Wayne County sheriff plans to donate safety helmets to Ukrainians
RICHMOND, Ind. — Protective helmets previously worn by Wayne County Sheriff's Office personnel might soon protect Ukrainians fighting Russian invaders.
Sheriff Randy Retter on Wednesday received approval from Wayne County's commissioners to donate 38 helmets to Ukraine. He said it would cost $200 to ship the helmets to California, then they would be sent to Ukraine.
In a social media post, Retter said that he received notice through the National Sheriff's Association about a request from the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council that any expired ballistic vests or helmets were welcomed for the Ukrainian effort.
The helmets are 1980s-era decommissioned military helmets no longer needed by the sheriff's department. Retter in November received approval from Wayne County Council to spend $34,517.25 from the council contingency fund for 87 new safety helmets.
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At that time, the decision was made to provide helmets for all sheriff's personnel, so 33 helmets were purchased for patrol officers, 35 for jail deputies, six for school resource officers, five for courthouse and annex security personnel and eight for reserve officers.
Retter's unusual request to donate the old helmets came after a routine request to dispose of other used equipment that also no longer has value for the county.
Highway dept. to add trucks
Mike Sharp, the supervisor of the Wayne County Highway Department, received commissioners' approval to purchase a sign truck and a paint striping truck.
Sharp found a sign truck at All-State Ford Truck Sales in Louisville, Kentucky, for $57,678 that is available for immediate delivery. He then plans to put the current sign truck in his fleet and move an old GMC truck out of use unless absolutely needed.
Commissioners also approved at $115,875.45 project to replace the 31-year-old striping truck. Sharp will purchase a Chevrolet dump truck with 10,000 miles that's available in Aurora, Ohio, for $47,013, then pay $68,862.45 to Kelly-Creswell of Springfield, Ohio, for the painting equipment and installation.
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Sharp said the new unit would be safer for his crews that paint 100 miles of road annually. The truck also would be more versatile, because the paint equipment could be removed, leaving just the flat bed. The truck could pull a mini-excavator trailer and haul equipment on the bed.
Sharp also hopes he could eventually receive some value by trading in the dump bed.
The purchases will come from the highway department's 2022 capital budget. Sharp said he still has not received three pickups ordered last June, so he is adjusting his purchase plan for equipment that's available immediately.
County health insurance
Cathy Dunn of Dunn & Associates presented commissioners Wednesday with health insurance quotes. The county's annual policy ends June 30.
Commissioners opted to remain with the county's current provider, Crum and Forster, after the aggregate policy bid was lower than the current cost. The fixed bid was $5.413 million after the current policy cost $5.6 million.
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One change was made. The policy will provide three extra months after July 1, 2023, to finish paying off costs incurred prior to the policy year ending. Dunn said that provides an opportunity to negotiate with medical providers about pending costs.
The structure with the extra three months cost about $46,000 more for the year, but Dunn said one negotiation in an expensive case could make up for that extra cost.
Coroner's cooler location
Commissioner Ken Paust told council members last week that commissioners would recommend on May 4 where to locate the coroner's new cooler.
One possibility is the courthouse basement next to the coroner's office; however, Commissioner Mary Anne Butters opposes that location and has been looking for alternatives. She said Wednesday that there would be room in the county's storage structure at 200 N. Second St. for the new cooler.
Butters said that option would be cheaper than renovating the courthouse area and would not deface the courthouse. She is concerned about aesthetics of providing a canopy to shield the west-side coroner's entrance from weather.
Paust scheduled a special commissioners meeting for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the issue and decide the recommendation that will be provided council the next morning.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Ukraine fighters will get safety helmet donation from Wayne County
