MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County Commissioners met with Roger Shooter, director of Jobs & Family Services, Monday morning to hear a brief report and discuss a few items.
Shooter reminded the three commissioners that there was an upcoming Delaware, Knox, Marion and Morrow workforce meeting on Wednesday, March 19, in Waldo. Commissioners Allen Stockberger and Tom McLarnan had commitments on that date; Commissioner Bob Wise agreed to travel to the meeting with Shooter.
Shooter presented the commissioners with the year-end results for the non-emergency transportation program.
“It’s a Medicaid service; if someone ... on Medicaid needs transportation for a doctor’s appointment or a medical reason, we’re required by law to provide that [service],” Shooter explained.
NET services, he continued, are scheduled appointments for medical services that are non-emergencies. The program is funded by federal money, and the most popular way of receiving this money, he said, is through gas vouchers from participating Marathon gas stations in Mount Vernon and Danville.
After discussion, Shooter requested that the commissioners go to executive session to discuss personnel. No further action was taken following the executive session.
In the afternoon, the commissioners met with Jim Friel of the Howard Youth League and Jeremiah Dauch of Site Solutions Contractors of Pickerington to discuss water drainage of the baseball field and parking lots.
“When we first constructed the ball field, we talked about putting in some catch basins,” said Stockberger. “As we all know, there are those occasions when the water table gets high.”
This leads to excess water on the surface of the ground, he continued. He said he personally would support the installation of catch basins in the low spots of the area.
“We’re wanting ... to ... get it done before opening day,” said Friel.
Dauch said he would donate the labor and equipment, and would also talk to people to donate the materials. If most of the items were donated, the only expense for the county would be extra gravel.
Stockberger urged Dauch to contact the person who was previously in charge of construction so that additional work would not disrupt the present configuration of tile and drainage.
“If you want us to participate on any of the expenditure,” said Stockberger, “we need to know in advance so we can cut a purchase order.”
It was agreed that Friel and Dauch would forward expected expenses to the commissioners office at a later date. Dauch estimates that the project will require approximately 1,200 to 1,500 tons of gravel.
