Allen County Commissioners presented their State of the County speech to Rotary.
Building projects dominated the Allen County Commissioners' annual State of the County speech to Rotary. Construction has begun on the county's new administration building at the corner of Main and North. The three story building will house county offices such as the treasurer, auditor, recorder and the commissioners and should be completed in summer 2026. This will leave the courthouse vacant for a complete renovation. Cory Noonan told us that the courthouse was completed in 1884 and needs to be updated. "It's served its purpose. Government looks a lot different today than it did in the 1800s. We've talked about getting to the courthouse. Well, we're actually getting to the courthouse. We're there. It's in the bullseye." Regarding Memorial Hall, Commissioner Brian Winegardner told us the Port Authority is doing some testing to determine what purposes Memorial Hall could be used for. Noonan told us plenty of people have ideas for the use of Memorial Hall, but none of them have come to fruition.
Also at Monday's meeting, Lima Rotary Foundation President Berlin Carroll told us that at its recent meeting, the Foundation awarded one grant: $3,000 to the Allen/Lima Youth Leadership program.