Adam Huening
September 06, 2006 07:32 am
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The Honda plant is harvesting some negative feedback in its initial construction stage and the Decatur County Commissioners received the first seeds of it at their Monday meeting.
Mark Mohr, superintendent of the Decatur County Highway Department, advised the Commissioners on the harvesting process undertaken by Global Performance and private farmers at the site.
“Honda is chopping silage,” he said.
He noted, there is a powerful eight-row combine harvesting the grain in the fields inside Honda’s site and dump trucks have been carrying loads out at three-minute intervals for about 17 to 18 hours a day. They silage is being transported to County Road 700 West where the proposed dairy farm is ready to set up operations. While the silage is not heavy, and the trucks carry about 12 tons, he has traffic issues. The road is not wide, Mohr advised, and he is concerned about trucks meeting each other or other cars considering the rapid intervals of transport. This could cause a major accident or damage to the roads.
“My main concern really is why didn’t they tell us they were going to do this,” Mohr said.
He also advised the Board on the status of the two bridges - the one at the City Park and its replacement on County Road 700 South. While road construction signs are still up at 700 South, the bridge has opened and in use currently.
“Take a drive through there, it’s really nice,” Jim Moffet of FORCE Construction, the firm handling the bridge replacement, suggested. “The grass is growing and it’ll look much nicer when it’s green.”
In addition, the Commissioners signed a change order to provide $1,400 worth of shrubs for landscaping around the bridge. With the project being split 80 percent to 20 percent by the State Historical Society, the County will only have to foot $300 of that bill.
In other business, Kaywin Lindsay came before the Commissioners representing the steering committee for a new local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The committee, in conjunction with local churches, wish to establish the national program which will build houses for low-income families in Decatur County.
According to Lindsay, citing state Housing and Development numbers, about 9 percent of the county lives below poverty and 15 percent live in substandard housing. His group would build homes and sell them to low-income families at no interest. In addition, the group would provide homeowner counseling for those who purchase the structures.
“Most of these people do not understand how to care for a house,” Lindsay said. “We let them know it’s okay to have two cars in front of you house just not on four blocks. We let them know they have to cut their grass every week.”
He said, they would teach these homeowners how to do maintenance and expect them to participate in other building projects. However, Lindsay was before the Commissioners seeking support to make the chapter official.
“We’re not looking for money. We’re looking for support. Your knowledge of the county would be very beneficial,” he said.
The Commissioners agreed on the merits of the organization and empowered county attorney Peg Polanski to draft a letter of support on their behalf.
“I most certainly think this is a good idea,” Commissioner Charles Buell said. “It gives people a decent place to live and that’s important.”
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