Commission to recognize science fair participants

The Lawrence County Commission heard some concerns over part of the courthouse renovation project regarding the front lawn.

Currently, plans include taking 20-30 feet of the front of the courthouse and implementing parking and handicap accessible access to the building’s main entrance on South Fourth Street.

Talitha Patterson, from the court of common pleas, was in attendance at the meeting and said that, although she understood the need for handicap accessibility, she was against the project getting rid of that much of the courthouse’s lawn, stating that the building was historical and the lawn in the front of it is part of its history.

Commissioner DeAnna Holliday said that she understood the concerns, but also that the commission was taking everything into consideration and would try to work to come up with another solution to keep the lawn, or at least the majority of it.

The courthouse renovation project is being completed by The Perfection Group, based out of Cincinnati.

During the commissioners’ reports, Holliday also expressed that she would like the commission to send out recognition certificates for students in the county who competed in the state science fair.

Those students included Dawson Forbush, Allison Plantz, Zoey Schmidt and Leah Shields from Chesapeake Middle School; Caeb Huff and Braxton Slusher from Dawson-Bryant Middle School; and Katrina Abbott, Kia Booth, Isabella Burcham, Sebastian Davies, Emily Graham, Colin McKinley and Hanna Shrout from Fairland High School.

All of the winners either received superior or excellent ratings at the state science fair.

In other action, the commission:

• Approved one new floodplain permit and eight renewals.
• Approved five transfer funds.
• Received and filed the correspondence from the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction regarding the 2017 Annual Jail Inspection.
• Received and filed the Agency Update Report from Rich Blankenship, assistant director of the Lawrence County Department of Job and Family Services.
• Proclaimed August 2018 as “Child Support Awareness Month” in Lawrence County.
• Approved and signed the Commercial Energy Sales Agreement for Champion Energy. The agreement is for 35 months from Sept. 2020 through Dec. 2023.
• Approved and signed the Contract for Community Based Residential Services for Meigs County for $85 per day, as requested by the Lawrence County Juvenile Center.
• Accepted the resignations of William Smith and James Barham from Lawrence County EMS, effective Aug. 1, 2018.
• Met in executive session with Chris Kline and Lisa Pine regarding personnel; hire, fire, reprimand. No action was taken.