Beth Rumsey, Staff Writer

The Ripley County Commissioners discussed the application details for a FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive (PDMC) grant at their regular meeting held on Monday, June 2. Manual Johnston, Indiana Department of Homeland Security said, “It is not a quick process.”

According to Johnston, Ripley County may be eligible for federal funds to help pay for a structure that will be resistant to earthquakes and tornadoes. This structure could ensure that operations for the county government would continue as well as provide a public shelter. The grant cycle is one year, and according to Johnston, could take a couple of years before the grant is awarded.

In order for the grant application to be considered, the county will need to include a blueprint of the structure and a utilization plan. The money will go towards “hardening” the structure, which means using building materials that are made to withstand earthquakes or high winds. The grant would pay for approximately 75 percent of the eligible costs, up to a maximum of $3 million.

Johnston explained that this is a nationally competitive grant, and applications are reviewed annually by a peer review group representing all 50 states. A small number of grant applications are awarded and those rejected are rejected due to lack of funding.

In other business, Jerry Gilpin, Versailles Lions Club, received permission from the commissioners to use the courthouse lawn for the upcoming lions club BBQ and car show on Saturday, June 28. Gilpin reported that the lions club is looking into purchasing land to build a community center and a pole barn storage building. The community center would be available for rental to local clubs and businesses for meetings.

According to Gilpin, the lions club has no funds, since every dollar earned goes back into the community, and that the organization will need to apply for grants. The commissioners advised Gilpin to speak to Southeast Indiana Regional Planning Commission (SIRPC) for assistance with the grant process.

• The commissioners accepted bids for bridge packages for the Bridge #89 project. They unanimously agreed to take the bids under advisement and award the bid at the next meeting.

• Ken Hylton, Ripley County Veterans Services officer, will meet with a new representative from Work Force One, which helps with job placement for disabled veterans. He stated that any disabled veteran that wants a job can contact his office at 689-7165.

• The commissioners unanimously agreed to accept the technology committee’s recommendation to purchase two laptops and three Think Map licenses.

• Tad Brinson, executive director of the Area Planning Commission, reported that the property in Dabney where illegal dumping has occurred, has been cleaned up. The commissioners will continue to monitor this property to ensure that there will be no more dumping. The commissioners have agreed to look into a pond drainage issue that was reported to Brinson.

All of the commissioners were in attendance, Robert Reiners, Chuck Folz, and Lawrence Nickell, as well as Ripley County Auditor Mary Ann McCoy, and Attorney Neil Comer. The next meeting will be held Monday, June 16 beginning at 8:00 a.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room located in the courthouse annex.