County creates Carl Koontz Park
Also, veterans monument denied spot on courthouse lawn; county to pay for employee CDLs
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It has been decades since Howard County maintained a park. It has had a parks and recreation department on the books since the 1960s, but it gave up its parks years ago. Or so it thought.
Howard County Sheriff Jerry Asher approached the Howard County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 20 with some interesting information. The county still owns a park, and the sheriff requested that it be renamed to honor Deputy Carl Koontz, who died in the line of duty in 2016.
“We've had what we thought was a city park at the end of Westdale Court for I don't know how many years,” said Asher. “Last year, we figured out it was county property. So, the city pulled their equipment out of there. And now we have a leftover little area that's all county property. I thought it was a great idea to rename it Carl Koontz Memorial Park.”
The renaming of the park is an extension of something that has been discussed for years. According to Jeramie Dodd, Kokomo Fraternal Order of Police president, the law enforcement community had been searching for a way to memorialize Koontz.
“I have been in talks with Cassie Koontz for a couple years about creating a place that is serene, that people could go to remember Carl,” said Jeramie Dodd. ‘We've tried a couple of different locations. We looked at Jackson Morrow Park. One time, we even looked at putting something on the courthouse square. All those things fell through.”
This effort, however, was successful. Commissioner Jack Dodd made the motion to rename the park, which passed unanimously.
“I personally lived right there near Westdale Park,” said Dodd. “I've talked to some of the neighbors about the idea of renaming the park. Everybody was supportive of it. It is a very nice park. I think it would be a great addition to Howard County to have a park named in honor of one of our deputies who gave his life in service to our county.”
Veterans monument denied courthouse lawn
The Howard County Courthouse lawn has become a showcase of patriotic monuments in recent years, but the latest plan to honor the first female U.S. Marine has been turned away.
A monument recognizing Howard County native Opha Mae Johnson as the first female to join the U.S. Marine Corps has been in the works for more than a year. It’s visionary, Jerry Paul, secured the commitment of the Howard County Board of Commissioners to display the monument and to help underwrite its cost.
But Howard County Veterans Memorial Corp. representative Blake Dahl approached the board of commissioners on Nov. 20 to discuss a sudden change of heart on the county’s side.
“I think you guys probably heard from the security committee at the courthouse that they went ahead and nixed the monument,” said Dahl.
“I would change the verbiage,” responded Commissioner Jeff Lipinski. “That’s not our intent. They were clear it was a security issue. But we are 100 percent for the project, just in a different location.”
The monument, which would have consisted of tall, headstone-like displays, was considered a bad fit for the west side of the courthouse, where inmates are loaded and unloaded for their court appearances. Dahl, a practicing attorney, conceded the corporation’s push to have another display on the courthouse lawn.
“No matter what, our goal here is honor over Opha Mae Johnson,” said Dahl. “We’d like to maybe get your assistance in finding another place here in town. I just want to say thank you all for your patience and your commitment.”
The commissioners agreed to aid in locating a home for the proposed monument and reiterated their support for the monument.
County to pay for employee CDLs
It is getting tougher, and more expensive, to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Last year, the federal government made it a requirement that all licensees attend weeks of formal schooling in order to take the licensure test.
The change means significant expenditures of time and money for prospective drivers and employers. In an employment market where truck drivers are in high demand, Howard County decided it couldn’t sit idle. Howard County Highway Superintendent Amber Tolle approached the board of commissioners on Nov. 20, asking for assistance.
“Previously, we required a CDL Class B to even apply for the highway department,” said Tolle. “A federal mandate changed the CDL licensing procedure and required schooling for anyone who got a CDL license. This increases the costs for an individual to try to get that license and to try to elevate their work.
“So, in order to open up our pool of applicants that can apply for our work, and to them get a leg up and get into the system, we should offer to pay for some of the schooling to get the CDL license.”
Tolle explained that she worked with the human resources department and the county attorney to develop an employment contract. The agreement stipulates that in exchange for a three-year working commitment, the county will pay for the CDL schooling.
“If they have to break that commitment, then we will ask for them to repay that schooling on a prorated rate for the time that they've actually worked in the county,” said Tolle.
The commissioners voted unanimously to establish the benefit.