Lake hall has been flooding
Staff writer
County commissioners voted Monday to order drainage work before more damage is done to the Marion County Lake hall, which flooded Friday.
The hall has been prone to flooding as of late, lake superintendent Isaac Hett said. It had “another big flood” after recent heavy rain.
Water has seeped into the hall after heavy rains since late April, Hett said; but it has flooded only twice: on June 21 and Friday. The second flooding was substantially worse.
The hall sits lower than a campground west of it. Water runs against the building and seeps between a metal wall and concrete base, Hett said.
Workers spent eight hours Friday removing water with squeegees, mops, push brooms, and shop vacuums so the hall could be used Saturday. Baseboards and likely some dry wall along the west wall will have to be replaced.
“Every time we get water in there, we’re doing more damage, aren’t we?” commissioner Kent Becker said.
Darin Neufeld with EBH Engineering said a trench previously dug behind the hall had filled in over time, Hett said.
Commissioners unanimously directed county employees to create drainage behind the hall. Instead of installing a French drain, the county plans to cut a ditch along the west and north sides to direct water around the building.
Trees already had been removed Tuesday, and road and bridge employees were expected to do the dirt work if available. A contractor may be needed otherwise.
Commissioner Clarke Dirks said pulling road and bridge employees from other work for two or three days was preferable to further damaging what he called a quarter-million-dollar building.
“Until we fix it right, it’s going to be a continual issue,” Dirks said.
Repairs inside the hall cannot begin until the problem is fixed. The building could be closed temporarily while walls are assessed and repaired, Hett said.
High water also prevented the county’s dam and spillway inspection.
Water has flowed into the inspection tower every day since March, Hett said.
The inspection may have to be done this winter if water levels do not fall.
Holub returns
Dan Holub was sworn in before Monday’s meeting to serve the remainder of the year in the seat left by commissioner David Crofoot’s term. Crofoot died July 10.
Hollub previously served 12 years as a commissioner.
“Reducing spending, better budgeting. It’s all about money,” Holub said. “We have lots of stuff to do, limited assets, and just prioritizing.”
Holub wants county money spent on things residents can see and use rather than “feeding the bureaucracy.”
“I’m not trashing anything,” he said. “It’s just I think we can do better.”
Tire costs
Commercial tire dealers account for much of the tire volume at the county transfer station because its disposal fees are cheaper than other options, director Josh Housman told commissioners Monday.
A recycler has offered to take tires for $240 a ton, compared with an estimated $360 a ton after labor costs to continue sending cut tires to Butler County.
Commissioners discussed charging commercial dealers more while retaining lower residential rates.
Commissioner Jonah Gehring cautioned that excessive fees could result in tires being dumped in ditches.
Housman will bring proposed rates back to commissioners.
Conflict policy
Commissioners will consider a conflict-of-interest policy after an earlier question involving a planning and zoning commissioner who was said to had been a paid representative of a wind developer.
County counselor Brad Jantz said he previously had provided a legal opinion but had not been asked to draft a policy. He since has prepared one.
Gehring cautioned that going beyond state requirements could cost appointed boards knowledgeable members.
Ethics standards should apply to county employees and appointed boards as well as commissioners, Dirks said.
Planning and zoning
Commissioners voted 4-1, with Becker dissenting, to send a request for two full-time residences at 651 US-56 back to the county’s planning and zoning commission.
Owners want to keep and remodel an older house after building another residence. The newer residence will be 724 square feet, below a 750-square-foot threshold for a non-traditional structures requiring a conditional-use permits.
Other business
Four wind turbines still have aircraft detection lighting systems that are not functioning as intended. Repairs could take a couple of months, Jantz said. Commissioners agreed to receive updates every 30 days instead of every two weeks.