By: Renea Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
renea@thevillagereporter.com
On Thursday, February 6th, bids were opened for the Hickory Hills sewer plant project before the Williams County Commissioners. Three bids were submitted for this county project.
The bids for the project ranged from $627,424 to $814,434, with the project estimated at $682,229. The county engineers’ office will review the bids and make a recommendation regarding the awarding of the contract.
Williams County Engineer Todd Roth is scheduled to meet with the commissioners on Tuesday to discuss the project further.
The commissioners also discussed renovation of the North Annex building, which was purchased last year for additional county office space and record keeping.
Commissioner Scott Lirot expressed his concerns about “cramming” all of the offices into the downstairs of the building. “I am curious as to why we don’t think about putting the auditor upstairs,” Lirot said.
Commissioner Bart Westfall mentioned that previous discussions indicated people would benefit from having everything on the first floor, eliminating the need to use the elevator or stairs.
Commissioner Terry Rummel mentioned that using the second floor would require fewer renovations, which he prefers. He believes the auditor should move to the second floor to have adequate spaces.
It was also mentioned that the second floor currently does not wrap around the entire building, but it was said in previous discussion this design allows for adequate space for rolling racks of records.
No decisions were made regarding the matter, and further discussion will occur in the future.
Commissioners expressed their gratitude to the EMS for acquiring a lift chair and are currently assembling it to aid in transporting patients. The chair was purchased with a donation of $5,126.96 made to Williams County EMS.
An executive session was held during the meeting to discuss employment matters related to JFS and Williams County EMS, but no action was taken afterward.
The commissioners also approved the following:
-A lease option that would allow the county to continue providing driver testing services.
-A deduct change order for the Bryan South Lynn Street waterline project for $22,926. That makes the project final cost $774,225.
-A work permit for Toledo Edison to set a new pole.
-Service agreements between Williams County Job and Family Services (JFS) and various entities.
-A courthouse use permit for the Second Annual Williams County Pride event on June 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lynn and Butler streets will be closed during the event, which will feature live music in the bandstand, food and craft vendors, a bounce house and an art festival.