Dwight Bauman appointed new Assistant Building Inspector

Cathy May, Contributing Writer

The Ripley County Commissioners met on Monday, July 16 at 8:00 a.m. All commissioners were present and County Auditor Mary Ann McCoy was available to advise the board.

The Commissioners hired Dwight Bauman as the new assistant building inspector. He replaces Mike Jeffries, who was promoted to building inspector at the last Commissioner’s meeting.

Andy Bryant, Ripley County’s Environmental Health Specialist, appeared with Buck Lawson. They were requesting to bore under Tanglewood Road for a perimeter drain for a private dwelling septic system. Bryant said that Lawson had bought the five acre tract from Sam Row and he had misrepresented the property as having a septic site already approved by Bryant for a private dwelling. No perimeter drain outlet is available on the property. David Swinney, the property owner across the road, has given his permission to use his property. The bore will be 68" deep, 30' wide and 5" in diameter. Lawson will assume all costs and liabilities. The Commissioners gave permission to bore under Tanglewood Road.

Ripley County Tourism Director Katherine Taul and Kerry Langdon of Engels Maps brought a proof of the new Ripley County Road Atlas to the Commissioners. A few changes were made. The final proof will be presented at the Commissioner’s July 30 meeting.

Taul shared with the Commissioners three events coming up in Ripley County. The Friendship Village Association will have their fourth annual hog roast at the Old Mill Campground in Friendship on Saturday, July 21. Ertel Winery in Batesville will have their first annual Wine Festival August 4 and 5. And, Indian Lakes is bringing back its Balloon Fest on August 24 and 25.

Taul informed the Commissioners the building the Tourism Bureau, Ripley County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development share is now for sale and they may have to move if it sells. The building is owned by Attorney John Schuerman.

Pat Thomas, Director of the Ripley County Health Department, reported the state is now taking $1.75 from the cost of every death certificate. Thomas asked to raise the cost they now charge for a death certificate from $5.00 to $7.00. The Commissioners agreed to her request.

There are several railroad crossings in the county that need repair. The Commissioners have been trying to contact the railroad without any success. Highway Superintendent Owen Heaton Jr. reported he had spoken to Carol Rayme at the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Seymour Office about the situation. She said the county cannot touch the railroad tracks or any property within 6' from the rails.

Paul Anderson, president of the Farm Bureau, made a presentation to the Commissioners on animal agriculture. He wants Confinement Animal Feeding Operations to be allowed in Ripley County. He said that Jefferson County made the rules so strict that it would be impossible for an operation to go into that county. Anderson said he didn’t want that to happen in Ripley County. The Commissioners told Anderson they were very supportive of the farming community.

The next meeting of the Ripley County Commissioners will be on July 30 at 8:00 a.m. at the Commissioner’s Room in the Ripley County Courthouse Annex in Versailles.