Commissioners open bids for Community Crossings projects

Fulton County Commissioners on Monday opened bids for three road projects, for which funding is sought through the state's Community Crossings Matching Grant program. 

Bids from E&B Paving, Phend & Brown and Central Paving were presented to commissioners by Highway Superintendent John Geier. 

E&B Paving submitted the lowest bid for all three projects:

• $376,404.35 for County Road 250 South from Kewanna town limits to County Line Road.
• $470,287.20 for County Road 550 South from County Line Road to State Road 17.
• $319,480.40 for County Road 950 South from County Road 900 West to State Road 17.

The total bid for E&B Paving was $1,166,171.95. The next lowest bids came from Central Paving, with a total bid of $1,187,563.95. The highest bids for all three projects came from Phend & Brown, with a total bid of $1,205,350.95.

It is anticipated that awards for the state's Community Crossings Matching Grant program will be announced this week. Upon Geier's recommendation, the bids were taken under advisement until the county is awarded. 

4C Health update

Commissioners went on to receive an update from 4C Health CEO Carrie Cadwell, who began by noting the county's representation on 4C Health's board of directors. 

She noted primary care services, overseen by a nurse practitioner, were started at its Rochester facility in October 2024. Anyone interested can walk into the facility and start those services on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as 4C Health continues to pursue designation as a federally qualified health center. It has been designated by the state as a certified community behavior health center. 

Cadwell also reported that efforts have been made to transform 4C Health's access system. Those looking to start mental health or substance use services no longer have to call for an appointment. Walk-ins for those services are available from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 
 
4C Health also has moved its inpatient unit and psychiatric urgent care from Logansport to Peru. Thirty-four residents of Fulton County received inpatient psychiatric services last year.

Cadwell also shared statistics for 4C Health's mobile crisis teams, with 244 deployments in 2024 and 1,020 since starting in September 2020. She reports a steady 65 percent stabilization rate for those deployments, meaning most people receiving that assistance do not have to enter institutional care. 

In total, 864 residents of Fulton County received 30,694 services through 4C Health in 2024. Roughly 70 percent of those individuals are on Medicaid or the Healthy Indiana Plan, 52 percent are self-referred and 22 percent came from school referrals. 

Cadwell's goal is for 4C Health to serve at least a thousand Fulton County residents per year and 10,000 across all seven counties it serves. She'd also like to see the number double of those participating in free mental health first aid and suicide prevention training. 

In other business

• Commissioners signed a new one-year contract with Finishing Touch Cleaning Service for $94,200. 

• Maintenance Director Kerry Fear reported that a new vending company is coming in March 10. He also reported that septic odors in the probation office and courthouse have been resolved. 

• 911 Director Brittney Thompson reported that a dispatch console has been moved for ADA compliance. She reports continuing efforts on a priority dispatch system, including administrator and operator training. She detailed other upcoming training opportunities, as well as an announcement by Motorola that it will be discontinuing the series of radios used in the county in 2030.

• Thompson reported that the county's warming center has moved from Faith Outreach Center to Church of the Nazarene, 1987 Southway 31, for the month of March.  

• Woodlawn Health Chief Operating Officer Brad Rogers reported that the hospital is less than four months from going live with a new EHR, or Electronic Health Record, through Epic. With the changeover, he noted there will likely be a delay in scheduling doctor visits, as patients' medical history will need to be reentered into the new system. He also detailed a way for self-pay patients and those with high deductibles to save money through MDsave, an online platform that connects patients to discounted medical procedures.
"Woodlawn is now on that service too, and we are more competitive than everyone around us now," he said. 

• Sheriff Travis Heishman reported that the sheriff's office is partnering with Rochester Police Department to offer free DNA testing and fingerprinting to children. Parents will receive this information to keep at home in case of an emergency. The event, open to Fulton County children of all ages, is noon-2 p.m. Saturday at the Moose Lodge, 1911 Westside Road. 

• Fulton County Park and Recreation Board President Bill Walsh reported that the board has updated its five-year master plan. It is available through the county's new website at www.co.fulton.in.us or by clicking here.

• Commissioners committed $2,500 for the American Legion and VFW posts in Rochester and Kewanna to place flags on veteran graves.  

• Commissioners approved a grant application for Community Corrections funding in 2026.

• Upon the request of Auditor Kathy Adamson, had special discussions on travel authorizations and credit cards. Adamson requested that travel authorizations only be requested for overnight stays and not day meetings. She also encouraged employees with credit cards issued by the county to not wait until the last day claims are due to turn in receipts. She also noted there are way too many credit cards, 30-plus, floating around. There was some talk about again requiring that those be held by department heads or the auditor's office until needed. The issue was taken under advisement.