Six storm shelters should be installed in five separate parts of the county by the end of this month.
A property owner near Carlyle agreed to allow the county to place a shelter there, after plans to locate it near the Prairie Spirit trailhead were squashed by the state.
Kenny Arbuckle, who lives just north of Carlyle, offered use of his property. The Carlyle Presbyterian Church also was a possibility, after initial concerns about insurance and possible future expansion were raised.
Commissioner David Lee said he preferred reaching a deal with Arbuckle, and others agreed to pursue that route.
Jason Trego, emergency management director, said crews with Protection Shelters would be in Allen County March 24 and 25 to deliver and install the shelters.
The shelters will offer protection to residents in parts of the county that lack easy access to such facilities.
They include Petrolia, Mildred, Carlyle and two in Savonburg because it is divided by railroad tracks. A sixth shelter was added at a county fire barn just north of Iola to give shelter to people in the vicinity of Dodge Drive.
Three of the shelters will be located on private property, Trego said. County counselor Bob Johnson was drafting agreements similar to an easement, that will allow access to the properties even if ownership changes.
In Petrolia, Southern Star Pipeline agreed to transfer land to the county for $1 so a shelter could be placed in that community.
Another shelter will be placed on a cement pad southeast of the Mildred Store.
County crews are helping prepare the sites, Mitch Garner, public works director, said.
IN OTHER news, commissioners:
• Agreed to vacate streets in Mildred. Property owner Bob Scheer asked for the roads to be vacated to simplify the tax process on his property. Because his property is divided by streets, he gets multiple tax statements. The streets were listed on the city’s plat but never developed. Years ago, the county vacated the alleys but not the streets. That was an oversight, County Clerk Sherrie Riebel said, and this action simplifies matters for the county and the property owner.
• Heard from Randy Riebel, a frequent attendee who says U.S. elections are not safe. He cited an example in Wisconsin that appeared on a TV news program.
• Heard an update from Mitch Garner, road and bridge supervisor, who said the county is trying to catch up on crushing rock after months of the machine not working or needing maintenance. Commissioner Bruce Symes asked if it would help to borrow another crusher machine just to help crews catch up. Garner said he would look into it.
