News in brief, Aug. 5, 2022
County wants to recycle roads, Supply Chain training at Ivy Tech, free meals at Kokomo Schools, a new salt barn for the county
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Recycling roads a reality in county
Howard County wants to recycle its roads. Amber Tolle, superintendent of the Howard County Highway Department received permission this week to request proposals for a hot, in-place, bituminous recycling program.
“We have gotten to a place in our paving program where we are reaching the limit on some of our roadways,” said Tolle. “Some of our roads have been resurfaced with 1½ inches of surface two, three, or more times. We are reaching the limits of effectiveness for resurfacing on these roads. We want to look into methods that will be cost-effective and not lose the asphalt we have in place and in fact make it stronger.”
The recycling procedure heats and pulverizes the existing surface, then takes the material and mixes it with asphalt liquid before reapplying the mixture as new pavement. The procedure is performed on-site and would reduce costs of hauling and disposing of old road material. The work would be contracted out as the county does not have the budget to purchase the necessary machinery.
“We would use our existing materials, so we wouldn’t have haul-away costs with milling,” said Tolle. “We want to try this on about six lane miles in the county to see how it performs. This would be a trial method for us, and we’re pretty excited about it.
“The contractor would come in and do the work, take samples and see how much liquid needs to be added to get the results that we want. We would do some density testing to make sure we get the compaction we want.”
Tolle said it would take about two winters to evaluate the effectiveness of the recycling process, and she intends on starting the program this year. If unsuccessful, she intends on exploring other options to save costs and extend the life of the county’s road surfaces.
Ivy Tech offering Supply Chain Management training
Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo is kicking off a series of classes in August that will prepare graduates to move directly into jobs in the supply chain and logistics field. The part-time Supply Chain Management program is also geared to benefit current employees interested in moving up in their careers.
“Thanks to Indiana’s central location and access to global markets, supply chain and logistics are two of the state’s biggest industries,” said Laura Hapner, interim vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “With the news filled with ‘supply chain issues’ – cargo ships filling harbors, orders being delayed, prices rising, the leadership of Ivy Tech Kokomo is excited to offer a program that can prepare people in our area to help meet the challenges.”
She noted the 21-credit-hour program is covered under Indiana’s Next Level Jobs program, which pays the cost of tuition and fees for qualifying students who seek an Ivy Tech certificate in Supply Chain Management. The program addresses the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, analysis, and finished goods. Students are able to study and get familiar with the high technologies and information systems used to track goods and increase efficiencies in distribution.
Registration is now open for the first eight-week course in the program, Introduction to Logistics, which will begin Aug. 25. The course will include face-to-face instruction on Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Campus Thursday evenings for eight weeks blended with online work each week. Along with three college credits, students who successfully complete this class will earn two nationally recognized industry certifications issued through the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council – the Certified Logistics Assistant and the Certified Logistics Technician. The second eight-week course, Logistics Quality and Lean Manufacturing, begins in October.
“We have outlined a part-time program that can be completed one course at a time over seven eight-week sessions,” Hapner said. These include courses in Microsoft Excel, procurement, and supply chain and operations management, along with a logistics internship.
“Along the way, students earn additional industry certifications in Microsoft Office Excel and Certified Procurement Operations Specialist. Those who follow the planned pathway will graduate in December 2024 with an Ivy Tech certificate in Supply Chain Management. These credentials can be very valuable to current employees who want to move up in the field as well.”
Hapner also noted that the certificate is part of a full program of “stackable” credits. Graduates of the certificate program can go on to earn technical certificates and associate degrees in Supply Chain Management/Logistics at Ivy Tech and can then continue into bachelor degree programs at colleges and universities.
For more information on the program, including a three-minute video describing the variety of jobs in the industry, go to Ivy Tech Supply Chain Management page at ivytech.edu/supply-chain/ . For information on registering for classes, contact Ivy Tech Kokomo Enrollment Services at 765-459-0561 or email Kokomo-enrollment@ivytech.edu.
Free meals at Kokomo Schools renewed through 2026
Kokomo School Corporation officials were informed Aug. 3 that its CEP grant has been renewed for another four school years and will allow Kokomo Schools to provide breakfast and lunch free to all preschool through 8th-grade students at its seven elementary schools and three middle schools through 2025-2026.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Meal Program, authorized by Congress as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, allows school corporations to provide free meals to all students at qualified schools.
Kokomo Schools Director of Business Michelle Cronk noted: “Kokomo School Corporation officials are extremely pleased that we can continue offering the Community Eligibility Provision program for our elementary and middle school students. Offering free, nutritious meals to all elementary and middle school students is beneficial for both the school corporation and our families. We believe that this program will no doubt improve our students’ educational experiences.”
Kokomo Schools Food Service Director Thomasa Butler added: “The Community Eligibility Provision is a great opportunity, which allows district officials to offer all students in preschool through 8th grade nutritious meals for both breakfast and lunch on a daily basis.”
Kokomo Schools Director of Communications Dave Barnes explained that this meal program streamlines meal service operations, while eliminating the need to track unpaid meal charges at the elementary schools and middle schools.
“Parents no longer have to worry about their elementary and middle school students exceeding charge limits because CEP eliminates student charges at these grade levels,” Mr. Barnes noted. “Elementary and middle school students still are able to purchase second meals and/or à la carte items, but with cash or prepaid funds only.”
School corporations that adopt the CEP meal program are reimbursed through the Indiana Department of Education Office of School and Community Nutrition.
County to get new salt barn
The Howard County Board of Commissioners approved at its Aug. 1 meeting a request for proposals to construct a new road salt storage building. According to Howard County Highway Department Superintendent Amber Tolle, the existing facility no longer meets the county’s needs and presents a contamination problem for area waterways.
“This is a partnership between the highway department and the stormwater department,” said Tolle. “Our existing salt structure is on its last legs. Very soon it will force us to replace it. It’s not very safe at this point. Also, it is a three-sided structure, so it is not enclosed. This allows some of our salt, when it rains, to run off, which becomes a very destructive chemical if let out. We want to contain that.”
Tolle explained that the existing building is undersized for the county’s salt storage needs. A new structure would be built large enough to contain salt and “ice grit,” which is the sandy substance mixed with the salt to provide traction for motorists on icy and snow-covered roads. Currently, the grit is stored outside, which causes freezing issues and makes it difficult to apply.
Greg Lake, Howard County Stormwater Management director, has located funding to devote to the project. The new building will be located at the same location of the existing building, which will be demolished to make way for the new construction. Tolle said the requests for proposal will be accepted until Sept. 5. at 3 p.m.