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Last updated on Tuesday, October 2, 2018
(BEDFORD) - The Lawrence County Commissioners proclaimed Friday, October 5th as Manufacturing Day®.
The day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers and occurs on the first Friday in October. Manufacturing is a driving force in Lawrence County and makes up 13 percent of the workforce and 25 percent of the wage distribution.
Manufacturing Day addresses common misconceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is -- and what it isn't. By working together during and after MFG DAY, manufacturers will begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.
MFG DAY is designed to amplify the voice of individual manufacturers and coordinate a collective chorus of manufacturers with common concerns and challenges. The rallying point for a growing mass movement, MFG DAY empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.
In other business:
Opened salt bids. They had two responses from companies who declined to submit bids and one bid that will need to be clarified by Highway Superintendent David Holmes.
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The commissioners heard a complaint from John Myers who said low hanging tree limbs were blocking Old State Road 450. Since addressing the commissioners personally, Myers says crews were on the highway today taking care of the issue.
Commissioner President Rodney Fish says in the fall there are several complaints about tall weeds and the tree limbs.
"We have 800 miles of county roads and there are two sides of the road - making more than 1600 miles of roadways to clear," he added. "Crews are out mowing and clearing the brush and doing the best they can."
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The commissioners granted the USDA Wildlife Service and Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewer District permission to access the county's GIS mapping system.
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Highway Superintendent David Holmes is on vacation, so Commissioner Fish reported crews are finishing up paving, cutting brush and patching roadways.
"We are fog sealing county roads that have been recently chipped and sealed," Fish added. "Fog sealing is a light oil application to help cut down dust and lock in the loose gravel."
Commissioner Dustin Gabhart says roads will be closed for about an hour while crews do the fog sealing. The public will be given notice when the roads will be closed.
"The road has to be closed for an hour or so fo the coating can cure," he added. "There will be signs placed in the areas the fog sealing is going to take place a day or two before the closing will happen."
Bridge crews are doing some concrete patching on area bridges, placing signage and working on guardrails.
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Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer reported that the department has recently received three grants: for weather radios, to pay for Luchauer's salary and to expand hazardous material training.
White River Lodge will participate in an emergency evacuation drill tomorrow.
Luchauer has also been asked to speak at a state conference on how the county pulled together to handle the fire at Fibertech.
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Lawrence County Sheriff Mike Branham reported there were 170 inmates in the jail, of those 39 were female, 6 Level 6 felons and no Department of Correction or parole violators.
The department received a JAG byrne grant of $124,000. The money will be used to install 11 new in-car cameras and $9,000 of the money will be used to pay officer's salary to share a drug intervention program with residents.
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