Humboldt’s Senior Center, 618 Bridge St., has changed considerably in the past week, Joe Weiner told Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning.
“It’s not quite the mess it was,” he said, noting that another 300 gallons of water had been pumped from its basement and the floor in the game room portion was nearly back to being level.
“Probably 95 percent of the electrical work is finished,” he said. “All the conduit and wiring has been installed and it just needs finishing touches.”
Weiner was hired to level the floor, but when he went into the basement, down a rickety staircase, he found standing water, foul-smelling air and mold. Also, conduit was rusted to the point that wiring was bare. Plumbing was leaking.
He installed a sump pump and, with the commissioners’ accord, tackled the electrical problems, on the admonition from Chairman Rob Francis that “we want it safe.”
“Remember the table,” Weiner asked, referring to one in a Register photo used to illustrate how much the floor had sagged. “It’s within a quarter of an inch of being level now. There was a 4 1/4-inch slope to it before.”
With the basement more hospitable, closer instruction of plumbing revealed problems not as severe as they appeared earlier, but still needing attention, Weiner said. And the stairway remains a challenge.
Commissioners agreed to Weiner redoing the stairs and extending a below-floor beam to â¨facilitate leveling basement floors in the north end of the game room. They put off other improvements, including plumbing, until they can inspect the building and get a better handle on all that needs done.
The building’s rock foundation appears sound, but needs tuck-pointing, Weiner said.
“I think we also should look at the roof and second floor,” said Commissioner Gary McIntosh.
They told Weiner, a Humboldt contractor, to complete leveling floors and make a list of other things, including mold removal, that begs attention.
ALAN WEBER, county counselor, told commissioners tests to check for environmental concerns on the proposed site for a new Allen County Hospital on North Kentucky Street “came back clean.”
“We should have the geotechnical report back by the end of the week,” he added.
Hospital trustees will meet Tuesday evening at 7:30 in the basement of ACH. The meeting is open to the public.
Trustees then, with soil tests in hand, should make a decision on whether to recommend the North Kentucky site for the hospital’s construction, Weber said.
ALLEN COUNTY dispatchers soon may alert public safety responders in Yates Center when they are needed.
“We’ve been asked to submit a proposal,” said Angie Murphy, Allen County dispatch director.
A letter to Murphy said Yates Center was considering a number of options for dispatch services for police and fire departments.
“For over 30 years the city has paid Woodson County $24,000 annually to dispatch for the city,” and recently gave the city a contract seeking a $7,000-a-year raise.
Yates Center officials, in the letter, said they thought $24,000 “is too much to pay … especially when neighboring cities of larger populations pay nothing to their county sheriffs for dispatch services.”
In addition, Woodson County receives Yates Center’s share of money collected to fund local 911 services, or, according to Allen County Sheriff Tom Williams, about $21,000 a year, which would be the county’s to disperse with a change in dispatch services.
“We’re just trying to be a good neighbor,” Williams said, and that Allen County’s 911 Committee had signed off on making efforts to add Yates Center to Allen County’s dispatch fold.
Murphy said a proposal would be assembled and given to Yates Center officials.
Allen County dispatch reaching outside its borders may occur with frequency the future, she added, noting that because of financial concerns regionalization of dispatch and other services was likely to become more commonplace.
OTHERWISE, commissioners:
— Approved use of the courthouse and its lawn for Farm-City Days Oct. 13, 14 and 15.
— Purchased about 300 road and 911 address signs from Welborn Sales, Salina, for $8,965, the lower bid.
— Authorized purchase of 125 tons for road salt from Central Salt, Salina, for $49.87 a ton, or $6,233.75. Central’s bid was the lowest of three. Bill King, director of Public Works, said some of the salt would be made available to smaller towns in the county to deal with icy and snow-packed streets.
