Commissioners form committee to draft CAFO plan
By BILL RICHMOND
City editor
The Randolph County Board of Commissioners Monday agreed on guidelines to form a committee to draft a countywide agricultural zoning proposal. It is hoped that such an ordinance would provide local control over the influx of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) without being prohibitively restrictive to livestock farmers.
Commissioner Kathy Beumer said such a committee should include all three commissioners, some people from the County Farm Bureau and some Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Randolph County (ECCRC) members.
Commissioner David Lenkensdofer said it is important that everybody in the county is represented in the decision making process.
"There are some things the ECCRC is going to demand we do that may be trumped by the state," said commissioner Ron Chalfant. "We need to have someone involved who knows exactly what we can and cannot do. Some things will be said that we will find out later they were a waste of time."
Beumer suggested, and the other commissioners agreed, that the committee should include the commissioners, three Farm Bureau representatives and three members of the ECCRC.
"It's got to be solved whether it's a headache or not," Beumer said. "We'll just have to take some Aleve and get on with it."
Beumer said she will contact the ECCRC and Chalfant is to contact Farm Bureau to see who from each group will be involved in the planning process. The committee will meet Monday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m., possibly at the County Economic Development Office. The group will meet every two weeks after June 2.
The commissioners also heard updates from Martin Riley architect Ron Ross and project manager Lester "Spike" Shepler, Jr. on the progress of the planning process for the courthouse renovation and annex construction.
"We are diligently working away at the drawings," Ross said. "We are fine-tuning planning nuances for office holders in the building, especially Information Technology and the judges."
Ross said he has completed quite a lot of work on the court spaces over the past couple of weeks. He has received comments on the plan from both county judges. One recent change separates the defendant in court proceedings from attendees at a trial. Ross said the change was made according to State Supreme Court recommendations for courtroom design.
Shepler outlined plans to incorporate security equipment in the main entrance to the court building. The plan calls for one courthouse entrance to be used by the general public and court system users. Admission through a separate secured employee entrance would be controlled by a magnetic card.
Ross also outlined some changes in the landscaping plan for the building entrance.
"There has been some concern about the cold look of the site and the plaza," Ross said. "Some people note that (in the original plan) it has an awful lot of concrete surfaces. We have created a plan that replaces some of the concrete with a low-sloped grassy area and reduces the terrace and steps area."
Beumer said an architectural drawing of the new proposed entrance looks a lot softer.
Ross said they hope to submit the building plans for state approval by May 31.
"We feel pretty comfortable with the schedule right now," he said. "Although, this evening's (Board of Zoning Appeals) meeting has the potential to really muck it up."
The board granted Winchester Main Street, represented by Promotions Chairperson Anne Riddle, permission to use the courthouse lawn for its third annual Taste of Randolph County Arts and Crafts Show Saturday, July 19. The board approved for WMS to use the west side courthouse sidewalk for its annual Farmer's Market Saturday mornings on the west side of the square.
The commissioners also authorized the use of water from the courthouse to clean the wall surrounding the Soldiers and Sailors monument on the northeast corner of the square. Riddle said the WMS project to clean the wall and refurbish the wrought iron fence atop the wall will be funded by the community volunteer group as part of its Main Street Makeover project. Riddle estimated the cleaning and painting program will cost approximately $1,000 every five years.
"We appreciate all the things that Main Street does for the community," Beumer said.
In other business, the commissioners heard a report from County Treasurer Mary Ann Lenkensdofer on the recently established Internet program which allows area residents to pay their property taxes online using a credit card.
"The Visa web site is up and running," said Mary Ann Lenkensdofer. "It looks really good and it's easy to navigate."
The web site can be accessed at www.randolphtax.net.
