SLAYTON — The Murray County Board addressed repair needs to three county buildings at Tuesday’s meeting, two of which involve insurance claims for snow and ice damage.

County Auditor/Treasurer Heidi Winter told commissioners that claims are in process for the Murray County Museum building next to the county government center and fairgrounds as well as the food shelf building near Maple Street. The third building-related issue, involving mold in parts of the sheriff’s office, appears to date back prior to 2018-19 winter conditions.

The museum building lost gutters along its east wall because of a heavy winter ice load. Winter said the claim is likely to fall within the county’s deductible portion, but could potentially include an insurance reimbursement if the damage is determined to have resulted from a single event (increased ice load from melting) rather than a series of snowfalls.

The food shelf building, which also serves as a storage site for museum property such as mannequins for clothing displays, sustained extensive water damage from roof leaks.

When asked if snow had been raked from the roof, Winter said maintenance staff performed that task at least four times. In the end, ice formed to the point that it could not be removed without substantial roof damage.

“They did what they could,” she said. “Snow removal didn’t completely help because we just kept getting more and more ice. I was getting concerned about employee safety.”

The board will be informed about results of both claims as soon as determinations are made. The mold concerns will be addressed through further assessment of the cause and options for corrective actions.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Heath Landsman, who presented law enforcement items to the board on Tuesday, said the level of humidity in the office area and squad room indicate that it could relate to the heating and air circulation system.

“It’s constantly humid,” Landsman said. “We have two dehumidifiers that we’ve kept running on a regular basis. It’s the kind of thing that can’t be seen, but it definitely needs to be addressed.”

Commissioners decided that the county building committee, Landsman, and Winter should bring a recommendation back to the board. Steps can then be taken to hire a fully qualified contractor.

The board noted that mold formation most likely predates moisture conditions caused by recent snow and ice, but that information included in packets for Tuesday’s meeting was the first report of a mold concern.

“We need to do something that completely fixes the problem,” said Commissioner Dennis Welgraven. “It wouldn’t help to just clean. The problem would still be there.”

Commissioners also approved a recommendation from Landsman to issue individual credit cards to deputies that can be used if they must refill their squad cars at a location other than the county pump.

The cards will mostly come into play when more than one employee must travel a long distance.

They can only be used for gasoline, not for any other work expenses.

“We’ve only charged within Murray County about five times in the past year,” Landsman said. “It was during the flood last summer when a lot of time was spent near the lakes.”

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners approved a recommendation from County Public Relations Coordinator Christy Riley to streamline the process for disposal of surplus property.

Unneeded items can now be donated for a nonprofit purpose or disposed of if necessary with just the authorization of either the board chairman or building committee. It will save time during the courts building remodeling project this summer; when a substantial amount of desks, chairs and office equipment will be replaced with newer items suited to current work needs.

“We’ll have to dispose of some of it, more than what happens in a typical year,” Riley said. “There are other things we should be able to keep. The museum might want some of the older wood items.”