JEFFERSONVILLE — The Jeffersonville Board of Public Works and Safety took a vote Wednesday to switch insurance carriers next year, going from Preferred Health Plan to Humana.

City employees will maintain the same level of coverage, said Human Resources Director Kim Calabro. However, the switch will save the city about $553,000 over the course of the year it’s in place, said Joel Olson, the city’s insurance agent of record.

The vote came on a recommendation from the city’s insurance committee, which includes representation from employees, police and fire unions and the Jeffersonville City Council. The insurance term will be in effect from July 1 to June 30, 2013.



DIVIDERS ON ALLISON LANE

Flexible lane divider posts — which motorists may remember from the right lane of the Kennedy Bridge — will be coming to Allison Lane, near the entrance to Meijer and McDonald’s. The dividers are being deployed as motorist coming down Allison Lane are backing up traffic by trying to turn into Meijer, said city engineer Andy Crouch.

The situation is sometimes so bad that traffic backs up all the way into Allison Lane’s intersection with 10th Street. Once the dividers are up, drivers would have to go down to Meijer’s second entrance, which is signal-controlled. Crouch said the posts will also keep drivers from getting into the left turn lane after coming out of the first Meijer entrance, thus further reducing congestion.

Of course, the dividers on the Kennedy Bridge were short-lived. Each time traffic officials set them up, motorists would knock them down. Crouch said it was a trial run for the dividers on Allison Lane. If necessary, the city will reassess and install a concrete curb to accomplish the same goal.



POLICE HQ ACTION

The board also approved two measures related to the proposed headquarters for the Jeffersonville Police Department. The $7.5 million building, which the city is hoping to open by fall 2013, is to be built at 2218 E. 10th St., adjacent to Jeffersonville Fire Department headquarters.

The board approved a $500,000 contract for The Estopinal Group, an architectural firm designing the building. City Attorney Les Merkley said despite already having concept drawings in hand, the firm did not have a contract and had not been paid for the work. Merkley said they were hired by the previous city administration last year.

Further, the board voted to move forward with surveying and an environmental study for an approximately 1-acre parcel of land its buying for the project. The city is purchasing the land from Mike Kapfhammer. Crain Heating AC & Refrigeration Services is located there now.