MOUNT VERNON — Meeting with Juvenile Judge James Ronk on Thursday, the Knox County Commissioners and Ronk discussed the use of county vehicles by employees of the juvenile court. The juvenile court has several of its own vehicles, but some of them are designated as secure transport vehicles. Also, Ronk said he would try to seek money for gasoline in future grant applications in order to lessen the monetary burden on the county budget.
Later in the day, maintenance technician Mike Scott spoke to the commissioners about the bids he had received to replace the heat exchangers on the boilers at the Knox County Service Center. The bids presented ranged from $13,812 to $16,841. One of the higher bids also included a statement from the company suggesting that certain pipes be reworked in order to make the boiler system more efficient. After some discussion, the commissioners agreed to authorize Scott to contact the lowest bidder, Metzger-Gleisinger of Mansfield, and ask the company to bid on the extra pipe work that another bidder suggested. Scott agreed to do so and said he hopes to have all of the work completed by the end of the summer.
Also on Thursday, the commissioners decided to redo the key policy of the Knox County yard waste and compost area on Thayer Road. Currently, there are more than 200 keys that have been distributed to businesses and individuals, according to Liz Price, secretary at the commissioners’ office. Price said there have been reports of nonrecyclable materials, such as couches and tires, being dropped at the facility.
In an effort to halt this recent trend, the commissioners decided to replace the lock on the facility and issue control-cut keys that cannot be easily reproduced. The new keys will be distributed only to licensed vendors in the county, at a cost of $100 for the first key and $25 for every subsequent key. In order to receive a key to the compost area, a business must fill out an application.
The commissioners will not issue keys to individuals in the future. The new regulations regarding the compost area will go into effect on July 1.
The yard waste and compost area will remain open to the public for its normal hours of operation, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of October. Beginning in November, the compost area will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Any questions regarding the new key policy should be directed to the commissioners’ office at 393-6703.
