Published: August 28, 2007 10:20 am      

Lightning destroys telephone system

NAPPANEE, Ind. — A lightning strike Friday at the Nappanee Municipal Center and police and emergency services building caused damage in the buildings, including destroying a phone system.

“One thing that was totally fried is the phone system in the emergency services building, and our only option was to replace it,” Clerk-Treasurer Kim Ingle told members of the Nappanee Board of Works Monday.

The dispatch center was OK after the lightning strike, but calls had to be temporarily routed to Kosciusko County.

Board members gave approval to the $19,000 emergency purchase for a replacement phone system. Ingle also asked the board’s consideration of purchasing a maintenance agreement for the phone system at a cost of $95 a month for a three-year contract.

Ingle said she was told by an Embarq representative that if another business in Nappanee also was struck by lightning and that business had a maintenance agreement, Embarq would service the business with the maintenance agreement first.

Board members asked how old the phone system was, how many times it had to be repaired in that time and what services would be included.

Police Chief Mike Anglin replied that it was the original phone system since 1991. Anglin said within an hour of being struck, emergency services was up and running but not at full capacity and that personnel were using personal cell phones during that time.

City officials were reluctant to enter into the agreement but agreed to do so because it was for emergency services.

Street Resurfacing

The board received five bids on the 2007 street resurfacing project. Bidding on the project were: Phend and Brown, Milford, with a total bid of $103,396.80; E & B Paving, Inc., Rochester, with a bid of $118,040.02; Rieth-Riley Construction Co., South Bend, bid $72,492.00; Niblock Excavating, Bristol, bid $74,224.10; and First Brooks Construction, Goshen, with a bid of $93,891.50.

The engineer will review the bids and make a recommendation at the next board meeting.

In other business, board members:

• Accepted resignation of fire personnel Steve Shorter effective Aug. 15.

• Approved moving the Board of Works meeting to Sept 12 at 3:30 p.m. in the EMS building.