The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, August 7, 2019 A-3 LOCAL Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg RV AMERICAN Friday and Saturday GRAND OPENING You're invited to join us! Come meet your new neighbors, shoot the bull and join us for... GRAND OPENING SPECIALS! GIVEAWAYS AND FUN! FREE LUNCH BOTH DAYS! 285 W. Main St., Petersburg, IN 47567 • www.AmericanRVCenter.com August 9 & 10 Fri. 9am-6pm • Sat. 9am-5pm MOBILE SERVICE AVAILABLE! Check out these deals! Even more specials on the lot! 2019 COACHMEN SPIRIT 2020 CHEROKEE 2019 WOLF PUP 2019 GREY WOLF SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL $19,725 $15,995 $19,999 $21,985 $13,582 2019 SPRINGDALE 1943RB 264DBH 16FQ 23DBH MSRP $29,457 MSRP $19,628 MSRP $32,564 MSRP $33,141 MSRP $22,155 260BH By Andy Heuring County Commissioners were asked to create a charge for when the EMS is called out and a patient refuses treatment. They al- so heard a complaint from Jeff Davis about paving and what they do with dirt removed while ditching along the road. Both top- ics came up during their Monday morning meeting. EMS Director Chris Young suggested an increase in ambulance run rates and to cre- ate a new charge for when they make runs, but the patient refuses the service. Young said many counties in Indiana are charging for this. He explained this would not apply to when police call for an ambu- lance at an accident scene, but rather when an ambulance is called to a residence to help a patient, who has fallen or is having diabet- ic problems. Young said often the EMTs as- sist the patient getting them up or giving them a sugar solution to help them. But be- cause they are not transported there is no charge. He suggested they create a charge for this. Young said it is being considered by Medicare to pay this type of claim. He also suggested they raise their rates. Young said Medicare is getting ready to in- crease what they will pay. He added if Pike County doesn't charge what they (Medi- care) will pay, they won't be able to collect that amount. If the county rate is higher than what Medicare charges, he said they will only be able to collect what Medicare agrees to pay. Young said they also needed to start pro- viding non-emergency transfers. "Anyone will tell you if you are going to balance a bud- get you need to do non-emergency trans- fers," said Young. Commissioner president Mark Flint asked if Young had talked to the indepen- dent providers of non-emergency transfers. Young said he had talked with them and they were favorable to it, because there were more runs than they could take care of. The commissioners decided to table the issue. In other EMS issues, Young requested a $5,000 additional appropriation for vehicle repair. He said they had air-conditioning fail as well as several other problems. "I'm not sure that is going to get us through to the end of the year." The commissioners voted to request the money from the county council. He also asked to advertise for bids on a 1996 ambulance with more than 225,000 miles on it they are replacing. Young said he asked the Highway Dept. if they wanted it, but they didn't. DAVIS COMPLAINS ABOUT ROAD PAVING AND DIRT PRACTICES Jeff Davis asked the commissioners why they paved a "private driveway." "That is a county road. There are 17 peo- ple who work back there at the nursing home. So this is public service. That whole road is a public road," said Flint. Davis then asked why it got paved first this year. "I think it was done first because it was the closest to the garage," said Jeff Nelson. "It is a county road. It is up to the commis- sioners and County Highway Department to prioritize," said Flint. "I didn't know if it was a system you had or if it was whoever scratches your back first. Davis then asked about going past Lake- wood to Eddie Joe Boyd's house. "Now going back to the home care, okay, but going the other way to Eddie Joe's drive- way. Should that have been a county road? " "I'm not going to sit here and question what a former commissioner did," said Flint. The decision to accept the road as a coun- ty road was made when Brian Davis, Jeff's brother was president of the commission- ers. "How does a Crestview or Meadowbrook get done? How do those roads exist? How does a subdivision happen? "My dad (Don Davis) did a subdivision and blacktopped it himself and then you guys took it over," said Davis. "We have a county road that has a busi- ness that pays a ton of taxes and employs 17 people. That is different than a road going to a single house," said Nelson. "You have a point there, but what about going the other way to his house? " said Da- Main St. crash in Petersburg A truck and Jeep collided at the intersection of Highway 57 and 61 on Fri- day at about 4:30 p.m. Petersburg Police Cpl. Kyle Mills said Danny Blount of Petersburg was driving a white Dodge truck turning left from Highway 57 onto Highway 61 northbound. Mills said Aaron Craig was driving a red Jeep south on Highway 57 when the two collided. Cpl. Mills said both drivers told him the light was yellow when the crash occurred. No one was seriously injured. READER GUIDE Subscriptions: Change of address: subscribers changing addresses will please give old address as well as new one along with phone number. We cannot guarantee prompt change unless this is done. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Press-Dispatch., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 or e-mail to subscribe@ pressdispatch.net. Subscription rates: One year: $31 for Pike County and all 475/476 zip codes; $34 in the state of Indiana; $51 elsewhere in the USA. Paid in advance. Subscriptions taken after noon on Friday will not receive a paper until the second edition after their subscription date. About us: Andy Heuring and John B. Heuring, Publishers Andy Heuring, Editor John B. Heuring, Adv. Mgr. Eric Gogel, Production Mgr. Monica Sinclair, Office Mgr. Dennis Marshall, Sports Editor Cindy Petty, Adv. Sales Pam Lemond, Adv. Sales Matt Haycraft, Adv. Designer • • • Published every Wednesday by the Pike County Publishing Co. Phone: 812-354-8500 820 E. Poplar St., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 • • • Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg, Indiana for transmission through the mails as Periodical Mail, postage paid at Petersburg, Indiana – published weekly. (USPS 205-620) Contact us: Phone: ......................................... 812-354-8500 Fax: .............................................. 812-354-2014 E-mail: Andy Heuring, Editor editor@pressdispatch.net Advertising ads@pressdispatch.net Commissioners consider EMS charge increase, hear road complaints Continued on page 5