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STEUBENVILLE - After years of ongoing problems and several months of work, two major projects have wrapped up at the Jefferson County Justice Center, putting the facility in much better shape, according to commissioners.
Jefferson County maintenance supervisor Patrick Boyles appeared before the board of county commissioners to discuss the completion of both the roof replacement project and cooling tower replacement.
The roof, it was noted, had leaked from almost the start of the facility's existence.
"This was a long time coming," Commissioner Thomas Graham said. "I think that roof has leaked since the first year of that jail being built."
The project, which cost more than $500,000, wrapped up on Dec. 23, according to a notice of substantial completion provided to the commissioners by McKinley and Associates, the architecture engineering firm that consulted on the project.
"All the weather that we've had recently, the rain and the snow, we've had no issues at all," Boyles said, noting the life expectancy of the new roof is 20-25 years with a warranty for 20. "You could tell from the beginning it wasn't sloped correctly and the water wasn't going to the drain.
"It was done correctly this time. I think we will get a lot of years out the roof."
The cooling tower replacement cost a total of around $193,000 and was concluded on Jan. 28.
Boyles noted that during the course of the projects, unanticipated problems arose. However, the additional repairs likely saved the county money in the long run.
Commissioner Tony Morelli said the justice center has been a frequent topic among county residents.
"I spent a half a day down at the justice center and I think it was leaking from Day 1, talking to the people who have been there," he said. "I commend (former) Commissioner (Tom) Gentile and my two colleagues for finally addressing it.
"I swear I've been hearing about the justice center roof for 20 years. I'm glad they got it done. It's good for the county."
Commissioner Dave Maple credited the office's management of funds for making the projects possible.
"One of the things I look at, and it wasn't just that project that Commissioner Gentile participated in along with (he and Graham), we were able to have a debt structure to take on loans to get some things fixed that were in need of being fixed," he said. "Some of that has been through good debt management. That's why I was asking earlier what is left on that loan and what is our next project."
"When we first became commissioners, Commissioner Maple and myself, the county financial situation was in bad shape," Graham said. "Due to the financial budgeting of the auditors and the commissioners, we've been able to turn that around. It gave us the opportunity to fix what needed fixed."
The county sewer system is now slated for another project.
Michael Eroshevich, director of the water and sewer district, and Chris Sporer of ARCADIS, the county's water and sewer engineering consulting firm, appeared to discuss several things, including a sewer treatment plant replacement in the subdivision of Ridgeland near the Toronto area.
The project is estimated to cost more than $1.4 million and will be funded through a 20-year loan from the state Water Pollution Control Loan Fund.
Unlike a few other recent projects, the Ridgeland project did not qualify for any grants, Sporer said.
The commissioners also received correspondence from the county Regional Planning Commission expressing conditional support for relocating offices in the Jefferson County Towers. The request, in order to agree to the move, was for needed carpet replacement and painting and other upgrades to be done to the prospective new office on the fifth floor.
The action is the result of a months-long back-and-forth with the health department on its request for additional space on the sixth floor, where both entities currently reside.
A motion was made for Boyles to proceed with quotes for the upgrades.
County dog warden Chad Coil appeared before the board to give his monthly report and was offered praise by the commissioners.
"I don't know if people (realize), I didn't realize it, that you have to sometimes put yourself into high-risk situations," Graham said to Coil. "You're appreciated. You do what a lot of people wouldn't do or couldn't do."
After an executive session, a request by Coil to promote poundkeeper Martin Larkins to assistant dog warden was approved.
For the engineer's office, the commissioners approved a contract for the county Road 15 slip repair project for $171,822 and awarded it to BBR Drilling.
The engineer's office was also approved to advertise for bids to supply the department with bituminous asphalt, gasoline and diesel fuel and aggregates for calender year 2021.
The commissioners recessed the meeting and held a brief Airport Zoning Board session to discuss making appointments to the Airport Zoning Commission Board of Appeals. Three of the five required members have already been appointed. One appointment will be made by Morelli, while the second slot will be chosen collectively by all three, both coming at a later date.