- I would like to call to order this meeting of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. It's Thursday, June 12th, 2025. And I'll note for the record that Commissioner Madeira and I are both present. And our Commissioner Madeira will read our Commissioner's public statement.
- We, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, renew our commitment to welcome and protect the rights of all people, regardless of age, race, color,
- the right of every person to live peacefully and without fear, and we will fight and resist at every step discrimination and harmful policies, whatever their source. We believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We also stand in support of our county public school systems, both RBB and MCCSC. Thank you.
- And now we'll move on to department updates. Miss Kelly, are you available? Yes. Good morning, commissioners. Just a few updates. As of June 10th, emergency department visits for COVID-like illness and wastewater concentrations are still trending down. The health department still has free COVID tests available. Individuals can walk in Monday through Friday.
- from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to receive tests. And our public health clinic has vaccines available for all ages. You can call 812-353-3244 for an appointment. Thank you. Any questions or comments, Commissioner Madeira?
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know. Thank you so much. I think again as we take new directions towards public health protections. Such as the interesting developments this week with RFK stripping the vaccine board and appointing some questionable new members or at least members that are questionable from my perspective. Um what we do on the local level becomes ever more important, and we're very grateful that we have your
- It is a little concerning what we see coming from the top, but hopefully locally we can keep things going well. And next on our agenda is public comment. And this is for items that are not on the agenda and is limited to three minutes per commenter. And if you would please state your name and your county of residence.
- Good morning. My name is Christine Herring, Monroe County. I am the executive director of People and Animal Learning Services, also known as PALS, and for 25 years we provided equine assisted services to the Bloomington area.
- We served the Monroe County area, facilitating health and connection through interaction with horses, people with disabilities, those with dementia, veterans and individuals in recovery, and youth facing barriers. As you may know, the tornado on May 16th devastated our facility. We lost our barn, indoor arena, several pastures, a home on the property. The destruction was significant.
- but our gratitude and determination are huge. We're deeply grateful that the people and horses are safe, for the volunteers and staff who secured our horses during the storm and continue to care for them in temporary homes, and for the outpouring of support from this community, financial, physical, and emotional. We want to especially thank the Monroe County Emergency Management,
- Jamie's presence at Powell's the morning after the storm meant the world to me and my team. Your team provided not only critical supplies like tarps and totes, but access to mental health, resources, support that we truly needed during this time. Thank you as well to Justin for ongoing help with the supply pickup and coordination.
- With the immediate and generous support of the community near and far, we've made real progress. We've shored up our fencing. We're starting to return our horses to our facility. We've replaced our stock trailer, purchased new storage units, and replaced our run-in shelters. Most importantly, some of our programming will continue and resume in the very near future in our outdoor arena.
- whereas it's too soon with the insurance process to know specific numbers, we are grateful to have stewarded funds well and have strong policies in place. This is our update for you and the community. I will be keeping you updated when there's more to know. And thank you for listening and thank you for standing with PALS as we recover, rebuild, and continue to serve this community. Thank you. Thank you so much. PALS is a real
- treasure to the community and I'm glad you managed to get through a storm like this and I hope that things return to normal quickly for you.
- Yes, just to add, my son and myself have both written at Pals and helped with fundraisers. And it's one of the gems of Bloomington. It's a facility that's unique, unlike many others. We're very privileged to have you guys here. So whatever we can do, please let us know. Thank you.
