The Iola Senior Center and thrift store at 223 N. State St. will get a little bit of breathing room, thanks to some volunteer labor.
Dimity Lowell, Joyce Adair and Joe Hess asked county commissioners on Tuesday for permission to take down a couple of non-structural walls at the senior center to ease congestion in the building.
Lowell’s husband, John Lowell, will do the work at no charge, Dimity Lowell told commissioners. He works in housing construction and examined the building. He’s also done work for the county in the past.
The remodel would remove walls for a closet and take out a series of cabinets. It would open a narrow entrance to meet ADA compliance. Currently, the area is 26½ inches wide; ADA requires an opening of at least 32 inches.
Currently, people in wheelchairs or scooters have to wait outside, tell volunteers what they need and let them shop for them, Dimity Lowell said.
The change also would allow for more room in the children’s shopping section.
The project is separate from a planned expansion at the center, which has not yet been approved. Officials are still waiting for construction estimates.
Commissioners gave the go-ahead to remove the walls.
Audit report
An annual audit found no problems with the county’s accounting practices.
But Rodney Burns, CPA, did have a couple bits of advice and guidance for commissioners.
First, he told commissioners they’ll need to hire an accounting firm to conduct an audit for Allen County Regional Hospital.
The county still needs an audit for the hospital because they own the facilities, even though the hospital is leased to Saint Luke’s Health System. A hospital audit is a specialized service, and Burns said he doesn’t do that but could recommend an accounting firm that does.
Second, Burns cautioned commissioners to keep an eye on the general fund. In recent years, the county has invested in major projects like the ambulance barns.
“Your general fund balance is trending down,” Burns said. “It’s a little less than half of what it was four years ago.”
