By VICKI URBANIK

Porter County residents who don’t have medical insurance might soon be eligible for a new program that offers discounts on prescription drugs.

The Porter County Commission-ers agreed Tuesday to enroll the county in a program offered through the National Association of Counties, in which non-insured residents can receive discounts of about 20 to 30 percent on prescription drugs.

The cost to the county to join is $1,738 by signing up before June 1. There is no other cost to the county, nor is there a cost to the residents who enroll, said North Porter County Commissioner John Evans, who researched the program after an intial presentation last year.

Evans said the program will be available to people who lack insurance or who are under-insured. He said he had the county’s insurance agent, Anton Insurance, look into the program and found that it was legitimate.

More information about the program will be available later, after the county formally joins, Evans said.

Building Woes

Porter County government buildings are aging and getting more cramped for space, as highlighted by a number of building issues that the commissioenrs dealt with Tuesday.

The commissioners approved bids from Culver Roofing to replace the roofing at the Porter County Highway Garage over the mechanics area and the sign shop. Highway Superintendent Al Hoaglund said the sign shop has had a leaking roof for about two years, while last year, the mechanics area started seeing “constant running water” entering the building.

The roof bids were for $39,220 over the mechanics garage and $44,454 for the sign shop.

The commissioners were less enthusiastic about another proposal for a new HVAC unit in the county’s print shop, which has been dealing with humidity problems that has affected the paper supply and the printing machines. The bids received ranged from $21,947 to $32,500.

“That’s an awful lot of money,” Evans said, as he suggested building a smaller room just to store the paper rather than install a new unit for the entire shop.

The commissioners decided to take up the matter again in four weeks, after talking with the county’s climate control contractor, Johnson Controls, or another consultant if needed.

Similarly, Porter County Clerk Pam Fish was delayed in her request to purchase a large new filing system for $11,520. The units, which will be 11 feet tall, will provide additional storage space for the clerk’s records.

“We are almost completely filled in records,” she said.

The commissioenrs and former County Clerk Dale Brewer earlier looked into purchasing a rolling filing system, but the DLZ consulting firm determined that the flooring at the Porter County Courthouse isn’t strong enough to hold the heavy load. Fish proposed the alternative stationery filing system. The commissioners agreed with Commissioner President Robert Harper’s suggestion that as a precaution, they want DLZ to review their flooring analysis just to ensure that the floor will hold the new filing units.

Cash Counter

Fish did win commissioner approval to purchase two cash-counting machines at $2,792 each, discounted since the county treasurer’s office already bought a unit. Fish said the clerk’s offices have been handling an increasing amount of cash, with the Portage office having broken a record in its daily cash transactions.

But she also said that counting the cash is time consuming. If employees have their desks full, they often sit on the floor counting money at the end of the day, which Fish noted isn’t the best way to do business.

She figured that the cash counting machines will save five hours of staff time per week, resulting in an annual cost savings of $8,840.

700N Closing

The commissioners approved a request from the Diocese of Gary to close a portion of C.R. 700N in Liberty Township for an event on July 19, in which about 200 youth leaders and 50 adults will walk to Camp Lawrence. The road will be closed for four-tenths of a mile from 4 to 4:30 p.m. that day.

The request, presented by Diocese representative Kevin Driscoll, prompted some concerns. Evans noted that 700N is one of the busiest county roads, with many homes. “I don’t know if we can keep them out of their own driveway,” he said.

The commissioners approved the request as long as Camp Lawrence coordinates with Sheriff’s Department, which Driscoll agreed to.

Animal Funds

The commissioners also gave first-reading approval to two new ordinances that will allow the Porter County Animal Shelter to set up a new donations fund, as well as to retain all fees collected in its own fund.

The money raised through fees is currently returned to the county general fund.

North Garage Update

The new North Porter County Highway Garage now under construction on Friday Road is on schedule, Hoagland said.

The footings are in, and the backfill is expected to be finished today. The retention pond is also completed.

Posted 5/21/2008