Pulaski County Council Wants More Information Before Moving Ahead with Funding for Radio Tower

The Pulaski County Council has decided to hold off on funding arrangements for a radio tower, amid concerns that it was purchased without the proper permission and that it may not actually be needed. When the Emergency Management Agency’s move to the West Annex was being planned last year, former maintenance director Jeff Johnston said moving the necessary radio equipment would cost about $10,000.

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New Pulaski County Facilities Plan Proposes Demolishing Courthouse, Expanding Justice Center

Pulaski County’s 123-year-old courthouse would be torn down and replaced by a parking lot and memorial park, under the county’s latest facilities proposal. During Monday’s joint county council and commissioners meeting, Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston publicly unveiled a four-phase plan designed to address security, ADA compliance, and a number of other concerns with the county’s government buildings.

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Building Renovation Plans to be Presented during Tonight’s Pulaski Council, Commissioners Meeting

More details about proposed renovations to Pulaski County’s government offices are expected to be revealed during tonight’s joint county council and commissioners meeting. Back in October, Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston unveiled a plan to improve the accessibility, security, efficiency, and usability of the county’s buildings, all within a three-year period. He said the plan would include a security checkpoint at the courthouse, full ADA compliance, and a 50-to-75-percent reduction in utility costs.

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator Tentatively Scheduled to Be Ready for Monday, Despite Delays

Pulaski County officials are hopeful that the courthouse’s new elevator will be ready in time for Monday’s county commissioners meeting, in spite of a last-minute hiccup. Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston says a fire alarm issue means the elevator probably won’t be in service by tomorrow, as previously announced. But the contractor says it should still be ready for Monday, according to Johnston. He adds that crews are working diligently to get it done.

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Pulaski County EMS Director Presents Updated Proposal for Winamac Ambulance Garage Expansion

Updated plans for an addition to the Winamac ambulance garage were presented to the Pulaski County Commissioners Monday. EMS Director Bryan Corn said he’s scaled the proposal back significantly from what former EMS Director Nikki Lowry had requested last year. “We took the porch off. We don’t need the porch,” he said. “We took all the interior rooms out. We don’t need the interior rooms. We can make it work without having the interior rooms in there. So essentially what this would be is just an open addition onto the garage.”

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Pulaski County Announces Plan to Address Accessibility, Security at Government Offices

Improvements will soon be coming to Pulaski County’s government offices. During Monday’s county council meeting, Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston announced a plan to improve accessibility, security, efficiency, and usability. “The plan itself is only in the infant stages of development, and there’s a lot of work to do before the completed plan can be presented in its entirety,” he said. Continue reading

County Offices to Move into Former Winamac Masonic Lodge by End of October

The conversion of the former Winamac Masonic Lodge into a county morgue and office building will be done by the end of October. Pulaski County Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county commissioners last Monday that the construction phase of the work should wrap up by the end of this week. “The cooler and all of that equipment will be installed as soon as that’s done,” he explained, “and then, we’ll start moving offices in.”

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator to be Ready for Use by End of October

The Pulaski County Courthouse elevator will be ready for use by the end of the month.  “The construction will be absolutely complete by the 15th and then two weeks for the inspection,” Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county commissioners Monday. That means that starting in November, the county council and commissioners meetings will be back in the courthouse.

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Pulaski County Commissioners to Vote on Commercial Wind Turbine Ban Tonight

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners will decide tonight whether to ban commercial wind turbines. The updated wind turbine regulations head back to the commissioners tonight, after the county’s advisory plan commission agreed last week to some language adjustments the commissioners had recommended. Under the updated proposal, landowners would still be allowed to build noncommercial and micro wind energy convergence systems in certain areas.

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Pulaski County Commissioners Agree to Replacement of Justice Center Fire Alarm System in 2019

The Pulaski County Justice Center will get a new fire alarm system next year. Last week, the county commissioners agreed to let Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston proceed with the project. He told them that the county council has agreed to earmark $39,000 in the 2019 budget, but he’s still trying to get another quote to possibly bring that cost down.

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Pulaski Courthouse Elevator Replacement On-Schedule, but Slower than Originally Agreed

The replacement of the Pulaski County Courthouse elevator is on track to be complete by its October construction deadline. The problem is that the original legal agreement called for it to be installed by the end of September. The project is part of a larger effort to make the courthouse compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit over a lack of accessibility.

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Pulaski County Commissioners to Revisit EMA Radio Equipment Move, Justice Center Fire Alarm

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners will continue discussing plans to move the Emergency Management Agency’s radio equipment to the former Winamac Masonic Lodge. Last month, Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston suggested looking into whether the county’s DRMO funds could be used. That money comes from the sale of former military equipment owned by the county.

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Pulaski County Council Discusses Shortfalls in Part-Time Pay Budgets

The Pulaski County Council decided Monday not to appropriate additional funds to pay part-time staff. Last month, Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston asked council members for permission to spend another $30,000 for part-time help. At the time, he reminded them that money had been cut from the 2018 budget so the state would approve it, with the understanding that he could come back later to request enough for the rest of the year.

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