Washington County Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved six resolutions to purchase six parcels of land, totaling about 10.83 acres, for the county’s Dogwood Avenue Project from owners Brian and Jennifer Stevens and several members of the Waterhouse Family totaling $186,320.  The price, which is part of a condemnation proceeding of the agricultural land, includes covering “damages” involved in moving ponds, acquiring fill dirt and other work for the permanent easements.

As requested by the owners, a public hearing on the project is set for 9 a.m. July 25; notices were mailed Friday to all who may have an interest in the areas in Dutch Creek and Clay townships.  Work is expected to start this summer.   The project is to improve road safety for the McKain’s Landing area as well as for Dogwood Avenue and involves grading and related work.

Besides the highway project resolutions, the board also unanimously approved six formal resolutions to cover county operations for fiscal 2023-24, specifically:

Employee pay rates, all previously discussed in budget hearings and board meeting earlier this year.

Scheduled step increases for employees based on length of tenure with the county.

Approved appropriations for all county departments operations and services, totaling $36,825,839.

Authorized interfund operation transfer, budgeted and appropriated for the maximum amount of $115,000.

Approved designation of assigned funds for county facilities, $312,000; equipment purchase, $20,000; county aerials, $40,000; and citizens convenience center, $5,250.

Approved the $13,832 monthly fee for WEMIGA, which is the contracted operator of the county recycling and solid waste facility.

Approved quarterly disbursement of grants to non-profit agencies: HACAP, $120,000; Mini-Bus, $50,000; Fair and 4-H, $17,000; Fairgrounds, $24,000; County Historical Preservation, $4,750; Humane Society (PAWS & More), $30,156; County medical examiner, $3,600; Public Library, $165,000; and Washington Main Street, one time in July, $6,834; WEDG, one time in August, $23,000; Workplace Learning Connection, one time in August, $2,256; English River Watershed, one time in August, $10,000; and Washington YMCA, one time in August, $2000.

Approved transfer from the general fund to secondary roads fund not to exceed $237,273.00 and a total maximum not to exceed $2,524,151 from Rural Service Basic Fund.

Approved wage change payment for two Public Health employees—Martha Hernandez, registered dental hygienist, from $35.82 hourly to $2,292.49 bi-weekly and Lori Hobscheidt from $29.75 hourly to $1,904.64 bi-weekly.  Both were approved last week by the Health Board.

Approved a secondary road use request from the Crawfordsville Fire Department during the city’s Fun Days July 8 from 5 a.m. to noon on Vine Avenue in front of the fire station.

Approved an employee designation for Justin O’Rourke, Collections Coordinator, in the county attorney’s office, from full-time to part-time, although the county attorney, Nathan Repp, said “Justin will be closer to working 70 percent” of what he had  done before.  The change was requested by O’Rourke.