The Marion County Board is scheduled to receive $7.2-million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds this summer.
County Board Building Committee Chair Dr. Creighton Engel says the money should allow the county to be able to complete much needed building repairs that haven’t been possible due to lack of funding.
There has also been a plea from Law Enforcement Committee Chair Steve Whritenour to use around $2.7-million of the funding to install a new digital radio communications system at the sheriff’s department.
County Treasurer Gary Purcell says $65-billion is being distributed to counties around the country at the rate of $200 per resident.
“The guidelines right now are listed as revenue losses due to Covid 19 pandemic, response to coronavirus any kind of response that causes negative impact to the economy. Central worker pay and infrastructure improvement. The county board looking at a lot of improvement projects throughout the county that we can possibly use this money on.”
County Board Chair Debbie Smith says she wants to appoint a new board committee, the American Rescue Committee, to work on a plan.
“We would like to get this going so that we can start the project, have our bids in and everything ready and we can at least start some of them if there are contractors available. We feel like there will be a shortage of contractors because every municipality will be doing projects and contractors will be in big demand.”
The committee will include Purcell, Building Committee Chair Engel, along with board members Deb Reed, Wes Gozia, Adam Smith, Chris Krupp, and David Iossi. Smith is selecting them because of their building, legal, and financial background. Engel says the influx of money is desperately needed.
“The bathrooms in the courthouse are basically in dire need of being totally renovated. Some of these facilities are not usable because we have a vent leak, sewer pipe that has been broken so they had to shut off several of the units in the 3rd floor. The 1st-floor bathroom is not in good shape, that is one project we are looking at in the near future. We have to replace the roof on the jail which is estimated at around $179,000. We need to finish cleaning the stone on the courthouse which hasn’t been done since 1978 that’s another $70-$80,000. We have other projects to be done at the Public Service Building.”
Money is also needed to renovate the main third-floor courtroom.
Whritenour proposed the county look towards a digital radio system for the county. He notes the FCC has indicated they will eventually end the current analog frequencies. Whritenour said Jefferson County has just completed a digital system and Clinton County has just started. Whritenour said the system would likely require additional radio towers in Patoka, Kinmundy, and the Kell/Iuka area. He plans to seek a cost estimate so the board has a better idea on the cost.
Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant Andy Garden says it would be nice to have the “cream of the crop”, he questions if the county can afford it. He feels there is
another less costly system that could do the job if the analog phase-out begins.