- Hello, good morning. My name is Stephen Clark. I work for the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, Field Operations Center East. We are based out of Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton County. I personally am from DeKalb County, Illinois, and travel around the country going to the locations of various federal disaster declarations, and that is why I join you this morning. I wanted to provide information at this meeting about the availability of SBA physical damage disaster loans,
- specifically, which are a recovery resource available for homeowners, renters, private nonprofits, and small businesses which may have suffered damage from the severe storms and tornado on May 16th. Specifically, I would like to highlight that SBA has a disaster loan outreach center at Ivy Tech at 200 Daniels Way in room B201. This is open Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, and Saturday, 10 to 2. It will be closing
- next Wednesday, June 18th at 3 p.m. We have trained, experienced, and friendly customer service representatives there who can assist disaster survivors with making applications for disaster loans in person at that location. Beyond being able to apply in person, you are able to apply online for these types of loans. And I guess most importantly, we do not want anyone to miss the physical damage disaster loans
- application deadline of July 29th. I've emailed the county information about this. I know it's being shared on your website, on the Facebook page of the Emergency Management Department, and this information is fairly widespread. If you do run into anyone who is in need of assistance, please feel free to give them my cell phone number or have them send me an email so I can point them in the right direction. We don't want anyone to miss out because they lack information about what is available.
- I would like to add in our
- Our program loans are available before a person receives an insurance settlement. So we encourage disaster survivors do not wait to receive an insurance settlement. We don't want you to be in a position where you're applying past our application deadline, as we can fund a loan up to the extent of your uncompensated losses, up to our loan limits, which for homeowners are $500,000. For nonprofits and businesses, generally $2 million. And in addition, for the homeowners and renters, $100,000 of personal property.
- So if, say, a tree limb were to fall on your vehicle and you needed money for an insurance deductible or something like that. But those are the basics of the program. And I have much more detail in the form of fact sheets, flyers, and whatnot, or you can direct people to ask questions to me. But that's why I wanted to highlight these resources for people who suffered from that storm. So thank you very much for your time and your attention this morning. Thank you so much for your
- to help during this really rather difficult period of time. Ms. Purdy, was there something you wanted to say? Yeah, sorry. It's wonderful that you're here and that this is a resource available to our community members. It's difficult for us to manage more than one focus, if you will, so I just want to make sure that Ms. Nebel has all of your information. That way, if someone calls our office, we don't have to
- Make sure we have your information correct. We can just send them to our emergency management director and then they can get you out. I've talked with them last week. Perfect. Thank you. Yes, thank you very much. Thank you so much.
- Good morning, my name is Jen Pearl and I'm president of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation. We serve all of Monroe County in attracting quality jobs to the community. And today I'm pleased to share that Almvoy has selected Bloomington, Monroe County specifically, out in the county, for its US expansion. And Monica Vink is with me from the company.
- Good morning. So we're really excited to announce that we're opening our operations here in Monroe County, specifically in the old Otis Elevator building. We've partnered with Phoenix to lease some property, some space there in that facility, which works out wonderfully. It's a great space over there, and we're really, really excited. A little bit about Envoy. We are a steel manufacturer, so we manufacture structures like poles and towers and equipment mounting solutions for
- public safety networks and mobile carrier networks as well. So that telecom infrastructure space is what we're in. The company is based originally out of Canada and we have a huge
- pull here to the United States with our customer base here. So we were kind of looking at the Midwest to expand our operations and open up. And Bloomington and Monroe County just worked out beautifully. We've got some great partners in Indianapolis, some great partners in Louisville. It puts us right near all of our customers here in the Midwest and in the South. And really, the benefits of the surrounding communities in terms of workforce, the higher education,
- Indiana University, Purdue University for our engineering paths, Ivy Tech for our manufacturing and our trades paths. It just kind of all came together and really made this area very appealing to us. So we're excited to be here. We want to thank the BDC. They've been tremendous in helping through this whole process of selecting Monroe County.
- and opening up here and creating some partnerships. So we just appreciate the warm welcome. Over the next couple of years, we really are projecting about 50 to 100 jobs. And we prioritize hiring veterans. We also have a program to create pathways for formerly incarcerated to workforce. We really look to give back to the community and make sure that we're creating great pathways for the surrounding communities, because we know our impact as well. So we just wanted to say thank you and give a quick introduction
- production to us in September. We're hoping to have a ribbon cutting, so I just want to invite you all to that. So we'll have some more information as that comes out. And finally, I thank you to the county because your investment in the revitalization of the old Otis elevator plant, specifically with Phoenix, is continuing to bear fruit in this way. So thank you all for your support on that. Thank you so much.
