Barry County Commissioners approved three people for Citizen at Large seats on the Commission on Aging Board Tuesday after moving one to a partial term instead of a full term. Gerald Schmiedicke was approved to fill the partial term that expires in six months; Catherine Gramze and Nelly Shephard to three-year terms. There were three openings and three applicants.

 

The vote had been delayed at the request of Commissioner Ben Geiger who asked for re-advertising of the position, hoping to get more candidates. There were no new applications.
“There are 10,000 seniors in Barry County and we can’t get anyone to run for the COA?” he asked. He urged the commission to look at some of the ways they had tried to improve the process of getting volunteers to apply.

 

In the coming weeks he said he will bring changes in the recruiting of citizens to sit on various county committees and boards, possibly targeted ads on Facebook.

In other business, the commission approved taking bids to replace the 20-year-old courthouse parking lot.

 

At the last Committee of the Whole, commissioners asked for more information from the Master Facilities Plan for the area with an eye to replacing the awning, steps and other changes. However, the new planning is not complete, and was the issue was referred back to the committee of the whole. In the meantime, the original parking lot plans will continue, to cost up to $100,000 from the Capital Improvement budget.

 

 The improvements include extending the lot eight feet to the east, increasing parking spaces from 28 to 31, a new sidewalk along the north edge of the lot for foot traffic and replacing the shrubs next to the mechanical equipment with a decorative fence. The new design calls for removing the middle of three entrances, leaving an in-and-out drive, the sidewalk on the south of the lot to be replaced and the green space graded for better drainage.