Ellsworth County Commissioners met with Ralph Doubrava and Kirk Robson Monday regarding how to stabilize the granite on the front of the Ellsworth County Courthouse. It was recently discovered there was separation between the portions of the granite, especially on the south column because the anchoring is failing. Doubrava and Robson have installed bracing and blocked off the area in question for safety considerations.

Doubrava said two courses of action are available. The first option, and the one Doubrava recommends, is to try to stabilize and anchor the granite. Second, take the granite pieces off and relay them.

Commission Chairman Greg Bender said the first step is to contact the Kansas State Historical Society to inform them of the situation. The commissioners agreed to Doubrava’s recommendation to use a strap system to stabilize the granite.

“We’ll let you know,” Bender told Doubrava and Robson regarding the response from the state historical society.

In other business:

• Topics discussed during a department head meeting were computer updates with LockIT and county employee health insurance.

• A $2,592.25 bid from Waterworks HVAC to install a 150,000 BTU furnace at the county landfill shop was approved.

• County Road and Bridge Superintendent Dale Houston said he would contact the dealer of a Mack truck the road and bridge department ordered for $152,000 after discovering the truck would not be delivered until July. Houston said he can get a Kenworth truck delivered in May for $17,000 more.

• Approval was given to Houston to have CB Trucking grind asphalt for $65,000.

• Approval was given to pay $500 to each of the After Prom programs at Ellsworth Jr./Sr. High School, Central Plains Jr./Sr. High School and Sylvan-Lucas High School from the county attorney’s diversion fund. The funds were donated in support of the youth at those schools who reside in Ellsworth County.

• The 2024 election of county commission officers resulted in Bender being elected chairman and Dennis Rolfs vice chairman. The county appointments for 2024 stayed the same as last year with the exception of adding County EMS Director Nathan Florian as a special deputy coroner. The Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter was appointed the official county newspaper.

From Jan. 22: Ellsworth County Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jim Kirkbride had some breaking news for commissioners regarding adding surgery to the list of services the hospital offers during the commissioners’ weekly meeting Jan. 22.

Kirkbride said the hospital is postponing the project six months to a year down the road.

“We’ll see where we go from there,” he said.

In other business:

• Kirkbride said although he described the present seasonal illness rate in Ellsworth County as down quite a bit during his Jan. 17 report to the hospital board of directors, the hospital had nine patients Monday and half either had COVID, flu or a respiratory virus.

“So it’s climbing back up again, but still not to worrying levels,” he said.

• Kirkbride said an open house in celebration of the new in-house mammography suite at the hospital will take place Feb. 14.

• After two executive sessions with Teresa Shute, supervisor of the Ellsworth County Noxious Weed Department, county recycling program and county landfill, totaling 15 minutes, commissioners approved wage adjustments for the weed department.

• Commissioners took under consideration a request from County Clerk Shelly Vopat to take all charges for the new information technology program to be implemented by LockIT from the courthouse general fund.

From Jan. 16:

• County Elections Clerk Elizabeth George updated the commissioners on the issues with the automatic locks. George said INA fixed the problem and she assured the commissioners the county will not have to pay a bill for that work.

• No action was taken after a 12-minute executive session to discuss non-elected personnel (wages).

• Houston presented merit increases for road and bridge employees. The commissioners said they are looking at a 75 to 80 percent merit increase from what Houston had requested. They will make the adjustments and send them back for approval.

• Florian informed the commissioners the EMS building lost power recently and the backup generator only lasted a couple of hours. EMS was able to borrow the Homeland Security generator until the EMS generator is fixed.

Florian said he also had a 12-year-old computer crash. Approval was given for Florian to purchase a new computer, not to exceed $1,800. The funds will be taken from the EMS capital outlay fund based on LockIT’s recommendation.

• After a 10-minute executive session with Florian to discuss non-elected personnel (employment status), approval was given to increase the wage for the EMS director’s position to $31.25 per hour effective Jan. 1.

• Marty Sneath of Post Rock Wind Farm did not show up for the scheduled appointment with the commissioners, so Commissioner Dennis Rolfs asked if Sneath could write down the answers to the questions the commissioners asked him because they do not necessarily need to see him in person.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County Commission will be at 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5, at the county courthouse.