News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Only a few steps remain before Van Buren County can open the Piney Convenience Center.
County Mayor David Sullivan told the county commission Tuesday that insulation work will begin on the center Wednesday. Sullivan said he is currently looking for options to add a layer of metal to the site’s concrete slab to protect it from the roll-off dumpster.
“Warren County’s got that on theirs down there and they said it’s really saved the concrete,” Sullivan said. “‘Cause the seal, when the rollers hit, they hit on the steel itself and then it goes back into place. So it would be a need either way.”
Sullivan said the center’s building still needs an interior tin ceiling and walls before it can pass state inspection. Sullivan said he received a quote for some $2,700 to add those features, but he is still talking with other vendors.
“We’re checking with some more right now,” Sullivan said. “Because they think they beat that by beat that.”
Sullivan said the grant for the center has an end date of December 31, 2024. Sullivan said the center will have an open-top container as a temporary solution until the county can afford an upgrade.
The commission also approved a request from Sullivan to change the hours of all the county’s convenience centers to be open from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Sullivan said the county has historically changed the centers’ opening time from 8:00am to 9:00pm depending on daylight savings.
“We have to change the letters from one time to the next,” Sullivan said. “And if we get the customers accustomed to one time, and one time only, it may make a better situation.”
In other business, commissioners approved a $750 holiday bonus for full-time employees and a $500 bonus for part-time employees. The commission then changed the county’s insurance plan so the two tiers of insurance are decided based on whether users make more or less than $67,000 annually instead of $50,000.
The commission also approved a resolution requesting the state legislature allow counties to keep half of the real estate transfer taxes they collect.
