Kaitlyn Clay, Staff Writer, [email protected]
The Harrison County Parks Dept. approached the county council at its Monday evening to request additional funds to cover the renovation costs for their new office home at the Ethel Wright Center in downtown Corydon.
The additionals requested total $165,000, with $130,000 of that going to renovation work and $35,000 going toward furniture. The renovation projects include a new HVAC system that will only run portions of the system at a time, saving energy. All new furniture and technology will be purchased as most of what the parks department had was left behind in their previous office at the government center to be used by the Public Defender Commission, which has taken its place there.
The parks department has been leasing space in the Wright Center for about four years from the Friends of Corydon Capitol, which owns the building. The Friends of Corydon began leasing the building some time after the state ceased using it as a visitors center and office for operations of the First State Capitol Historic Site in 2012.
The Friends of Corydon Capitol have allowed the parks department to use the Wright Center free of charge, where they have been using it for storage or to use as the starting point for the Merry Country Christmas hayrides that have taken place in the winter.
Due to inactivity, the business status of the Friends of Corydon Capitol group lapsed in 2019, showing it inactive on the state’s website. However, Scott Fluhr, who was presenting Monday night on behalf of the parks department, noted the building remains titled to the Friends of Corydon Capitol, which filed paperwork in December with the State of Indiana to restore its status.
Fluhr explained the paperwork is awaiting approval from the state, but, once the status is restored, the parks department and the Friends of Corydon Capitol intend to enter a 25-year lease, with provisions for a 25-year renewal. The two entities hope the lease payment will be $0 if allowed; if not, it will be bumped to $1.
Larry Shickles, superintendent of the parks department, told the council that even if they approve the funds immediately, no dollars can be spent until all documents are signed and finalized between the state, Friends of Corydon Capitol and the parks department. He said all renovation or work that has taken place thus far has been with funds the parks department already had.
While the council will not be able to vote on this matter until its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m., councilwoman Jennie Capelle said that while she supports funding this, she would like to see the signed agreements before approving the funds.
“As a government body, I don’t think we should be approving these things before the documentation is in place,” she said.
In other matters, the council resumed debating who would fill the two council-appointed seats on the Harrison County Regional Sewer District Board. The council has been discussing the seats since the first of the year.
After looking into the statutes set in place by the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management and talking with sewer district board members, it was determined by the council to reappoint members Dan Lee and Gary Davis.
However, the council still would like to see those seats turned into one-year terms rather than four and stated in their motion that if IDEM approves that change, the council will make it.
Julie Moorman, CEO/president of the Harrison County Community Foundation, and Derrick Grigsby, the Foundation’s CFO, presented an update on its accomplishments of 2020 and its financial status.
Some good news Grigsby was pleased to share is that from the first of the year through last Friday, the community fund had a net gain of 4.7%, bringing the county to right around $139 million in its investments, about a $6.5 million increase to where the account ended the 2020 year.
“We have finally hit a tipping point to where we are more reliant on our investment portion of our account than inflow from the casino fund, which is great,” Grigsby said.
He also noted to the council that the ending balance for 2020 for the Foundation was about $132 million. Of that amount, the county has approximately $24 million available to spend.
Tom Fields, director of Harrison County Lifelong Learning, gave the council an update on the recent year for his organization.
He said Lifelong Learning hopes to get approval on its CDL certification by the end of next week, something he is excited to begin offering.
Outside of Lifelong Learning’s numerous partnerships and added certification for the year, Fields was also pleased to explain how its website was updated this past year. His hope is to have Lifelong Learning’s site become the go-to resource for finding a job in Harrison County.
In other business, the council voted unanimously to allow the release of $235,000 already in the General Fund for the Boone Township Volunteer Fire Dept. to be used for the purchase of a new fire truck.
The Link LonkFebruary 10, 2021 at 08:35PM
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Parks dept. details renovation work to council – Corydon Democrat - Corydon Democrat
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