The Starke County Commissioners are reviewing two bids for pole barn-style buildings for the county coroner. They were both submitted by local contractors, but there are enough differences in the specifications to merit additional scrutiny. One calls for a 24×30 building at a cost of $29,480, and the other is for a 24x32x10 foot structure, which will be tall enough to accommodate any vehicles the coroner may use for body retrieval. It carries a price tag of $35,000
County attorney Marty Lucas advised the commissioners do not necessarily have to take the lowest bid as long as they can justify what is best for the county’s needs. The structure will be located near the jail east of Knox and will be used for office space, viewing and body storage.
Construction should only take about 30 days to complete, according to one of the contractors who submitted a bid for the work. No timeline was stated for making a decision.
The need for space became an issue two years ago when a non-funeral director was elected coroner. The commissioners previously discussed several options and ultimately decided building a basic structure was the best.