- very exciting to have you coming here. And thank you to the BEDC for working on this. I don't know if you've had a chance to connect with Stephen Miller, our Veterans Affairs Officer. Yeah, I'm sure he'll be a very helpful resource for you.
- Excellent. Welcome to the community. And just thank you for coming here and creating jobs. And that's exactly what we need, because we have all of these resources. We have buildings. We have wonderful people who are graduating from our schools. We have wonderful, as you mentioned, people who are coming out of our programs. We have drug courts. We have people who are looking for jobs in our community. And we can use examples like you, who are coming in and giving back. And welcome.
- Any further public comment? I don't see any hands raised. All right. Move on to the next matter of business.
- The MOU between the Monroe Circuit Court and Centerstone fund name JD AI programming fund number nine one four five I Am so sorry, I would like to move approval of the claims docket accounts payable for June 12th 2025 and payroll for June 13th 2025 second
- Are there any comments or corrections for the minutes? Oh, I'm sorry. Could you just read the claims? Let's do the minutes first. Okay, let's stay with the claims. Please. We haven't had our caffeine this morning. And everything has been a little disorganized. You ready for me? Yes. Please, go ahead. Okay. Good morning. The accounts payable claims docket for June 12, 2025.
- totals $1,773,166.23. This includes all emergency claims and adjustments. The payroll docket for June 13th, 2025 includes $1,603,229.96 for direct costs and the remaining
- $682,289.06 were for indirect costs for a grand total of $2,285,519.02. Thank you. Any comments or questions? I have none. Any from the public? Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye. Aye.
- against the packet and payroll have passed. I'd like to move approval of the minutes. Yes. For June 5th, 2025. Second. Are there any corrections or comments? No? Then all in favor of approval of the minutes for June 5th, 2025, please say aye.
- Let's move on to new business. All right, now it's time to move approval for the Memorandum of Understanding between the Monroe Circuit Court and Centerstone, fund named JDAI Programming, fund number 9145, in the amount of $1,000.
- Good morning. Hi, I'm Linda Brady, the Chief Probation Officer. And I just before Christine McAfee, our JDAI, which is Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative coordinator gets up here for the six memorandums of understanding, I just want to give her a shout out. And she's probably not happy with me back there because she's a very humble person. But you don't realize how hard this is to get this not only just the grant money, but to manage the grants and to do the things at the state level. Christine is just a
- example of a JDAI coordinator. The state relies on her to help other JDAI programs. And she comes up with these great ideas of community partnerships. And if it weren't for Christine and her working with the community and getting out there with the community partnerships, we wouldn't have this. And other counties, they just use their JDAI funds maybe to fund, help fund their staff or something like that. But Christine always comes up with innovative ideas. I just want to give her a shout out.
- Because I don't want to take her for granted what she does, because it's so important to our community. So I know she's probably right. Why did you do that? Anyway, she deserves it. Thank you. Welcome, Ms. McPhee. And she's right. Yes, she is.
- Good morning, everyone. Thank you. And as I try and say, every time I have a chance, it truly takes a village. I kind of spearhead things, but I can create opportunities, but without people willing to take advantage of those and show up, it wouldn't work. So thank you, Linda. Thank you, community. Thank you, Angie. Yes, we are here today for, I think Linda said, six MOUs.
- I love this time of year. Our current grant ends at the end of this month. So we're wrapping things up and kind of collecting some data. July 1, our new grants start. And so what I'll talk to you all about, if you have any questions, are what we're going to start doing in July of 2021. And the first one is the Teen Intervene Centerstone. Yes, thank you. Questions, comments? I have none.
- I don't either, other than congratulations for putting this together and keeping it going. Thank you. Is there any public comment on this item? Seeing none, all in favor of the MOU between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Centerstone, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries.
- item, please. I would like to move approval for the memorandum of understanding between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Impact Solutions, fund name JDAI data analysis, fund number 9176 in the amount of $7,875.
- As you all know, data collection and data use is one of the core principles of JDAI. And what we've been able to do over the last few years is kind of bring that data to life through visualizations. When we started JDAI, we had a spreadsheet that had rows and columns and titles. And people would just look at it and kind of glaze over. Our partnership with Impact has really made a huge difference. And not just seeing the data, but actually having good conversations
- friends, and disparities, and who are we missing, and all of that stuff. So this is really valuable work for our JDAI efforts. Thank you. Comments or questions? I'll just say that data is only good if you're collecting it and you're able to use it, as a social science researcher myself. And so this is really important. And it also allows you to make the argument more convincingly for continued use of certain programming. So absolutely critical. Thank you.
- Yes, I think the probation department in general and JDI in particular have been really at the front of the pack with this kind of thing. All evidence-based type of decisions. Is there any public comment on this item? Seeing none.
- All in favor of the MOU between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Impact Solutions, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next item, please. I would like to move for the memorandum of understanding between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Family Solutions, fund name JDAI programming, fund number 9145 in the amount of $8,000.
- This is a continuation partnership with Family Solutions. It's called the Parent Project, and it is a 10-week parenting program for supporting families who are raising strong-willed kids. This funding will pay for two separate sessions. We have one that's happening right now.
- an amazing partnership we were able to develop with the warehouse where they're actually hosting us. We're able to provide child care as well. So again, another example of the community kind of rising to the need. So this programming will be available twice between July 1 and June of next year. And I will absolutely make sure once we get those dates finalized that you all know about them and are able to help us advertise. Thank you so much. Yes, this is a truly
- Strong-willed children can be something for parents to consult with others over. Yes, we were. Yes, we are. Yes. Any comments or questions? No. OK. All in favor. Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead. Oh. All in favor of the MOU between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Family Solutions, please say aye.
- I'd like to move approval for the memorandum of understanding between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Indiana University, fund name JDAI programming, fund number 9145 in the amount of $1,500. This is a fairly new partnership. We are really trying to get community feedback on how are we
- meeting the needs of the families that live in our community and that we serve. And so what we've developed over the last couple of years are a variety of surveys that young people and families get access to as they kind of go through our system. And IU is holding that data. They're collecting the data for us. And then they're doing reports and helping us kind of make sense of everything we're collecting. So this fund simply supports their efforts to help us. Thank you. Comments or questions?
- I have none again. We can only evaluate programs and correct what's needed if we know what's going on. So this is wonderful. Yes. Once again, this is something that you have been a forerunner with, and congratulations. All in favor of the MOU between the Monroe County Circuit Court and Indiana University, please say aye. Aye.
- Motion carries. Item, please. I would like to move approval for the memorandum of understanding between the Monroe County Circuit Court and People and Animals Learning Services, or PALS. Fund name JDAI Programming, fund number 9145, in the amount of $4,800. Second. We were fortunate to hear the update on PALS earlier in the meeting.
- Again, this is another amazing example of I made a phone call and said, hey, would you? And they said, absolutely. So we've been doing this now for about a year and a half. We have gotten feedback from participants, one family in particular, that it has been absolutely transformative in the way their family interacts, the way that they treat each other, the way that the parent shows up. This program has been just an absolute gem for us. So this grant fund will continue to support pets. Thank you.
- comments or questions? No, just a wonderful example of how all of these community programs can participate together and the importance of supporting these programs. So no, that's my only comment. Yes, I've always felt this is a truly important program to be involved in and thank heavens PALS is able to continue on and continue to support you. Is there any public comment on this item?
