Kosciusko Live Well President and CEO Lisa Harman holds up a poster related to the organization’s new K-County First initiative, which recognizes the efforts of local first responders, during the Kosciusko County Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — An effort is ongoing in Kosciusko County to support first responders.

At their meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Kosciusko County Commissioners heard about the Live Well Kosciusko initiative, K-County First, from Live Well President and CEO Lisa Harman, and former Kosciusko Leadership Academy cadet Lois Borkholder. It was previously presented at the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Friday, Dec. 2.

“I represent the Community Well-being Committee at Live Well Kosciusko,” said Harman. “That committee wanted to make sure that our first responders felt like they were appreciated and so we started working on (a) … campaign.”

“And as part of that campaign, we had local students here in the county start making art projects that were thank you cards showing how much they appreciated law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs … all of those people who work as first responders and so we have now created billboards across the community so you may see those that depict the students’ artwork that shows the appreciation messages,” she continued.

“We also have a webpage that includes the artwork, so that anyone who wants to take a look at the artwork can do that just through accessing a QR code that takes you directly to the webpage,” Harman said. The page may be found at livewellkosciusko.org/kcounty-first.

People also may create their own thank you videos by visiting the webpage.

Harman noted that one local first responder had said that “they had been working in the community for 25 years and (during that time) had never received a thank you for what they did.”

KLA was also involved with K-County First, helping create a discount program as part of it, which Borkholder presented on Tuesday. First responders will be getting cards to get a discount at a number of local retailers who’ve agreed to participate. Businesses can learn how to join the program by visiting the above webpage.

Posters on the program are going to fire departments and police departments around the county, added Harman.

Regular Appointments

Commissioners also made their annual appointments for 2023.

Those include the following.

Board Appointments

• Alcohol Beverage Commission: Alan Alderfer
• Arrowhead RC&D: Stanley Moore
• Board of Zoning Appeals: Ron Robinson, Kevin McSherry and Lee Harman
• Bowen Center Board: Jon Garber
• Community Corrections Advisory Board: Jim Smith
• Drainage Board: Joe Irwin and Cary Groninger
• Emergency Management Advisory Board: Cary Groninger
• KCCRVC: Matt Metzger
• KEDCo: Brad Jackson
• MACOG: Cary Groninger
• MREDD: Doug Hanes and Rob Parker
• OrthoWorx: Brad Jackson
• PTABOA: Susie Stookey and Phyllis Olinger
• Redevelopment Commission: Dan Thystrup, Mike Metzger and Doug Hanes
• St. Joseph River Basin: Jon Roberts
• Strategic Planning Committee: Brad Jackson and Marsha McSherry
• Wage Committee: Brad Jackson

Department Head Appointments

• County Administrator: Marsha McSherry
• County Attorney: Ed Ormsby
• GIS: Bill Holder
• County Highway Superintendent: Steve Moriarty
• Homeland Security/LEPC: Ed Rock
• HR Director: Cathy Reed
• System Administrator: Bob Momeyer
• Veteran Service Officer: Darryl McDowell
• Weights & Measures: Rob Barker

Miscellaneous Recommendations for Appointments

• Bell Memorial Public Library Board: Larry Yeiter
• Board of Health: Dennis Woodward and Thomas Howard
• Public Defender Board: Alan Alderfer and Steve Harris

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with the City of Warsaw through which Warsaw will pay $500,000 to the county related to the county’s new public safety towers communication system. The Warsaw City Council already considered the measure at its meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, recommending its approval to the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety, who has the final say.
• Heard the quarterly Kosciusko Area Bus Service report from Marcie Arndt, who’s filling in as interim general manager as the last GM, Chad Kaltenbach, has left.
• Approved a contract for construction inspection related to an upcoming bridge reconstruction project along Husky Trail in Warsaw.
• Approved a request brought by Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty to purchase a skid loader from Bobcat of Warsaw out of budgeted funds at a cost of $78,958.94.

The council’s next meeting is 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom.