By Tim Robertson Staff Writer
PLYMOUTH — The Marshall County Council approved a $60,000 appropriation to renovate a meeting room in the Marshall County Building, reversing the council’s Feb. 12 decision to deny the appropriation.
The council voted 5-1-1 to approve the money to remodel room 307 and install new audio/video equipment. Kevin Overmyer, president of the Marshall County Board of Commissioners, brought the request back to the council, Monday. Overmyer said the project will make possible multi-media presentations and visual aides not currently available for county and community meetings.
“What we’re trying to do is to modernize this to bring us into the 21st century,” Overmyer told the council.

At the council’s Feb. 12 meeting, several council members voiced concerns about the expense of the project and the need for the new technology. “I think one of the concerns we had last time was not the project, but the fact that there was no list of where the money was going and the need to take sealed bids,” said council president Fred Lintner.
Overmyer told the council sealed bids will be taken for the project and the final cost may be less than $60,000.
Some councilmen still had their doubts. “It seems like a lot of this technology is not going to be used that often and could be done a bit cheaper,” said Matt Hassel. “Is this a want or is this a need?”
Hassel voted against the request and councilman Don Morrison, who voiced his opposition to purchasing the new technology at the Feb. 12 meeting, abstained.
Lintner and councilwoman Judy Stone, both of whom voted against the Feb. 12 request, voted for it Monday. Lintner and Stone said the confirmation that sealed bids will be taken for the project helped ease their mind about the project cost.
“I think it is a need,” said Stone. “It still concerns me about the audio/video equipment, but I’m going to trust the commissioners to do their job.”