- come to the podium, so. This partnership has meant so much to not only the community, but PALS itself. To see these parents go together, to be able to communicate, regulate their emotions, it's been tremendous. So thank you, Christine. Thank you. I'm so pleased that this
- program exists in our community. All in favor of the MOU between the Monroe County Circuit Court and People and Animals Learning Services, please say aye. Aye. Next item, please. I would like to move approval for the memorandum of understanding between the Monroe Circuit Court and the warehouse. Second.
- I'm sorry. Funding JDAI programming. Fund number 9145 in the amount of $13,500. My apologies. Bill's second. Again, another long-term partnership with the community. I failed to mention with the other programs, but all of the programs that we're talking about today are available for system-involved families and
- non-system involved families. JDAI's initiative started out with secure detention reform, and we have moved so far beyond that. We still pay attention, but we're really trying to get deep into the diversion area where we're
- preventing young people and families from needing the services of probation. So if we could intervene sooner, we can have better success for everyone. So all of the programs that we've been talking about, again, are available for system-involved young people and families, but also not system-involved. And the warehouse, they had a gap in their ability to serve young people 12 and under. Couldn't show up unless they had an adult with them, and so they were turning kids away. We felt like that was a really bad plan, and so we were able to partner, and we used these funds to pay for someone
- to supervise these kids, but it's really so much more than supervision. It's mentorship, it's relationship building, they do a little bit of skill development at the beginning, and then there's also a chunk of money in here because young people show up hungry, and feeding them is really important to that relationship building. Thank you. Any comments or questions? Only that as we've heard these last items, I think to anybody who's sort of watching this and saying,
- Oh, this sounds like it's adding up to a lot of money. No, because we're saving so much by investing in these programs and preventing things before they happen. Particularly, there are programs where
- And I hate to say this. It almost brings tears to my eyes. Parents try to get their kids involved in the system to get access to certain counseling programs that their kids need in other communities, because that's the only way to get them involved. And here, they don't have to do that. They don't have to get their kids labeled in certain ways. And that's such a blessing.
- We don't sometimes recognize the advantages we have in this community. And we really treasure you and the services you provide. And this is just pennies compared to what we could be paying on the hind end. I think some counties in Indiana, 75% of their budgets is criminal justice. It's so expensive. And the costs are not just monetary. So thank you so much for investing. And thank you to the county for investing in these preventative services.
- Yes, I agree with all that Commissioner Madura just said. And I also want to thank you for thinking of the nutritional snacks. That's something that I think seems common in every day to most people, but can really make a big difference. As the parent of three children, they eat a lot.
- But when they're not hungry, they also perform better. They learn better. They pay attention better. Their regulation is better. So it really is important. Is there any public comment on this item? Oh, yes. Hi, sorry. I am the general ledger and grants manager, and I see just
- the back end of these. So getting to listen to you guys today and see where all of this money is going to has actually been very nice. So thank you. Fantastic. Thank you. And off script for a minute, if you ever want to have a deeper conversation about it, come over and see us. The invitation's open to anyone and everyone. We love to show off the good work that we're doing. Thank you. Any other public comment?
- Seeing none, all in favor of the MOU between the Monroe County Circuit Court and the warehouse, please say aye. Aye. Next item, please. I'd like to move agreement for concessions. Thank you. Move agreement for concession services. Second. Hello. Kelly Whitmer with Monroe County Parks and Recreation.
- Earlier this year, the Park Board voted to hire Kona Ice, and they've been our concessionaire for a few years now. And this isn't to replace a meal that you might have sat down with your family. You've forgotten something, or you're at the splash pad and you're a little hot and you want a little ice and things like that. The number one request has been coffee.
- So Kona Ice has brought out now a coffee wagon. So we ask that you approve this contract to go forward with Kona Ice. It's not easy. Everyone thinks, oh, you're making tons of money. No, you're not. You're working every weekend, every holiday, every night, give or take. It's not fun, and it's not easy. But we do appreciate those vendors who will come out and work with us. Thank you. Comments or questions, Commissioner Madura?
- I almost feel like if there's a coffee wagon there that we're helping people make good parenting choices. Perhaps related to the other MOUs we've approved.
