The Marion County Board, with four abstentions, has agreed to have five breaker boxes at the courthouse replaced as soon as possible because they have been deemed a fire hazard.
Finance Committee Chair Chris Krupp, who was filling in as Board Chair, said they learned of the issue during an audit of the building by their insurance carrier. The carrier has indicated they will no longer give the county coverage without the panels being replaced.
Sheriff Kevin Cripps had received a $9,000 bid from TOPS Electric of Salem to complete the work. However, board member Brock Waggoner wanted more than one bid even though the expense is under the $30,000 threshold where bidding is required. He and three other board members ended up voting against awarding the bid without further study.
Board member Steve Whritenour was upset the breaker boxes known for failures that can start fires had not been pointed out and corrected during an $8-million building renovation project undertaken by Ameresco. There was also questions how those who had worked on the electrical system in the past had not said anything about the need to replace the boxes.
The board tabled action on a $45,000 bid for an electronic sign that would be on a six-foot-tall pole on the west side of the courthouse. The sign would advertise various activities. A State Judicial grant is paying the cost. Money was also sought for smaller directory signs at the public entrance to the courthouse on the east side and the Public Service Building, but the grant request was denied. There were questions about the exact location of the sign and if additional bids needed to be sought. There will be more discussion at a building committee meeting on Monday night, January tenth.
A Community Relations Committee meeting has been called for Tuesday, June 11th, at 5:30 pm before the next county board meeting to better lay out the responsibilities of the county animal control officer. Chair Bill Henson feels the animal control officer should have responded to a weekend call where a Patoka woman was bit by a dog. Since the villages in the county don’t have an agreement to house their animals at the Centralia Animal Pound, Ken Ferguson has not been responding to calls inside municipalities. But Henson feels dog bites are different and need to be handled.
The board reappointed Ben Stratemeyer to the South Central Illinois Mass Transit Board.
