Still no home for TEMA equipment

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Tippecanoe County leaders are still trying to find a way to store Emergency Management equipment which is currently being stored, uncovered, in several different locations.

The commissioners and the council decided to kill a plan to lease property on Swisher Road to store the equipment.  Now several other options are being weighed.

Commissioner John Knochel wants the Council to allow Commissioner David Byers to investigate the possibility of putting a new building up on North 9th Street.  That's the land the county bought for the proposed Juvenile Intake Center.  Knochel and Byers want to explore the possibility of building a pole barn on that site.

Byers said the County already has $200,000 set aside for a project to house TEMA equipment. 

Councilman John Basham had a different idea: use an existing building at the fairgrounds.

"My proposal was to take a look at the fairgrounds, make it a win win. It is centrally located," said Basham.

Basham suggested the possibility of housing the equipment in the sheep barn and using money already appropriated to make some renovations to that.

Council member Kathy Vernon said she understands that there is a need to house the equipment, but given the economy she isn't comfortable spending any money.

"We know that income tax revenue is going to be down by probably 12%.  We don't know what's going to happen in the future.  I think the County is going to go through probably a couple rough years," said Vernon.

Some Tippecanoe County residents raised their concerns as well.

"We are taking on too many projects without taking care of some of the projects we need to take care of, said Sadie Harper Scott," Tippecanoe County resident. 

"Regardless of what you decide to do, in the end it has to be paid for," said Paul Wright, Tippecanoe County resident.

The Commissioners, Council and TEMA will now all look into those different options to find the most cost effective way to house the equipment.