On recommendation of County Counselor Alan Weber, commissioners will take a more pronounced look at upgrading ambulance stations in Humboldt and Moran.
The new stations are needed because new ambulances — and all their additional bells and whistles — would be too big to be quartered in the current bays available.
Weber suggested commissioners look at metal buildings.
Commissioner Jerry Daniels suggested Weber obtain design proposals.
Humboldt Administrator Cole Herder recommended a new station be kept downtown.
“We definitely want to keep an ambulance in Humboldt,” Herder said, which has been the case for more than 20 years.
Humboldt council members have had discussions several times about a new fire barn, and the city owns a tract a block south of Bridge Street, the town’s main east-west thoroughfare, and within a stone’s throw of the fire and ambulance stations.
Commissioners mentioned it might be ideal to have the two together, but Humboldt apparently isn’t financially ready to commit to a new fire station.
The county, meanwhile, has reserves it could tap for stations in Moran and Humboldt, and by so doing set up each town with serviceable facilities for years to come.
In both towns, the stations’ living quarters are less than desirable in addition to tightly packed ambulance bays.
“We need to get something done,” said Commissioner Tom Williams.
Daniels asked Herder to bring up the topic with Humboldt mayor Nobby Davis and city council members.
COMMISSIONERS delayed accepting a bid — the only one — of $216,000 from Hayden Tower Service, Topeka, for a new communications tower behind the Allen County Emergency Response Center on North State Street.
Earlier, Commissioner Jim Talkington said he would prefer not to be too quick on the trigger to make decisions on expenditures. He noted the previous week $10,500 was spent on a new water heater for the jail, but, Daniels and Williams pointed out, that was an emergency.
As for the tower, Talkington said he would be more comfortable if a third-party engineer, without a stake in the project, were to assure commissioners a new tower was needed and that Hayden’s bid was competitive.
“All I see (in pictures Hayden provided from a tower survey) is rust on the outside,” Talkington said. “I don’t know if there are more problems than that. Maybe there are other ways around doing it to make it safe and less expensive.”
Weber will contact an engineer.
COMMISSIONERS made no commitment to help fund the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility, after a request from its director, Janice Porter. She offered a letter of memorandum detailing how ACARF would work with Sheriff Bryan Murphy to deal with strays.
“I don’t a need a letter,” Williams said. “Work something out with the sheriff. I’m good with that.”
Williams also said when he was sheriff and ACARF opened, he saw an immediate decline in stray pets roaming the countryside. Murphy said he had had the same experience.
Porter said when an animal enters ACARF’s care, daily cost is $7 and “it is three days before they become our property,” while waiting for an owner to come forward. Adoption is an option for 10 days, while erstwhile pets are watched to ensure they are healthy.
An animal staying with ACARF 35 days isn’t uncommon.
“As with other things, ACARF is a benefit to the community,” Williams said, in an appeal to Daniels and Talkington to consider line-item funding. “Shelters are the way of the world today.”
Talkington said he preferred to pay costs of individual animals rather than give blanket funding.
Williams’ retort: “I think they’ve done enough for the county for us to give funding.”
“Let’s wait until next week to decide, chew on it a little bit,” Daniels said.
WILLIAMS or Daniels, with their accord, will attend monthly meetings of Iola Industries.
Talkington had been the county’s representative, but “hasn’t been to a meeting lately,” said Mary Kay Heard, the organization’s chairperson.
“My voice wasn’t heard,” when I was going, Talkington said. “I just beat my head against the wall until I lost interest.”
County reps are ex-officio members of Iola Industries, and are expected to participate in discussions and relay the county’s positions on projects.
“If I’m supposed to go, I’ll be there,” Williams told Heard.
Iola industries has been instrumental in economic development in Iola since the 1950s, and became a driving force for the city after Lehigh and Pet Milk closed. Among accomplishments were attracting Gates Corporation and Russell Stover Candies to Iola.
