Allen County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to match donations up to $10,000 for the creation of a memorial garden on the courthouse lawn.
The garden is the brainchild of Iolan Alana Kinzle, who, with the help of landscapers from TLC Garden Center, LaHarpe, has designed a complex of shrubs and flowers, benches and paths.
Total cost was pegged at $20,000, including an irrigation system.
Kinzle said the garden is designed to honor veterans and will be situated in the area behind the veterans wall on the south side of the square.
Kinzle said she has been waiting for commissioners approval on the gardens design before beginning her efforts to raise funds for the project.
It will be an honorable addition to the square, Commissioner Jerry Daniels said, seconds before Chairman Tom Williams proposed the matching grant.
In addition to financial support, Kinzle will seek volunteers to help with construction of the garden.
In other news, commissioners:
Approved making Terry Call, who has several roles in mapping and billing for ambulance services, zoning administrator. Appointment came as part of the County Counselor Alan Webers move to semi-retirement.
Shelved a request from Chairman Tom Williams to have CEO Tony Thompson attend the May 29 commission meeting to give a report on financial and other matters at Allen County Regional Hospital. Such a demand, Weber said, went beyond the pale, Thompson being an employee of Hospital Corporation of America and under direction of hospital trustees. Following an executive session, Williams said any ACRH official or trustee was welcome to any commission meeting.
Accepted a bid of $2,925, lower of two, from All-In-One Pest, Home and Lawn, Iola, for pest control at the courthouse and other county buildings.
