The Daviess County Fiscal Court has awarded a bid for renovation work at the Schertzinger Building.
Formerly the site of RiverPark EyeCare, the Schertzinger Building is located at 221 Allen Street in Downtown Owensboro. In the future, it will house Parks Administration and the Daviess County Emergency Management Agency, including the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
The renovation work includes removing the existing eyeglass displays and cabinets, patching and repairing walls to accommodate office space, and electrical work for the EOC and generator. The county will add a phone system and secured entrances through the facility.
Both the parks department and emergency management agency will move into the building when the renovations are complete, sometime in October or November of this year.
The centralization of parks staff will be advantageous when considering key pick-up/drop-off for the shelter rental program.
“Being centrally located in Daviess County is paramount,” said Ross Leigh, Parks & Recreation Director. “Servicing parks in all three county districts, this allows patrons an equitable opportunity to reach the administrative offices.”
“Our office hours will continue from 7am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday as we meet our mission of providing for a unique park experience in a clean, safe and well-maintained environment,” he added.
The move of the parks department will also facilitate the addition of a regional REAL ID office at the Daviess County Operations Center on Highway 81.
In other news:
The Fiscal Court approved an ordinance relating to the adoption of the 2020 Daviess County tax rates. As previously announced, the Court will lower the property tax rate from 13.5 cents per $100 of valuation to 13.4 cents, while taking the ‘compensating rate’ to achieve the same amount of revenue as last year.
On second reading, Commissioners also approved a one-year delay for the second phase of an increase in occupational and net profits license fees. The occupational tax rate was scheduled to jump from 0.7 to 1.0 percent on January 1, 2021. The amended ordinance delays the increase to January 1, 2022. Judge-Executive Al Mattingly said the Court understands the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on area residents and businesses.
County Treasurer Jim Hendrix discussed an amendment to the budget that reflects reimbursements from the state and federal CARES funds. Some of the funding will support frontline workers, including firefighters and sheriff’s deputies.
Judge-Executive Al Mattingly reminded residents about the upcoming Tox Away Day on Saturday, October 10th. Residents may bring Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) items to the Daviess County Operations Center for safe disposal. For more information, click here.
