Indiana Bat
The Coffee County Jail Review Committee continues to have bat problems as far as environmental restrictions imposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service involving the protection of an endangered species of bats on the site of the new jail on a 44-acre site on Hillsboro Highway. The issue came up when the committee was trying to obtain a low interest U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development loan to build the jail. However, environmental restrictions apply whenever federal financing programs are used for construction projects, and the committee learned that this is the mating and birthing season for the endangered Indiana bat. According to environmentalist if the bats aren’t found to be present, the county should be able to move forward with construction and remove the trees as planned. Some commissioners felt they could resolve their problem by contributing $25,000 to the conservation fund.