- So at least it would be for tea or for me. But this is a delicious choice. And we do appreciate our vendors. And also, it helps people use our facilities because they're more comfortable and they can stay there. And in some cases, it's a safety issue because people can get overheated. They can get something to cool down and really enjoy themselves. So this is important. Thank you. Well, you're welcome. Yes, thank you for arranging this. I'm sure it makes a more pleasant park experience for a lot of people.
- Is there any public comment on this item? None. All in favor of the agreement for concession services, please say aye. Aye. Motion carried. Thank you. Item, please. Approval of resolution 2025 dash 28 concerning surplus property. Second.
- Mr. Kreider. Good morning, Commissioners. Richard Kreider, Monroe County Building and Fleet. I have some items for surplus today. From the auditor's office, a broken office chair that will be removed as garbage. The health department, a refrigerator that will be taken to the recycle center, human resources, two broken conference room chairs, and an office chair that's in poor condition. Those will be removed as garbage. From the maintenance office,
- An office chair that's in poor condition that will be removed as garbage. Parks and recreation, a water pump that we're going to sell on govdeals.com. The prosecutor's office, a desk and two file cabinets. Those will be sold as scrap metal. From the Veterans Affairs Office, a desk and office chair. The chair will be removed as garbage. The desk sold as scrap metal. Thank you. Any comments or questions?
- No, I'm just glad that we reuse what we can and recycle what we can. And I am somewhat disappointed we don't have pictures of the malefacting objects. I think we sometimes have a picture of the offensive printer or whatever. But I think it's also good for efficiency that we don't. But we're really efficient with what we have, and I appreciate that. So thank you. I do have photos if you'd like.
- Well, I trust Mr. Crider and I believe that most of this is going right where it belongs. Is there any public comment on this item? Seeing none, all in favor of approval of the, oh dear.
- Yeah, approval of resolution 2025-28 concerning surplus property. Aye. Next item, please. For OD security, North America extended warranty renewal, fund name misdemeanant, fund number 1175 in the amount of $10,250. Thank you. Welcome, Major Demings.
- This request for this amount of money is for a warranty extension for the body scanner at the jail. The body scanner is what we use for all arrestees before they enter the secure part of the building. It is expensive. It was $8,750 in 2023 and $9,750 in 2024 and $10,250 this year.
- I asked the owner what parts were covered two years ago, the warranty parts, and there were some significant parts that if they fail, it's going to be big dollars. There are two parts, an x-ray generator that's $21,000 that's in there. There's another part that's $27,500, which is the detector, and several other
- that are multi-thousands of dollars. A replacement cost for the whole system for this year is about $152,000. Thank you. Any comments or questions? And I'm guessing this isn't one of those situations where it's like, oh, we're good. We can let the warranty lapse for five years and then pick it up in year six.
- it has to be sort of continuous throughout the time period. It's a, it's a year long warranty extension from June, July 1st of this year through June of next year. I haven't heard whether that's something that we could put down and then pick up later. You know, we, we've debated it.
- They're like, OK, well, what if a part breaks? I mean, we haven't used this warranty so far. I mean, but we keep paying for it every year. But we've also been thinking that if we don't have it, then we're going to need it. And the equipment is getting older. We think it's from about 2017.
- Yeah, often there's a contractual provision where if the warranty isn't continuous and if there aren't certain kinds of maintenance and they can't verify that, then you can't suddenly pick up the warranty because they don't have a record and they're not going to guarantee coverage and give you the benefit of that. So it sounds like a good bargain to me. Certainly, if we're looking at replacing a piece of equipment that's $150,000. Yes. Well, I know this is very important.
- piece of equipment for the jail, and it makes a lot of sense to do this. Is there any public comment on this item? Seeing none, all in favor of approving OD's security North America extended warranty renewal, please say aye.
