The Marion County Board has voted 8 to 5 to move forward with a $400,000 window replacement project at the courthouse. The acceptance of the bid from Gardner-L and M Glass of Taylorville is contingent on the board finalizing a loan at its next meeting to pay off the project over a ten to 15 year period.
Finance Committee Chair Chris Krupp is anticipating a loan in the area of $900,000 that would also cover the needed replacement of the windows and a back door at the Public Service Building that will go out for bid beginning on Friday. County Treasurer Gary Purcell said he had approached all the banks and credit unions in the county and several expressed interest in working with the board.
Board member Brock Waggoner was concerned the lone bidder was also used to write the specifications. Others were concerned about moving forward without having financing completed. Board member Steve Whritenour is tired of emergency needs continuing to pop up at the courthouse after millions of dollars has been spent on improvements. He wants to see the building committee come up with a long term plan.
“We need somebody to come in not just to the courthouse, but our public service building, all of our county buildings, and we need to have a list of emergency needs, things needed to be replaced in the future years. We are getting ready to go into budget season and how can we as a County Board have an educated response when all of the sudden we need $400,000 for windows.”
The discussion began with a video presentation by Sheriff Kevin Cripps showing water pouring into one of the third floor windows during a recent heavy rain.
“Its my house, your house, all of our house. We have to fix this problem. We can’t continue to push it down the road.”
When questions arose over the county board not having the bidding documents, Cripps said they would be provided but he did not have them with him Tuesday night. The board was told several contractors were not interested in working on a three story building.
The board agreed to accept bids for the window and door replacement project at the public service building beginning Friday.
In other action, the board approved the six lot Course View subdivision presented by Micah Mulvany at the Lake and Marion Street intersection just outside the Salem city limits near the Salem Country Club.
Sheriff Cripps reported the jail currently has 53 prisoners. 34 of those are being held for the federal court system. Cripps reported the county was on track to receive $600,000 to $650,000 this fiscal year for holding the federal prisoners, but he is concerned if the same number of federal inmates will be available next year.
Farm Bureau President Steve Brummel presented each board member a coin minted by the farm bureau as part of the county’s 200th birthday celebration last year.
