Allen County commissioners accepted their planning boards recommendation to unanimously approve a permit for the construction of a 490-foot communications tower to be erected just south of the landfill near LaHarpe. The tower, the idea for which was first presented to the commission in 2016, will be used to facilitate communications for the various public safety departments across the county.
Preliminary work at the site seeking FAA approval, completing the geological studies, finishing the survey work is underway, and the project should be ready to issue requests for proposal in the coming weeks.
THE COMMISSION also voted to accept architect Rick Zingres revised plans for the impending ambulance stations in Humboldt and Moran. Zingre managed to dislocate all three commissioners jaws last week when he unveiled the projected price tag for the project $452,000 a pop which exceeded the commissions per building expectations by more than $150,000.
The new plan calls for a smaller architectural footprint 2,400 square feet as opposed to 3,000 but preserves all of the necessary features required of the respective EMS facilities.
While the improved cost $405,291 still outpaces the commissions $300,000 estimate, commissioners were accepting of the projected figures and voted unanimously to pursue the project, with plans to solicit construction bids in the next month or two.
AS FOR THE hog barn, the saga continues. After an exhaustive weeks-long search for a contractor to repair the barn at the Allen County fairgrounds turned up nothing, members of the Fair Association seemed at an impasse. Fair association representative Jerry Middendorf, for one, has done yeomans work in trying to attract a local bid.
Finally, though, on Tuesday, a single envelope landed on the commissioners desk. In it, a bid for $33,000 from Iolas Boren Roofing. The only official bid.
Middendorf looked the bid over. Well, he said, actually, its a little high. Or at least more than what the fair group had wagered. They were hoping for something in the ballpark of $18,000, said Middendorf.
Commissioners recommended that Middendorf and his peers on the Fair Association think things over, taking Borens bid into consideration, and come back next week with a plan of action.