- Motion carries. Next item, please. Thank you. Thank you. I'd like to move approval of award paving projects to ENB Paving, fund name MVH restricted and LRNS, fund number 1173 and 1169 in the amount of $840,800. Second. Ms. Ridge. Good morning.
- Sealed bids were open for these projects on May 29th at a public recorded meeting by highway department personnel. We received two bids, EMB paving and milestone contractors. EMB was the lowest most responsible bidder. So we would recommend awarding the paving projects to EMB paving. The roads are as follows that were included in this bid packet. John Young Road, Lower Bertagallion Road, Fleener Road,
- Shiloh Road, which is Coil Road to Anderson. The other piece of Shiloh was in our community crossings package, so actually the whole road of Shiloh will be done this year. Kings Road, Rock East Road, which is west of Mount Zion to Breeden Road, and then Elrond Road from State Road 45 to County Line, and then Flatwoods Road, which is Owen County Line to just where the town of Ellisville takes over. Thank you.
- Any comments or questions? No, an important project. Glad we're moving forward. Yes. Paving makes all the difference. Thank you. Is there any public comment on this item? All in favor of awarding paving projects to EMB paving, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Motion carries.
- Next item, please. I'd like to move approval to award paving projects to E and B paving funds name and VH restricted fund number 11 73 in the amount of 66,517. Second. I'm still quotes.
- We opened them on May 29th at a public recorded meeting, again, by highway department personnel. We received three quotes, EMB paving, lens asphalt, and milestone contractors. EMB is responsible and responsive bidder, so we would recommend that award. And the road is Fox Lane off Strainridge Road. Thank you. Any comments or questions? I have none. Neither do I. Is there any public comment on this?
- Seeing none, all in favor of awarding paving projects to EMB Paving, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next item, please.
- I'd like to move approval for material bid salt rollover pricing to 2025 26 with Cargill incorporated fund name local road and street fund number 1169 in the amount of $106 and 73 cents per ton delivered or $105 per ton pickup. Second. So basically we did added in our contract when we
- did this in 2024 for the option to roll over for an additional year. We reached out to Cargill and they were more than willing to roll the pricing over into through 2026. Thank you. Any comments or questions? No, thank you for doing that because everything's getting more expensive. So excellent. Good for them. I don't either. Is there any comment from the public or questions?
- Seeing none, all in favor of the material bid salt rollover pricing to 2025-2026 with Cargill Incorporated, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next item, please.
- I'd like to move approval of awarding bridge number 75 or road to CLR incorporated fund named cumulative bridge fund number 1135 in the amount of five hundred and fifty five thousand eight hundred and ninety five dollars and twenty cents. Second sealed beds were opened on May 28th by highway personnel. We had received
- or the legal department had received six sealed bids for the bridge replacement project. The engineer estimate for the project was $712,042.89. CLR was the lowest, most responsible bidder. And so we would recommend awarding the project to CLR. We anticipate a 2026 construction season for various reasons.
- The city has a project that we don't want to interfere with detour routes and such, and that's ongoing until around the 1st of August. And you can always expect delays on projects. And then also some permits and everything that will need to be obtained. And we didn't want to do the project and then run out of time and then the asphalt plant close over the winter. So we're gearing towards probably an April start for that project. Thank you.
- Any comments or questions? No, this is wonderful that this is moving forward. Thank you so much. It's exciting. Yes, I agree. Is there any public comment on this item? Seeing none, all in favor of awarding bridge numbers 75, Roar Road to CLR Incorporated, please say aye. Aye.
- Motion carries. And we have, or yes, we do have an appointment today. Mr. Schilling, would you like to explain this hearing? Angie, you're being appointed. Thank you very much. Dave Schilling from the legal department. There was an unsafe building hearing scheduled for noon today.
- And the owner of that property has requested a two-week continuance. And so if you're agreeable to that, I would recommend that you appoint Ms. Purdy as your hearing officer for today. She will open the hearing at noon and then continue it to the 26th. Thank you. I move that we appoint Ms. Purdy as the hearing officer. I second.
