Since the spring of 2011, Central Iowa Recovery has called Hamilton County home. Now, the mental health provider is starting to look for a new location. Due to this development, the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors is giving them four months to move out.

The supervisors provided Central Iowa Recovery and Chief Executive Officer Tim Bradford with a 120-day notice to vacate the Shashi Building and the Social Services Building in their latest meeting, held on Tuesday morning at the Hamilton County Courthouse, 2300 Superior St., Webster City.

During the open forum portion of the meeting, Bradford gave the formal written notice to Jerry Kloberdanz, board chairman, and Hamilton County Auditor Kim Schaa.

According to Bradford, who is a certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner, the negotiations for Central Iowa Recovery’s next location were going on behind closed doors.

“We are just relocating to another site,” Bradford said. “There, we will continue to provide all our services.”

Even though the mental health provider is relocating, it will still serve Hamilton County.

Along with receiving the update on the mental health provider, the supervisors also passed a resolution declaring March as “Problem Gambling Awareness Month,” gave approval to the third reading of the EMS Essential Services Resolution and set March 28 as the public hearing date for the county’s max tax levy.

The meeting started off with Bradford and Kenric Weinschenk, Friends Forever’s program director, presenting the written notice of Central Iowa Recovery’s plan to leave 500 Fairmeadow Drive and 1610 Collins St., Suite 2, by the end of June.

With Central Iowa Recovery moving out from the Shashi Building and the Social Services Building this summer, the rental revenue shortfall to the county will be around $7,000 per month.

Following the meeting, Kloberdanz said the news came “as a shock.”

Moments later, the board gave the proverbial thumbs up to proclaiming March as “Problem Gambling Awareness Month.”

Supported by Kloberdanz, the PGAM’s goal is to raise awareness on problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services. The initiative is also to encourage healthcare providers to screen clients for problem gambling.

The board agreed to the third reading of Hamilton’s County EMS Essential Services Resolution. In 1921, the Iowa Legislature passed a law enabling counties that establish EMS as essential services to be able to have a ballot initiative for a tax levy.

With the final approval of the resolution, Duane Hendrickson, Jewell Fire and Rescue chief, will contact all of the county’s service directors and establish the EMS Advisory Council for Hamilton County.

“Who would be on the Advisory Board?” asked Supervisor Dan Campidilli.

According to Hendrickson, the board would consist of the EMS service directors from Blairsburg, Kamrar, Jewell, Stanhope, Stratford, Williams and a representative of Van Diest Medical Center.

Members would also include representatives from Hamilton County Public Health, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Management and the Board of Supervisors. Hendrickson stated that he would like to include someone from dispatch to be a part of the board, along with a medical official.

The committee would then keep the supervisors aware of its actions. The ultimate goal for the advisory board would be placing the EMS Essential Services as a vote in the next general election, scheduled for Nov. 24.

Ryan Weidemann, county engineer, then reported on the bids received from the Feb. 21 letting for projects from the Iowa Department of Transportation. These endeavors include resurfacing for Hamilton County roads D25 and D20.

According to Weidemann, there were two submitted bids which exceeded the county’s projected price tag of $1.6 million. Both bids that were given exceeded $1.8 million.

Weidemann provided an explanation on why the cost of the projects were so high.

“We have monitored the bid prices for (hot mix asphalt) work around the state in the December and January letting, and the unit prices are in line with other contracts,” Weidemann said. “It is unlikely there will be a significant decrease in price next year. We also believe that re-advertising the project would not change the outcome.”

With that information, the board accepted a contract from Mathy Construction Company, based out of Onalaska, Wisconsin.

The board followed this up by setting March 28 as the public hearing date for establishing the maximum levy for the 2023-2024 budget, before recognizing Bruce Johnson’s retirement. Johnson is a mental health advocate for the county.

Before adjourning, the supervisors met with Shelby Kroona, public health director. Kroona informed the board that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds had declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic for April 1.

After that date, there will be no more data reporting on COVID-19. However, Kroona did point out that the public health had offered vaccine shots this past Wednesday.