McCarty Associates, LLC, formally announced its approval of a bid from Alpha Construction Indiana, Inc. for a Record Storage Building Project at Wednesday’s meeting of the Highland County commissioners.

Doug Karnes, partner at McCarty Associates, said the company has spent the last four weeks vetting the bids, and in turn identifying the low bidder.

“And so, what we found is there are some concerns but now that we know what they are, we think we can address them,” Karnes said. “So, we’re gonna go ahead and recommend that you award the contract for construction for the Record Storage building to Alpha Construction Indiana … So that’s our recommendation today and I think all of us would like to get that project started.”

Commissioner Dave Daniels said it was “fair” to say that the concerns weren’t related to the bidder’s construction work, but were paperwork irregularities that the county felt could be managed.

Karnes then said that, concerning the fieldwork, he thought the company was “pretty high-caliber,” but that the office administration side needs to “step up.” However, he also said that the county and McCarty Associates know that now, so it’s something they can keep an eye on as the project moves forward.

In other news, the commissioners approved the purchase of two commercial-grade dehumidifiers for the kitchen at the Highland County Justice Center for a total cost of $1,220.

However, Daniels suggested that not only should the board look at dehumidifiers, but also think about putting in fans to move the air around. He said they might as well try it and reassess that part of it maybe 30 to 40 days from now to see if that has also helped the issue.

Commissioner Terry Britton said that Tara Campbell, the person who previously ran the county’s recycling program, will no longer be in that role. He also said the Highland County Community Action Organization won’t be continuing its role in the program either. Because of that, the county currently needs to find a replacement. He also said that he thinks the role pays around $12,000 to $15,000 per year.

“Well, we’ll definitely have to find a solution,” Britton said. “It’s just a matter of who it is.”

Daniels said that previously the county has hired part-time county employees. He also put forward the idea that the county might be willing to hire an independent contractor.

Britton said all of the recycling work that Campbell handled is now not happening, with Daniels saying that included the recycling dumpsters throughout the county as well as some education opportunities at schools.

Daniels suggested the possibility of partnering with a county like Ross or Fayette that have recycling programs of their own on a part-time basis.

The Highland County Sheriff’s Office also sent in quotes for two new 2023 or 2024 Chrysler Jeep Dodges, which were the same price of $45,796 apiece and $91,592 for two.

Britton said that he thought the commissioners already bought vehicles for the organization, with Ashleigh Willey, commissioner clerk, saying that she thought they were for next year considering the 2023 and 2024 pricing.

Daniels said he thought the idea was that this would lock in the price for the year and get them all in order. However, he also said he wanted to get a little more information on whether this would be a 2024 purchase as well as the mileage on the vehicles the new ones would be replacing before approving the purchase.

Britton also wanted to reiterate that the beginning of the Highland County Fair is next week. He said the fair is a “big thing” for the county and the participants.

Joe Sokol, a representative from Palmer Conservation Consulting, was in attendance at the meeting to discuss the company’s work with energy conservation. He said the company is a sister company of Palmer Energy that was developed with the idea of helping the counties after the meter is established at the facilities level.

Sokol said the company does a walk through at facilities, talks with the facilities director as well as the county commissioners before any proposal is accepted. He also said the company doesn’t charge for anything until the proposal is approved by all parties.

Daniels said the county has done energy efficiency work previously, but that there’s always room for “continued conversation” about the topic in the future.

The board of commissioners approved a letter of support to the Ohio Department of Development from the Highland County Community Action Organization,Inc. for the Lead Safe Ohio Program.

The board of commissioners approved an authorization to execute for a notice of awarding to McCarty Associates, LLC. for the Record Storage Building Project.

In other news, there were eight resolutions approved by the board:

* Res. No. 23-129 is an authorization for a budget modification within the Dog and Kennel budget for $10,000.

* Res. No. 23-130 is an authorization for a budget modification within the 2170 Probation Services budget for of $25.

* Res. No. 23-131 is an authorization for a budget modification within the PSI Writing FY14 budget in the amount of $120.

* Res. No. 23-132 is an authorization for a transfer of funds from Public Assistance Account to Children Services Fund, in the amount of $75,549 for reimbursement of children in custody utilizing Title XXB funding.

* Res. No. 23-133 is an authorization for an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds in the amount of $6,000 to the TEC budget.

* Res. No. 23-134 is the awarding of the Records Storage Building Project in the amount of $2,797,000 to Alpha Construction Indiana, Inc.

* Res. No. 23-135 is the authorization of a new line item within the Children Services Retention fund – Transfers Out. Also requested was an appropriation of $39,000.

* Res. No. 23-136 is an authorization for a transfer of funds from Children Services Retention to Children Services Fund in the amount of $39,000.

There were also two contracts approved by the board:

* Contract 74 is between the board of commissioners and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services for an Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Subgrant Agreement.

* Contract 75 is between the board of commissioners and Spectra Contract Flooring for a flooring replacement at Highland County Jobs and Family Services.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.