Allen County Commissioners accepted a $5,250 bid from Whitworth Construction for renovation of the entrance near the courtroom and a bid for $732 from TLC Garden Center for the installation of two evergreen trees and four purple pride beautyberry shrubs on the courthouse lawn nearest the Sheriffs department.
IOLAN Larry Walden arrived with handwritten note cards, computer printouts, and a speech about how the county should postpone construction of the impending ambulance stations in Humboldt and Moran. How will a potential lease agreement between Allen County Regional Hospital and Saint Lukes Health System affect the future specifications or requirements of the two stations, asked Walden. Furthermore, argued Walden, Allen County commissioners should concentrate their efforts instead on the construction of an emergency management communications tower south of LaHarpe, which he dubbed a higher-priority item for the county a project for which the commission has already granted a conditional use permit to begin construction.
As for the two new ambulance barns, other counties Anderson County, for example get by with a single station, argued Walden. Plus, he concluded, theres no causal relationship between brand-new stations and a better delivery of services.
Commission chair Jerry Daniels said he remains open to discussing all potentialities with representatives from Saint Lukes but cited Allen Countys unique geography, pointing out that unlike in Anderson County, where the bulk of the population concentrates in Garnett Allen County is composed of a handful of far-flung towns, whose residents benefit from having access to top-notch EMS services nearer their homes.
