ERIE — Neosho County commissioners agreed Tuesday to move forward with mold remediation at the Hudson Judicial Center in Chanute.
Judge Daniel Creitz, District Court Clerk Angie Walters, and Sanitarian David Burnett spoke about the mold issue. Creitz said the mold is present in two rooms, one of which is the law library. Legally, law libraries are required to be available to inmates at all correctional facilities. Due to the mold, Creitz said the library has been closed as it poses a health hazard.
District 3 Commissioner Gail Klaassen asked why this would be the county’s responsibility. According to Creitz, the exterior of the building is the responsibility of the city of Chanute and the interior is the county’s responsibility. Burnett said that the commissioners could always ask Chanute if it is willing to assist with the remediation.
“I’m worried it is an open-ended problem if we leave it,” Burnett said.
Burnett said the building was built in 1905, with a sandstone and limestone foundation that has sunk into the ground over the years, causing moisture to remain in the building.
County commissioners agreed to start the project with initial funding of $25,000. At that point, commissioners request an update and an estimate
of any additional funding
needed.
In other business, two proclamations were made for April. Hope Unlimited with the local Court Appointed Special Advocates program requested that April be recognized as Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To acknowledge Child Abuse Awareness Month, a pinwheel garden will be on display through April outside the courthouse. This request was granted, and county commissioners declared that these two causes will be recognized in Neosho County.
In unfinished business, new radio equipment for the county’s fire departments was discussed. Klaassen said she would like to hear from the departments before making any decisions. Currently, fire departments run on various frequencies, with signal issues occurring in the northern and southern parts of the county. Commissioners are considering purchasing signal repeaters and antennas to provide a more stable signal. They are also considering purchasing handheld radios and mobile radio units for each department. The hope is that these upgrades would allow all departments to communicate clearly and on the same frequency. Discussion on this measure was tabled and will resume during the next meeting.
The next Neosho County Commission meeting will be at 2 p.m. April 8 in the Neosho County Courthouse in Erie.
