By VICKI URBANIK

With the county engineer post now vacant, the Porter County Commissioners on Tuesday found themselves having to contract out for engineering help for the new highway garage in Westchester Township.

Long-time highway engineer David Schelling has recently resigned his $60,437 county job to take a position with the Indiana Department of Transportation, the commissioners said.

Highway Department Supervisor Al Hoagland said he hopes to hire a replacement as soon as possible. But he also noted that not many counties have highway engineers, and that in general, there is a shortage of people who would want to work for county government.

The commissioners made two decisions related to the construction of the new North County Highway Garage, to be located across from the current garage on Friday Road.

The commissioners agreed to seek requests for qualifications from engineers to develop a site plan. North Porter County Commissioner John Evans said the county will use the same plan as the one for the south county highway garage on Ind. 8, but some adjustments will still be needed.

The commissioners also agreed to seek a use variance from the Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals to allow the garage at the site, which is now zoned Residential-1.

County Attorney Gwenn Rinkenberger said the commissioners could seek either the BZA variance or a rezoning from the County Plan Commission for an institutional use. But she recommended against the plan commission route, noting that the commissioners, who must finalize all rezonings, would then be voting upon their own petition.

In June, the commissioners agreed to buy the 4.42-acre parcel off Porter Avenue west of Friday Road to replace the existing garage, which has been described as substandard and unsafe. The closing on the $160,000 sale is set for August 15.

Its not yet known when the groundbreaking will take place. The total project is expected to cost about $800,000 and is being funded through county income tax funds.

Plan Studies

The commissioners agreed to seek proposals for several other projects, one of which was for a corridor study and construction design standards, both in keeping with the county’s new master plan.

Last month, the commissioners asked the Porter County Council to approve $350,000 total for the two projects, but council members refused in a 4-3 vote, saying they first wanted firm cost figures.

Tuesday’s decision to seek proposals will do just that. The commissioners agreed that the plan commission will interview the firms that express an interest, then they will return to the council for the funding.

County Plan Commission Executive Director Robert Thompson said the corridor study will address land use along major roads, such as U.S. 30. He said there have been cases in which county officials agree they don’t want a particular use along the highways. But not yet answered, he said, is what the county does envision.

The corridor study will help “determine what we want, where and why,” he said.

Sex Sites Restricted

The commissioners also agreed to amend the Unified Development Ordinance, which took effect last month, to exclude sexually oriented businesses from property zoned Light Industrial. Such businesses will still be a permitted use in the I-2 zones.

Evans said the further restriction “seems like pretty much a no-brainer.”

Drainage Woes

Commissioner President Robert Harper said he has heard complaints about a drainage pond in the Jackson Heights subdivision in Jackson Township.

He suggested that the County Drainage Board look into the matter, but Evans said that would be premature if the developer is not yet ready to turn over the maintenance of the pond to the county.

Thompson said he has heard conflicting stories about the pond in question, but that he has been getting complaints from residents for about a year.

The matter came up after the commissioners endorsed a plan for resolving a drainage problem affecting county roads in South Haven by having the Twin Creeks Conservancy District buy the necessary equipment and to have the county highway department do the work.

Bids Opened

The commissioners opened bids for a replacement of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at the North Porter County Government Complex in Portage. The upcoming project will complete an overhaul of the aging system, which was recently upgraded with temporary chillers.

The commissioners will ask the County Council to approve the $244,000 needed for the project out of unallocated county income tax funds at the next council meeting August 14.

Also Tuesday, the commissioners opened bids for the new electronic sign planned at the Porter County Expo Center. The matter will be considered again on August 7.

In a separate matter, the commissioners appointed Jocelyn Rogers of Jackson Township to one of three vacancies on the Porter County Animal Welfare Board

Also, the commissioners gave Information Technology Services Director Sharon Lippens the approval to seek proposals from firms to rewire the County Administration Center to accommodate the upcoming Geographic Information System, a computerized mapping project of the county.

Lippens said it is believed that the current wiring in the county building won’t accommodate the large amount of data inherent in the GIS.

Lippens said the wiring upgrade is expected to be done in or by February. Still undetermined is the staffing needed to maintain the GIS. The commissioners agreed that issue should be decided by the county council.

Posted 7/25/2007