Leesburg Elementary School fourth-grader Ella Conley, left, leads Kosciusko County Commissioners Brad Jackson, Bob Conley and Cary Groninger in the pledge of allegiance Tuesday morning. Ella is the granddaughter of Bob. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — After presenting a change order for the Justice Building renovations project Tuesday, July 30, to the county commissioners, County Administrator Marsha McSherry provided an update on the project’s progress.

The $7,858.28 change order had to do with business furnishings for the furniture portion of the project in the Justice Building. The change order gives the county an upgrade in the graded fabric from a grade 3 to a grade 5, which will provide greater durability, she said. The commissioners approved the change order.

In her update on the renovations project, McSherry said they’re just now completing phase 3 and will begin phase 4 this Thursday and Friday. Phase 4 will encompass Superior Court III and all of the offices in the south end of the Justice Building on the second floor.

“Percentage-wise, I would say we’re probably at 48% because we still have the second floor to do and some work being done in the basement of the Justice Building,” she said. “The project is scheduled to be completed in April of next year.”

There are a total of 10 phases for the project.

As for the project being on schedule, McSherry said there are two restrooms that will not be completed on schedule. They will be completed by the end of next week, so that will put them back on schedule, but all the offices and court rooms will be completed.

“Marsha’s done an amazing job,” Commissioner Brad Jackson said, adding that keeping people moving on the project has been like “herding cats” at times.

“What Marsha does makes me dizzy,” Commissioner Bob Conley said. “It’s crazy. I don’t know how she does it.”

Stillwater Hospice CEO Leslie Friedel gave the commissioners a quarter two report. As a requirement of the county providing $50,000 in funding to Stillwater for 2024, the nonprofit organization must provide quarterly reports to the county.

“Just to recap from last quarter, we did do an annualized salary increase for those working in Kosciusko County for a market-rate increase as we are working toward getting everybody up to market-rate pay at $68,000 for the year,” she said. “But, we’ve seen some increase in utilization of our services this year, especially going into quarter two.”

Stillwater has been seeing more Kosciusko County residents through its palliative care program, she said. They have had 56 individuals on hospice services for a total of 2,861 days “where we’re supporting those at end of life.”

Through Stillwater’s Specialized Home Health Program, they’ve had 12 Kosciusko County residents on service with them for quarter two for 807 days on service.

They’re providing outreach to the community through its grief support. Friedel said Stillwater has provided individual grief counseling to three individuals, which may not sound like a lot but word of the service is getting out. The three individuals have had a total of eight sessions so far, and their losses were due to cancer, a car accident and an accidental fentanyl poisoning.

“Just as a reminder, every grief session we provide costs about $150, and the annual cost to provide services to our grief center is about $550,000, and all of those services are at no cost to individuals in the community. So we keep hoping to expand that greater to the community here,” Friedel concluded.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved a three-year contract between Gasoline Equipment and the Kosciusko County Highway Department, as requested by KCHD Superintendent Steve Moriarty, for underground testing and monitoring of the KCHD’s underground fuel tanks. Cost is $550 per month.

• Approved the advertisement for bids for the CR 1300N paving project, which the highway department is receiving American Rescue Plan Act funds to do, on Aug. 14 and Aug. 21. Moriarty said the bid opening will be Sept. 10 at the commissioners meeting, with the bid award on Sept. 24.

• Heard a clarification from Moriarty. He said at the July 16 commissioners meeting he misspoke about from where he was purchasing a 2025 GMC Sierra pickup truck for $61,850. The truck is being purchased from McCormick Motor in Nappanee, not Shepherd’s Chevrolet, North Manchester.

• Announced the next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Aug. 13.