LaGrange county commissioners discuss regional partnership
By ROBIN DEGNER
LAGRANGE — Allen County Commissioner Bill Brown attended Monday morning’s LaGrange County Commissioners meeting to discuss the counties’ Regional Partnership.
Brown explained that the partnership strives to make all of Northern Indiana attractive to the rest of the world, which could lead to an influx of companies and economic development opportunities. However, it’s the responsibility of the individual counties to have “shovel ready” sites and prepare for business.
Brown said, “We’re all struggling for more and better jobs. This whole notion of being more attractive to the world really matters.”
Brown said when companies show an interest in coming to areas in Northern Indiana, they want to have a place that’s immediately ready for development. He complimented LaGrange County and the economic development corporation (EDC), on one of its shovel-ready sites, which is located just off the toll road.
“I think you folks, with being proactive and having this site ready to go, right on the interstate, is great,” Brown said.
President of the EDC, Joe Pierce, said that 80 percent of the county’s economic development funds go toward existing businesses and 20 percent goes toward finding new jobs.
“It’s all about job creation,” Pierce said.
Brown said he believes new companies are looking for locations where education is important, but more important is a community that is willing to learn. He also thinks a high graduation rate is important.
Director of the EDC, Keith Gillenwater, said, “It helps to get your name, your face out there.”
LaGrange County Commissioner president Phil Curtis said, until tourism is counted as an economic development project, LaGrange County will be in the background.
Brown said, “We have a very, very unique environment — the lakes, the wildlife. How creatively can you get that on the stage?”
Technology
The commissioners signed a three-year contract to renew information technology services with IT Director Bob Murphy.
After they signed the agreement, Murphy told the commissioners, “I’m ready to get started on next year’s refresh for the sheriff’s department.” He explained he will be updating everything in the IT department to Windows 7 and will also be updating the geographic information systems. Murphy is purchasing four laptops, three workstations and Microsoft 2007 for $14,400.
Sheriff’s department
Sheriff Terry Martin will be updating the computer system at the sheriff’s department.
According to Sheriff Martin, the system handles all the locks on an old Windows 95 system.
“It’s been fixed a couple times,” Martin said, adding the company that installed it and has been performing updates said it can’t be fixed any longer. The replacement cost is $19,871.
When Martin contacted the company earlier this year, the cost was more than $100,000.
“If this (system) goes down, jail officers will have to use a key to unlock all the doors.”
Highway and Engineering
County Engineer John Crist recommended that the commissioners agree to use Beer and Slabaugh, out of Nappanee to replace Bridge 87. At $130,020.60, the company’s proposal was one of two bids below the engineering estimate.
“They’ve built several of these bridges for us before,” he said.
H1N1 clinics
Pam Soule, director of Emergency Preparedness, said H1N1 vaccinations are going OK.
Monday night, county officials conducted another H1N1 clinic presentation at the LaGrange Fire Department.
The clinics are being held in many places around the county to make it easier for people in remote areas to attend.
The clinics will re-open after the holidays. Soule said that about four weeks ago, the percentage of the population who’d taken advantage of the vaccination was around 7 or 8 percent.
