By David Fenker
david@nmpaper.com
The Economic Development Group of Wabash County is one step closer to applying for part of a $250,000 grant.
The Wabash County Commissioners had the second public hearing for the Community Development Block Grant at their Oct. 3 meeting.
“This is the public hearing we’re required to have prior to the submission of the full application,” Lori Shipman, of Lori Shipman Consulting, LLC, said.
The application is due in Indianapolis next Friday.
Wabash County is the lead applicant for the grant, working in conjunction with Kosciusko and Huntington counties.
No comments were received prior to the hearing, and none were made at it other than Keith Gillenwater, president and CEO of the EDG of Wabash County.
“We’re in support of this. As I spoke of at the last public hearing we had, this is a big need in the county,” he said.
Gillenwater reminded those present that the county is applying for one third of the $250,000 grant, which will be used to supplement or provide industrial maintenance, CNC machine and welding training courses.
“We’ve had a couple of companies that have already reached out to us based on the industrial maintenance class we did last year, asking us to try to put something together again this year. There’s definitely a need, and a want from our employers in the county, to have this,” he said.
“It’s a good win for the community if we can get it.”
Gillenwater noted that EDG has partnerships with Ivy Tech and Heartland Career Center to be able to provide the training.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for Wabash County and the surrounding counties,” said Commissioner Brian Haupert.
In other news, the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department will receive funding from a yet to be determined account for the reprogramming of their radios.
“By the end of the year, we will have to switch over our radio. Basically, they’re redoing the whole system in the state. It’s called 225. The maintenance agreement [for the current system] has run out, and they’re out of ID’s. They have parts available through 2017, but after that there is no contract left. The state has switched over to a new provider, therefore we have to have all of our radios, in car and portable, reprogrammed.”
The department has 17 portable, 21 in-car and 6 reserve portable units.
Land submitted a quote for $7,895 from J&K Communications and requested approval, which was granted.
The jail numbers for the week were 85 in Wabash County with 56 being held in Miami County and five in Elkhart. There were 17 transfers.
Of the 146 inmates, 70 are awaiting court proceedings.