Hancock Fiscal Court; construction at South Hancock Park; SRO vehicles
Discussions of how to proceed with the construction of a new concession stand and bathrooms at South Hancock Park, along with School Resource Officer (SRO) Vehicles and the option available of renting those out during summer months, if needed, was discussed at the Hancock County Fiscal Court’s November meeting.
SRO Vehicles
Hancock County Schools purchased 2 brand new SRO vehicles and there will be an option in summer months for them to be rented out to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, in the case that they might need them during those months – June, July and August.
Judge/Executive Johnny Roberts explained this arrangement: “During the summer, if the SROs aren’t working for the school, they agreed to work with the Sheriff’s Department and they can utilize those. For any month that the vehicles are used exclusively by the Sheriff’s Department, not related to SRO or school-related duties, then we can lease those for $350 a month for summer months, if we use those. That’s a pretty good deal for us to be able to lease them. Since we started this process with the school, they have taken on the responsibility regarding the funding for that. To have a SRO in every school – and what little bit we can help being able to use the Sheriff’s Department, is really going to be able to help the County. One has expressed some interest of coming to help in the summer when they can and that alleviates the pressure off of the Sheriff’s Department.”
South Hancock Park Concession Stand and Bathrooms
“We’re going to replace that building,” Judge Roberts said. “What we’re looking at now is how we’re going to go about it. We need to expand the size of it a little bit. That concession stand is in dire need of repair. What we’re going to do is just build a new building. We’ve looked at whether we’re going to put it there (in the same spot) or move it. We’re trying to determine some of the regulations that we need to adhere to.”
The current building is 20×16 and the new one will most likely need to be larger in order to allow for considerations such as handicapped accessibility.
To allow for a larger space for the increase in size of the new building, they may need to choose another location in the Park for that construction. Magistrate L.T. Newton said, “It’s a bad spot and it’s not groomed there for another one. The hookups have to be changed – when you move it, all of the plumbing has to be changed and everything else. It’s completely shot and to put the new one there, it’s really cramped. They have to be a certain size and I’m not sure whether or not we have enough room there to do that. It would be tight. It has to be handicapped accessible. The electrical is coming down. That needs to be reworked there. It is just a mess.”
Magistrate Kasey Emmick added, “We need to find out what all our code specs are and then see what size we can put in there before we can go much further.” Roberts added to the conversation that, “It could go back with a metal building – with the inside finished and painted. We could do the metal, about like they are building at Vastwood. The awning at the concession stand is really bad too. It is about to fall down on someone. It is all rotted out.”
Once all of the details are calculated, the new construction can begin.
By Jennifer Wimmer
