The disheveled landscape at the old Allen County Hospital site was tidied up Tuesday to make it more presentable at the urging of County Commissioner Tom Williams.
“Can you make it look less like a war zone,” he asked Mitch Garner, director of Public Works. The answer came in the affirmative.
About two hours after the discussion county crews had it leveled and, Williams said in a call to the Register, “it looks 100 percent better.”
As for the hole left from where the hospital basement was, Williams said he wasn’t “going to sit about and wait,” for G&W Foods, or anyone else, to decide how its soil should be compacted, as discussed at an earlier meeting. If G&W wants to have input, its engineers need to make themselves heard, he added.
County Counselor Alan Weber agreed. “We’re not responsible for creating a building pad. I’ve made it clear we’d fill the hole as soon as we could.”
Commissioner Jim Talkington said he visited with Larry Macha, of SE-KAN Asphalt, about the county’s role in prepping the site for development. Macha, who has no interest in bidding on any immediate components, agreed to share information about what should be done, Talkington said. “I’m happy to get all the help I can,” in putting together a request for proposals for filling the hole left by the basement’s removal.
The final concern, which also will be rectified soon, is fencing around the site to keep people from wandering into harm’s way.
“I think apartments and a grocery are great for revitalizing the area,” Williams concluded, “and G&W needs to get something done.”
COMMISSIONERS appointed The Iola Register as the county’s official newspaper for 2016 and agreed to have both the Register and the Humboldt Union run all the public notices the county is required to publish.
The decision had become somewhat contentious in recent years when in 2012 commissioners decided to alternate the publication of public notices between the two newspapers, despite their difference in frequency and reach.
On Tuesday, Talkington proposed publishing in both, to which Williams seconded, followed by Daniels’ approval.
COMMISSIONERS put off until next Tuesday a decision on whether to approve a request from Hope Unlimited for $20,000 to help it fulfill local match for a federal Victims of Crime Acts grant or $167,607.
The grant will permit Hope Unlimited to add three full-time positions: children’s services specialist, sexual assault advocate and shelter manager. Also, it will cover a portion of the expenses to install a new central air unit at the shelter and upgrade the security system. “It would be beneficial to receive any awarded funds as soon as possible so that we can identify our match source and fulfill the monthly matching requirements on reports,” Dorothy Sparks, Hope Unlimited director, said in a later communication.
Besides the request from the county, Hope Unlimited is seeking another $29,000 to meet the local required match.
Hope Unlimited is a shelter for abused women and children. Michelle Meiwes told commissioners more than 210 children are served each year, from infant to age 18. Among responsibilities is preparing youngsters to give testimony in court.
Hope also coordinates services for children who are removed from dangerous circumstances in their homes.
“Before they opened we had ‘silos’ with police departments, sheriff offices, court and defensive attorneys,” said Williams, who has first-hand knowledge from his days as Allen County sheriff. “Now they all work together,” in large measure because of Hope Unlimited.
The shelter’s services are provided round the clock, Meives said, noting “a real person answers the phone 24 hours a day.”
Others approaching commissioners included Joe Hess, a principle of the Iola Senior Citizens Thrift Shop, 223 N. State St.. Hess said donated clothing and household goods sold during 2015 provided $26,500 for the group to give to other charitable organizations.
Among notable contributions were $4,500 to the Church Utility Relief Board, $3,000 to Allen County Animal Rescue Facility and $2,500 each to Faith House, Chanute, and the Allen County Food Pantry.
