News in Brief, April 20, 2022
Four County gives annual report; two rezonings approved; KPD hires two
Four County Counseling Center gave its annual report to the Howard County Board of Commissioners on April 18, and the statistics indicate that the organization’s behavioral health services are in high demand.
According to Lisa Willis-Gidley, vice president of operations, the organization has experienced remarkable growth since opening its doors seven years ago.
“I remember in 2015 when we started providing service to Howard County, we had five staff,” said Willis-Gidley. “Today, I am very proud to stand here and share with you that, after seven years of dedication and two years of a pandemic, we are still growing and currently have 74 staff.”
Twenty of the staff are dedicated to serving Kokomo and Northwestern school corporations.
More than 62,000 services were provided by Four County to 1,645 community residents in 2021, an increase of more than 20,000 services from 2020.
The organization currently maintains two locations, including its main office at 1948 W. Boulevard St. and its outreach location at the Kokomo Housing Authority’s Garden Square Apartments. It also has a presence at Sargent Place Apartments, and has working relationships with Bona Vista, the Indiana Department of Child Services, Kinsey Youth Center, the domestic violence shelter, Jackson Street Commons, the Howard County work release programs, Howard County adult and juvenile probation, Turning Point, and the Excel Center.
“We have connections and partnerships with multiple stakeholders in the county,“ said Willis-Gidley. “We are still growing, and we have no plans of stopping.”
Two rezonings approved
The Howard County Plan Commission gave a thumbs up to a pair of rezonings at its meeting on April 19. Both rezonings will be forwarded to the Howard County Board of Commissioners for final approval.
The first case was a rezoning from Agricultural (AG) to Rural Residential (RR) at 5305 West, County Road 400 North. Owner Jonathon Rybolt explained that he and his family currently live on the site in a home built by his grandparents. His intent is to build a new house on the property and demolish the original structure.
The commission approved the rezoning, contingent upon Rybolt signing a memorandum of understanding, indicating that the demolition must take place within 45 days of completion of the new construction.
The second case was a rezoning from Institutional (IS) to Rural Residential (RR) 1516 North, County Road 1150 West. Pam and Jay Beckom sold their property along West Jefferson Street and moved into a former church in the county.
“We found the old church and bought it, and we intend to renovate it and turn it into our home,” said Pam Beckom.
The commission approved the zoning with no contingencies.
KPD gets two new officers
The Kokomo Board of Works and Safety approved the hiring of two new officers for the Kokomo Police Department at its April 20 meeting.
Bennett Peterson and Tyler Middlebrooks became recruit officers effective April 18. A public swearing-in of the officers is planned for Friday, April 22, at 2 p.m. in the city council chambers in City Hall.
Bennett worked for the State of Indiana for 11 years, obtaining experience in juvenile corrections, correctional industries, and parole. He has been a volunteer firefighter and a reserve sheriff deputy in Miami County. Middlebrooks comes to law enforcement without prior law enforcement experience.
Four County has no plans of stopping?…. The average Medicaid billing for the “services” is $700+…. Children in the schools are not being guided in a meaningful way, they are spoon fed a canned curriculum that makes very little impact.