Barry County Commissioner’s approved authorizing and executing contracts for Barry County Courthouse renovations on Tuesday.  The go-ahead follows a two-week delay by questions raised Dec. 27 by then Commissioner Jim Dull, who complained about work done on the community building renovations by Beckering Company.

Beckering is also doing the courthouse project.

 

Among other things, Dull maintained an 8,000 watt generator was not hooked up by a project electrician and was too small to maintain the IT department in the basement of the community building during a power outage.

 

Administrator Michael Brown said the original plan called for an all building generator but the cost was too much to justify and an addendum to the plan called for a smaller generator to back up just the IT equipment room, but Dull did not see the blueprints with the change.

Brown said the generator’s capability was verified, and IT Director David Shinavier said the unit performed “as it was supposed to,” during a four-hour brownout on Thursday, Jan. 5.

 

The HVAC was not hooked into the generator, but done by a local electrician doing other work not part of the project. Brown said Beckering’s electrician will pay the cost of the “minor” hookup work done by the local electrician. The vote to go ahead was 6-1 with Commissioner Vivian Conner the only “no” vote.

Conner later explained her vote had nothing to do with the community building project. She has maintained all along that she would vote against the courthouse project itself because of it’s security plans and other issues. “The project is so far away from the facilities plan, it’s not even close.”  //

Also Tuesday, the commission filled several committee and board seats, with a few corrections, by approving:

Barry County Animal Shelter Advisory Board:

*Tamara Dickinson (three years) for two-year term *Maggie Pierson (two years) as citizens at large

*Dawn Koning (three years) as Rescue Shelter Operator

*Veterinarian Linda Robinson (three years)in veterinarian position.

*Pattie Richardson (one year) Barry County Humane Society representative.

 

Barry County Road Commission:

*Dave Dykstra (six years).

Commission on Aging:

*Sharon Zebrowski, Sandra Kozan, Terry Dennison, (three years).

 

Parks & Recreation Board:

*Patricia Johns (three years) as citizen at large.

*Jim Cary (three years) to represent Hastings.

 

Charlton Park Village and Museum Board:

*Doris Hale (two years) term,

*Russ Yarger (three years), both as citizens at large.