Allen County commissioners tabled until their July 30 meeting a decision on whether to accept a recommendation from the county’s zoning board to allow Enbridge a conditional use permit to build a pump station southeast of Humboldt. PAT ROWE, maintenance supervisor for Allen County Hospital, recommended a county employee keep an eye on the hospital after it is abanoned late this fall. COMMISSIONERS were given a tour of the county jail by its administrator, Joni Tucker.
The station would be part of a large oil-carrying pipeline Enbridge intends to build through eastern Kansas and Allen County.
Monarch Cement, which owns land adjacent to a 40-acre tract Enbridge purchased for the station, opposed the station’s construction, in fear it would limit the company’s quarrying of rock. Enbridge purchased the land from Dale Daniels, a Humboldt farmer.
Harvey Buckley, Monarch spokesman, told zoning board members last Thursday the proposed pump station might limit blasting on Monarch’s adjacent property.
County Counselor Alan Weber noted at the board meeting a 300-foot setback from adjacent properties Monarch had imposed on itself, and a previous board recommendation of a 200-foot setback from roads.
Zoning board members approved, on a 5-1 vote, a recommendation for a conditional use permit for Enbridge to restrict construction of its pump station to 20 of the 40 acres it owns, and that Monarch continue its operations on adjacent land, including blasting with the set-back requirements.
Construction of the new pipeline, which will run from Illinois to Cushing, Okla., will start later this month, zoning board members were told.
Rowe estimated an “hour or so each day” would be required to check through the hospital, plus more time every other day to test chemicals that prevent rust and scale buildup in boilers.
Primary concerns, he said, will be security and the boilers.
Rowe said adding a part-time caretaker in the near future would be appropriate so the person could train with the maintenance staff.
The Allen County Regional Hospital is to open late fall at its new location on North Kentucky Street.
Tucker explained how intake of an inmate was handled. At booking, inmates are given orange jumpsuits and bedding and are assigned a cell in one of four pods. One pod is designed for females — 12 were in-house Tuesday — and the other three for males. Population Tuesday was 43, with 11 inmates from Miami County.
Tucker said inmates were given schedules that outlined when they had chores and time for exercise and television each day. A portion of the morning is set aside for quiet time, when they are in cells, individually or with a mate.
All door locks — no two are unlocked at the same time — are controlled from a central cubicle, which has monitors attached to surveillance cameras in the jail and outdoors. Tucker demonstrated an outdoor camera, which permitted viewers to read license plate numbers on a car nearly two blocks away.
Pipeline permit put off
