By HOLLY GASKILL
Initial reviews of the Wells County Annex have discovered minimal damage following the July 6 fire next door, said Commissioner Mike Vanover.
However, portions of the building’s exterior have not yet been evaluated because of the proximity of debris from the remaining structure at 123 S. Marion Street. A narrow sidewalk separates the two buildings, and Vanover stated the high heat may have caused some damage to the exterior masonry.
The impact has been minimal all things considered, said Commissioner Blake Gerber.
The next-door fire was out of control for nearly four hours and firefighters remained on scene for an additional seven hours. The fire is believed to have been started by an electrical short.
Both Vanover and Gerber commended the work of the Bluffton Fire Department and assisting agencies for their responsiveness to the fire.
Other updates from the Wells County Commissioner meeting were:
• The Children’s Book Festival will return to the Wells County Public Library on Oct. 27. The festival will feature Deborah Hopkins, an award-winning author. Jill Gill will also return for musical entertainment.
• The library has had 257 registrants in the summer reading program. Depending on age group, the reading program tracks pages or minutes reads — as of July 22, 1,938,893 pages/minutes were reported as completed. Library board member John Stauffer noted most adults and teens wait until the last week to submit their reading, so the library expects the total to increase significantly by the end of the program.
• The Solid Waste District unanimously agreed to invest $200,000 of their total $279,465.83 cash on hand. The district will invest $100,000 for three months and $100,000 for six months at 1st Source Bluffton. This was approved 5-0; Vanover and Commissioner Jeff Stringer were absent.
• Recycling Center Manager Kevin Poling reported 27,797.8 lbs. were collected on the HazMat day. While this number is lower than in previous years, Poling noted there have been more collection opportunities throughout the county.
• Sheriff Scott Holliday reported 59 inmates were being housed in the Wells County Jail as of Monday. Of this total, 20 were pre-trial holds for the Circuit Court, 15 pre-trial holds for the Superior Court, eight were Level 6 felons and 14 were from the Department of Correction.
• Vanover and Gerber were present for the commissioner meeting; Stringer was absent.
holly@news-banner.com
