Carroll County Highway Supervisor Ramzi Awwad reported to county commissioners at Monday morning’s meeting that due to additional damage found since beginning the project, it will cost more to rehabilitate the Lancaster Covered Bridge than originally planned.

An additional $165,000 is being requested from INDOT. The county is responsible for 20 percent of the total needed, approximately $32,772. That brings the total project cost to more than $1.1 million. More than $950,000 in county funds were previously appropriated for the project.

Awwad said he will request a transfer from the county council at the next meeting to satisfy the county’s additional obligation.

“It is very regrettable we have additional cost on any project,” he said.

Awwad said the load rating for the completed bridge will be three tons, which will accommodate passenger cars and trucks only.

Noting the project was developed before his tenure with the county Awwad said he would not have recommended spending that amount for a bridge of that size. However now that the work has begun, it is cost effective to finish it correctly rather than to not.

An endorsement to send the letter of request for additional funding to INDOT was approved. Other news

Verizon was granted four rightof way requests to make repairs to their equipment. Two of the four requests were previously tabled by county leaders in order to resolve a disputed damage claim against the county. Awwad reported Verizon was not willing to dismiss or resolve the claims.

Awwad opened bids for materials from Segal’s Delta Trucking, Engineering Aggregates Corporation and U.S. Aggregates. A bid for fuel from Excel Coop was opened. All bids were accepted.

Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission’s Executive Director Ron James presented a project update. He asked the commissioners to continue to “be on board to present the corridor as an asset of Carroll County and Indiana.”

James urged commissioners’ representative, George Mears, to attend each river commission meeting or send an alternate. Rezoning the Donald and Marilyn Wallace property in Clay Township for expansion of their rope manufacturing business from Agricultural to Industry 1 was approved.

Melissa Keown, Joe O’Donnell and Mears were appointed to the Northwest Indiana Solid Waste District Citizens Advisory Committee.

Clayton Hutson was appointed to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Payroll claims for $178,046.72 and $12,771.50 were approved.

New Hope School will use the 4H Community Building May 5 for a graduation program, and Dec. 7 for a Christmas program.

Old German Baptists will use the 4-H building Feb. 25 for a “Christianity in Africa” program. The Young Folks of the Old German Baptists will use the building Jan. 27 to assemble care kits.

TAP Enterprises will use the 4-H building Jan. 15 for a day-long public sale, provided a certificate of insurance for $1 million liability coverage is supplied to the county.

Commissioners thanked the Delphi Chamber of Commerce for their purchase and effort of 5,000 lights to light the monument on the courthouse lawn. T.L. Regional Sewer District

County council member Steve Ashby asked county leaders if it was significant to them that the president of the sewer district board might not be a White County resident, which would be a breach of the board’s own covenant.

Referring to a Comet article from the last sewer district meeting quoting a Jefferson Township resident who stated the sewer district president receives homestead exemption for a property in Tippecanoe County he said, “You can’t get that in two different counties. This is a concern of mine,” he added.

Ashby reminded commissioners that sewer board president Jim Smith visited Carroll County to request funding for the sewer project last spring.

“If the leading representative and head person is not legitimate, this needs to be clarified,” Ashby said.

In an interview after the meeting Ashby said, “They may not be abiding by their own rules. If this is true, it calls into question the whole organization.”

The next commissioners’ meeting will be Dec. 30 at 8:30 a.m.

Drainage Board

County surveyor Wayne Chapman reported reported no new work orders since the November meeting. However, approximately 2,400-feet of drains were cleaned in Jefferson and Democrat townships in the past month.

Board leaders decided to meet the first Monday of the month at 8:30 a.m. in 2006. This represents a change of day and time. The first ‘06 meeting will be Tuesday after the regular meeting day due to the New Year holiday. The next meeting will be Jan. 3 at 8:30 a.m.