MOUNT VERNON — Thursday, the Knox County Board of Commissioners met with Ron Simpson of the Knox County Department of Water and Wastewater. Simpson said he would like to add a third sewer pump in the Orchard Hills lift station in Apple Valley.
“During ... this wet weather, if we happen to lose one of those pumps now, we’d be in big trouble,” he said.
He also said the department wants to refurbish well No. 3, which is south of Howard on Pipesville Road.
“It was drilled in 1978, and it’s not been touched since. And the capacity has dropped off between 100 and 150 gallons [per minute],” said Simpson.
Because the well is one of the main wells, according to Simpson, it’s time to do some work on it.
The repairs needed to get the pump back up to capacity will involve cleaning the components of the pump with chemicals or compressed air treatments in order to reduce mineral buildups that have accumulated over the years.
Commissioner Alan Stockberger and Simpson informed Commissioner Bob Wise of the details of their meeting Wednesday night with the Centerburg Utilities Committee.
Thursday afternoon, Margaret Ann Ruhl and Jonette Curry of the Knox County Auditor’s Office, and Donna Walser, president of the Jon-Wesley Insurance Agency, met with the commissioners about a wellness program the county is trying to get off the ground.
A wellness committee was formed and met for the first time in late February. Comprised of eight members from various offices in the county, the group’s goal was to get people enrolled in the county’s health insurance program to actively participate in a wellness program. The program would be administered by a company called Clinex, which is based in Columbus.
Out of approximately 400 people who qualify for the wellness program, only eight have called Clinex to take the health assessment by phone. To promote the program among those eligible, the committe will offer incentives.
“Anybody that will do the health assessment will get a $10 gas card,” said Curry.
All of those who have a health assessment will be entered to win one of several $100 gas cards, with the drawing being in May. The committee decided that offering rewards of gas cards would be something that would draw the attention of people.
Wise suggested that instead of gas cards, promotional credit cards should be given, as then the participants could choose how to spend their rewards. It was also noted during the discussion that perhaps one of the local banks might issue credit gift cards for little or no fee. The two commissioners approved the plan.
The commissioners also met Thursday with Mike Graening of J&D Basement Systems to assess the water leaking into the basement of the Memorial Theatre. Graening gave a quote of $5,981 to install a sump discharge line along with a sump pump to resolve the issue.