- Thank you. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Thank you. The Disaster Recovery Center and Disaster Loan Outreach Center, as we heard earlier, is open at Ivy Tech at 200 Daniels Way, room B201.
- The Recovery Center hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 to 3. The Recovery Center will permanently close on Wednesday, June 18th at 3 p.m. Residents who are impacted are encouraged to visit to seek information about potential
- assistance opportunities and we did hear earlier that even if you're waiting on an insurance settlement you should go ahead and contact the Disaster Center because they may well be able to help you with items that aren't covered by insurance.
- The Bloomington Foundation is handling the Rural Repair Program. You can contact your Township Trustee and they will guide you toward making an application. All residents can sign up for the Monroe County Alert Notification System for all weather and health related emergencies and updates. To sign up, just go to www.co.monroe.in.us.
- We have free COVID-19 testing available at the Monroe County Health Department, 119 West 7th Street, as well as at the Monroe County Public Health Clinic located at 33 East Miller Drive.
- We are accepting applications for all boards and commissions. You can go to www.co.monroe.in.us for more information or to fill out an application. The commissioners have virtual office hours via Teams every month for anyone who wishes to speak to a commissioner.
- Please go to the calendar at www.co.munroe.in.us for dates and times. And the Monroe County Commissioner's Blood Drive will be held at Ivy Tech at Daniels Way, 200 Daniels Way, Bloomington, Indiana on the following dates. Tuesday, June, oh, we're already passing. Wednesday, July 9th.
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 10th, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, August 11th, from 10 p.m. to 3 p.m. And another date that I can't see. And a very big, exciting announcement that we have for today. The county has had donated to it
- 400 plus acres to the Department of Parks and Recreation for a new park for Monroe County. This is on the east side of the county. It's more or less bordered by Smith Road, East Morris Pike, and 446. And it is an incredibly beautiful piece of property. It really demonstrates
- Indiana's pastoral setting in an amazing way. And this is something that we're very, very grateful to have. And I think the entire community is going to come to appreciate it. And I believe that is all the announcements. Do you have anything to add? Oh, we have a proclamation that probably should have come at the beginning of the meeting. I'm sorry.
- This is a proclamation for National Gum Violence Awareness Day, whereas gum violence is the leading cause of death for American children and teens and is among the five highest causes of premature death for adults across the United States and in Indiana, with 125 lives lost each day.
- and whereas Gun Violence Awareness Day is observed annually on the first Friday in June to honor those who have been taken from us, support survivors, and raise public consciousness about preventing firearm-related injuries and deaths.
- and whereas Monroe County has experienced the profound, long-lasting impact of gun violence on families, neighborhoods, schools, and first responders, demonstrating the need for community-wide engagement and collective solutions.
- And whereas the Monroe County Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of evidence-based strategies, including mental health support, community policing partnerships, and educational outreach to reduce firearm injuries and deaths.
- And whereas research shows that responsible practices such as safe storage, keeping firearms unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition can significantly reduce the risk of unintentional shootings, suicides, and theft,
- And whereas promoting respectful, fact-driven conversations about responsible gun ownership and prevention strategies can unite neighbors across political, cultural, and generational divides in pursuit of a safer community. And whereas anyone can pledge to wearing orange on Friday, June 6, to pledge solidarity with survivors, raise awareness about gun violence, honor lives lost, and foster safe environments in schools, workplaces, and public spaces throughout Monroe County. And whereas we renew our dedication to working collaboratively with schools, faith communities,
- nonprofit organizations, health care providers, and law enforcement to develop and support programs that save lives and strengthen community resilience. Now, therefore, we, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, pledge our commitment to catalytic collaborative approaches that support the healing, resilience, and sustained reduction of gun violence throughout Monroe County. Thank you. In our next meeting,
- Monroe County offices will be closed on June 19th for Juneteenth Day and our next meeting will be on June 26th and we are adjourned.