STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Commissioners decided Thursday to move forward with an urgent water line replacement in Costonia, but they’re going to have to pay for the work up front and then wait for reimbursement.

At this week’s meeting, commissioners agreed to declare the line replacement an emergency — putting the project on a fast track.

“I think the emergency is the lack of fire protection covering that area right now,” Water and Sewer Service Director Mike Eroshevich told commissioners. “And, also the fact that we have a temporary water line running across the ground and, with the freezing temperatures coming, the possibility that these homes could be without water. If we go out to bid, we’re probably looking at another two, two-and-a-half months before we can do the work.”

Eroshevich said the line in question, which feeds 12 homes, is “deep in a hillside” next to the creek on county Road 56 going into Costonia.

“It’s a bad one,” he said. “We have a temporary line above ground right now — it will freeze soon if it’s not replaced.”

To cover the $130,000 projected price tag, commissioners moved funds from JCWSD’s unencumbered account to its repair fund so Eroshevich can pay the bills as they come in. Eroshevich said it was “money we needed to add to the budget to cover the costs up front before we get reimbursed from OPWC.”

“We got an emergency grant and loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission to cover most of the replacement cost, but it is a reimbursement after the job is done — we have to front the cost,” he said.

Eroshevich said OPWC’s $80,000 grant and $30,000 loan, coupled with a $20,000 local match, will cover the $130,000 projected price tag, though he said there’s no guarantee that number won’t be adjusted as the work proceeds.

In other business, commissioners:

• Opened the two bids submitted for the McCollough Children’s Home safety and security upgrades: Fort Steuben Maintenance bid $660,459 for the base package and Claysville, Pa.-based Grahamboys, doing business as Graham Construction, $789,669. The engineer’s estimate was slightly more than $727,494. Both companies also submitted bids for an add-on — doors and access control at the jobs and family services building downtown. Grahamboys bid $102,969 for the bid alternate, and Fort Steuben bid $135,545.

The bids were referred to the county’s consultant, McKinley Architecture and Engineering, for review and a recommendation.

• Passed a resolution of support for turning lanes the Ohio Department of Transportation has proposed at the intersection of state Route 43 and county Road 43 by the industrial park.

• Moved funds within adult probation accounts to cover the $19,665 local incarceration costs for jail inmates. Under the Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison grant program for first-time, non-violent offenders, local cost reimbursements are capped at 25 percent of the total grant amount. The fund transfer covers housing costs for prisoners who weren’t eligible for prison but also weren’t compliant with probationary requirements and thus spent longer time in jail.

• At the urging of Judy Bratten, executive director of Historic Fort Steuben and the Visitor Center, declared Jefferson County to be an America 250-Ohio county. Bratten encouraged commissioners to form a committee to plan commemorative events celebrating the nation’s 250-year history and Ohio’s role in it.

The America 250-Ohio designation makes the county eligible for a $5,000 grant. Bratten said she will be asking Steubenville City Council to adopt a similar resolution and said they’ll also be forming a committee to plan activities celebrating Steubenville’s role in the nation’s history.

• Appointed Engineer-elect Eric Hilty to represent Jefferson County on the Ohio Public Works Commission Integrating Committee, with Commissioner Eric Timmons serving as alternate.

The courthouse will be closed next Thursday for Thanksgiving. Next week’s meeting will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday.