORD) - Lawrence County Highway Superintendent David Holmes says bridge inspections should be complete by next week, but not without some needed repairs being noted.
Bridge 160 on Oolitic Road over the abandoned railroad tracks near Knucklehead Bend has a hole on the west side of the deck close to the driving lane.
Crews placed a steel plate over the hole and traffic cones around the plate. Traffic will be shifted away from the hole until it can be repaired.
Inspectors say Bridge 121 on Williams Silversville Road over Indian Creek is in poor shape.
The bridge is now rated at 3 tons, meaning no trucks or school buses can cross the bridge. Signs have been posted notifying drivers of the new weight limit.
"INDOT may have us close the bridge," Holmes says. "I hope not, but we will have to wait and see."
Crews have poured the deck on Bridge 67 on Lawrenceport Road. The old 96-foot bridge over Sugar Creek is being replaced with a 110 foot bridge at an estimated cost of half a million dollars.
"They will then pour the approaches and put up guard rails," Holmes added. "Then we can get it open, but that is still about a month away."
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Lawrence County Sheriff Mike Branham reported as of Tuesday morning that there were 185 inmates in the jail. Of those 38 were females, 12 Level 6 felons and there were f4 Department of Correction holds.
Sheriff Branham shared that he has lost 15 employees in the last 8 months at the department, 14 of those were correction officers.
Five transferred to other positions within the department. The others left for higher paying jobs with better hours and working conditions.
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Miles Parker of Parker Group Insurance addressed the commissioners about the increased cost of healthcare for county employees. Unfortunately the increased cost will have to be passed to employees.
"There has not been an increase in cost to employees since 2009," says Parker. "The county has had unusual high claims from multiple employees this past year... Healthcare cost continue to rise...Employees will still have options."
Commissioner Dustin Gabhart says employees will see the change in their deductible. Gabhart says that once the plans are in place, employees will be notified and can pick the health coverage that best fits their needs.
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Rex Knight of Southern Indiana Development Commission thanked the commissioners for their support on the razing of the Old Huron School. Knight says the area, once an eyesore to the community is being returned to a green space.
The commissioners approved a change order of $4,500 for the asbestos crew to come back and remove from tiles that were overlooked under the bleacher area.
The commissioners also approved releasing funds to pay the demolition crew, SIDC, who was the grant administrator and the engineering firm.
That cost was not an increase but will be paid from the local match of $27,500. The project came in way below estimated costs and around $10,000 will be returned to the county and around $100,000 in grant funds will be returned.
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The Commissioners amended an ordinance setting the cap on the county' Self-Insurance fund.
The county maintains the fund to help defray the health insurance and health care costs incurred for qualified county employees.
The commissioner were concerned that self-imposed cap of $800,000 was not enough and increased the amount to $3 million.
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