At a rather brief meeting on Tuesday, the Porter County Board of Commissioners appointed Porter County Treasurer Mike Bucko to the county’s sick bank committee.

County Commissioner John Evans, R-North, said the commissioners needed to fill a vacant spot on the committee replacing former county parks superintendent Ed Melendez who resigned last year.

The discussion prompted Porter County Commissioner President Robert Harper, D-Center, to ask how many county employees sitting in on the meeting knew about the sick bank. Only a few said they were familiar with the program.

Harper said the sick bank has been available to county employees for a little over a decade but believed only a small number of employees know how the plan works.

“I’ve been harping for those in the county to learn more about it,” Harper said. “I think it’s a good program.”

Harper said it was unfortunate that such a small number of employees are making use of this “great idea.” He recalled a situation two years ago when a young man from the prosecutor’s office had to undergo heart surgery and needed to use the sick days but ran into problems because not enough people in the office were using the program.

Porter County Health Department Nursing Supervisor Connie Rudd, who is one of the five sick bank committee members, said this morning employees have the option of donating a number of their nine sick days per year. Employees who have accrued the maximum of 45 sick days can still donate their annual amount.

The benefits of the program can only be used by those who have agreed to use it. Rudd said the program is set up to assist employees who have developed a terminal illness.

One way the committee can spread word about the sick bank, Rudd said, is to designate an employee from each county department to handle sick bank information and keep their departments informed.

The sick bank is available to county employees but not elected officials. Rudd said the county’s judicial courts are also planning to develop a similar program for their employees.

Harper said employees probably won’t read all the policies regarding the Sick Bank included in their employee manuals but feels they can still benefit by knowing the basics of the program.

Also on Tuesday, the commissioners read and approved an amendment to the county redevelopment commission, adding two more members for a total of seven. It was also included in the amendment that terms are to be served for two years.

Porter County Jail Museum Director Kevin Pazour asked the commissioners to consider giving funds to replace the museum’s current fire alarm system, which he said is only five years younger than himself.

“People are saying our (system) belongs in a museum rather than protecting it,” said Pazour.

The last time the museum’s fire alarms were updated was in 1980, Pazour said, and all the alarms on the main floors have ceased to function with the exception of the alarm near the boiler.

Pazour said he already has firms interested in submitting bids for the project, which fall in a cost range from $4,000 to $20,000. He said he is considering recommending S&B Systems, saying they have experience in installing fire and security systems at museums.

The commissioners held off on approving any bid recommendations and instead approved a motion for DLZ to make an inspection of the museum’s current system that could lead to developing a contract. The commissioners asked Pazour and DLZ to give a report at their next meeting on April 6.

Pazour showed the commissioners a few additional items donated to the museum from residents in Porter County: a bracelet, a fossilized rock, and a petrified coconut. He said the museum has recently received items like these and hopes to expand its collection of artifacts that don’t necessarily have to come from Porter County.

“We are making slight alterations to our mission,” explained Pazour, saying that the museum wishes to be known more as a tool for education for the people of Porter County.

In a motion, the commissioners approved an amendment to make minor changes in the wording to the ordinance establishing the Porter County Museum Advisory Board. Pazour said the board would be set up as an eleven-member “panel” and will now include County Clerk Pamela Fish who already handles records for the museum.

Posted 3/17/2010