CLARK COUNTY — Star Hill Road construction may again be the priority road project in Clark County.

This comes as the Indiana Department of Transportation has threatened to remove the long-proposed road that would connect Ind. 60 just east of Borden to the tourist-friendly Starlight community from the county’s project list.

While St. John Road has been designated by the Clark County Commissioners as a higher priority project, the risk of losing their investment and more than $9 million in federal funding is causing members to reevaluate their plans.

“We have to start Star Hill Road, some phase of it, by the end of next year and that’s what we intend to do,” said Commissioner Les Young.

Delaying the St. John Road project would not have an immediate adverse consequence.

“When we met with INDOT they said delaying St. John Road another year it wouldn’t kill it,” said Greg Fifer, attorney for the commissioners.

At least one of the commissioners has been a consistent opponent of pushing back an existing road project to construct a new road.

“I’ve always wanted to maintain our present roads [first]” said Commissioner Ed Meyer. “If we have funds available — not jeopardizing other projects and other maintenance — I think we ought to go ahead with Star Hill Road.”

If the plan does not continue on Star Hill Road, the county stands to lose $600,000 in investments already made and the $9 million in federally allocated funds.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to keep it alive and not lose federal funding,” Meyer said. “There’s basically four other projects in which the county is pursuing federal funding through INDOT.”

The four projects are the aforementioned St. John and Star Hill roads, as well as a Bethany Road project and a plan to widen Salem-Noble Road.

Within the four projects, INDOT is asking that funding sources be determined and specific construction dates outlined in order to keep them on a road project list.

Projects that have sat for too long are going to be kicked out of the system if they do not go out to bid, Fifer said.

“They have told us, ‘don’t over-promise’ because if you miss that [deadline] there’s going to be little leeway,” he said. “That project will get bumped.”

But problems remain if the county continues with Star Hill Road.

“We have concluded without the wheel tax or some equivalent source of revenue ... that it is impossible to build Star Hill Road as phase one and phase two next year,” Fifer said.

The project’s first two phases had been lumped together as a cost-saving measure, but the $1 million needed in local funds was not achievable. A proposal was to split the project into two phases over two years.

For phase one only, which includes site clearing and drainage work, $200,000 would be the cost to the county.

“The real question is are we going to commit to the land acquisition cost, the additional engineering cost and having $200,000 next year?” Fifer said. “That’s the hurdle today.”

A hurdle in 2010 will be coming up with the $800,000 for phase two of the project. The Clark County Council has been tasked with finding that funding source.

“County council is still going to have to find a funding source that makes that a feasible project,” Fifer said. “Once we start Star Hill Road, we have to finish it.”

The commissioners likely ask at the council’s next meeting, which is Monday, if it will pursue funding phase two of the project.

“I’m hopeful they’ll tell us,” Fifer said referring to the county council. “Do they really want us to go ahead and complete this project, because if not, I’d say Star Hill Road is in some real jeopardy.”

If Star Hill Road is pursued as a project, commissioners plan to seek an interlocal agreement with the town of Borden. No decision on how to proceed was made Thursday and the meeting was recessed until 4 p.m. Tuesday.

In other business

• Mike Harris, project engineer with Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz Inc., provided the commissioners with a status update on the Clark-Floyd Landfill. Phase two of a construction and demolition project at the landfill is under way and is being completed by the Clark-Floyd Landfill at no additional cost.

Phase one of the same project was questioned in a State Board of Accounts report, which claimed the commissioners did not bid the project. Harris said the SBOA report was “inaccurate,” and that the project was bid between five contractors. The winning bid went to Excel Excavating and cost $656,783, he said.

Also, a land-swap deal between Clark County and Indiana Department of Natural Resources is near completion. Following the swap, the landfill likely will seek expansion options, Harris said.

• The commissioners agreed 2 to 0 — Commissioner Mike Moore was not at the meeting — to pay half of an outstanding bill to LifeSpring Inc., which provided mental health services to county inmates. LifeSpring agreed to accept the partial payment and set a deadline for the second portion of the bill to be due July 1.

If the county is late on paying the second portion of the bill, LifeSpring will add interest — the company has not been charging the county any interest on the overdue bill — onto the money owed at a rate of 8 percent. An emergency was declared to pay $80,500 out of the Cumulative Capital Fund to LifeSpring.

• An application through Community Focus Funds for improvements to the Washington Township Sewer District and Water Corp. was approved 2 to 0. The water corporation had sought Disaster Recovery 2 funding for the improvements, but was unable to complete an income study to determine eligibility before another water corporation completed its study.

The Disaster Recovery 2 funding went to Marysville-Otisco-Nabb Water Corp., but once Washington Township completed its income study it certified that it’s eligible for the grant money.

• A contract extension with Proliance Energy, which bids out the gas heating supply for the county, was approved 2 to 0. During the past year, the contract with Proliance saved the county about $7,000, said Greg Fifer attorney for the commissioners. The contract was extended for two years.

• Ordinance 10-2010, which is an amendment to ordinance 17-2007, was approved. The amendment came to the commissioners with a positive recommendation from the Clark County Planning, Zoning and Building Commission to include adult convalescent care centers as a special zoning exemption.

• A grant through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for two programs at the YMCA was unanimously approved. Approval will not cost the county any money and the YMCA will receive totals of $73,292 and $44,129 for the two grant funds; $20,000 in each grant are federal funds.

• A renewal for Maverick Insurance property and casualty insurance with the county was postponed until Tuesday. Edward Culpepper Cooper, representing the agent of record for the county, asked for the postponement because worker’s compensation and property and casualty premiums were decreasing. Cooper said by waiting the county could save $50,000. The policy, however, must be renewed by Aug. 1.