At Tuesday’s meeting of the Lawrence County Commissioners, they discussed nominations for the 2021 Lawrence County Veteran of the Year.

“This is an award we are very proud of,” said Commission president DeAnna Holliday. “We worked with our veterans’ office and we have established this very important recognition in Lawrence County for a Lawrence County veteran.”

The commissioners have posted the nomination packet on their website, lawrencecounty.org.

“Anyone can nominate someone and we want to make it easy for you to do that,” she said.

On the page is the Veterans Hall of Fame and you can press the tab to find the application. To qualify, the veteran has to be a current or past resident of Lawrence County, have received an honorable discharge for all periods of service and be of good moral character.

“So, I am sure many of us know many veterans that would fit this criteria,” she said. “And I urge you to bring their name forward and give them an opportunity to be recognized here in Lawrence County. We are so proud of our veterans, so thankful for our men and women who served and this is just one opportunity for us to show our appreciation.”

The deadline is for nominations is Aug. 27.

The Lawrence County Veteran of the Year Committee was created by the Lawrence County Commission and Tim Carpenter, of the Lawrence County Department of Veterans Service, and named its first honoree, Mathew Jenkins, in 2019.

No nominations were announced last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic but a 2020 veteran was selected and that honoree will be named, along with the 2021 Veteran of the year, in the fall.

Copies of the nomination form can also be emailed, faxed or mailed by Carpenter, of the Lawrence County Department of Veterans Service, by contacting them through Facebook, calling 740-533-4328 or emailing tcarpenter@lawrenceoh.com.

In other items on the agenda, the commissioners took the following actions:

• Approved a $75,000 allocation grant for Coal Grove, South Point and Ironton that will be used for funding two new water pumps for at the treatment facility.

• Approved an infrastructure grant application for Coal Grove for a storm drain and an environmental review.

• Approved a construction change order for the county engineer’s office for resurfacing roads in Lawrence County. It is an increase of $21,855.60 and changes the number of days for the projects to 176 days.

Holliday said the commissioners are still meeting via Zoom as they wait for their meeting room in the courthouse to be repaired and ready for in-person meetings again.