County commissioners have awarded construction contracts for the Chesapeake ambulance station and have set a bid schedule for the Ironton project.

Wednesday, November 24, 1999

County commissioners have awarded construction contracts for the Chesapeake ambulance station and have set a bid schedule for the Ironton project.

Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Service and the county broke ground on both ventures early this year.

Both projects will give crews more room and, in the case of Chesapeake, put a roof over the trucks.

Estimates for the Chesapeake station came in too high, so commissioners rebid the project.

Thursday, the board approved contracts for low bidders H.K. Contracting Group for general construction, $145,000; United Plumbing for mechanical construction, $37,500; and McDaniel Electric Co. for electrical construction, $17,899.

Commissioner George Patterson cast the only dissenting vote.

A company bidding only $1,000 more would have employed more local residents, he said.

"I have no problem with the decision, though," he said. "I would like to see it built."

Construction should take about five months, depending on the weather, SEOEMS executive director Eric Kuhn said.

Meanwhile, architect Bob Dalton is finishing construction specs for the Ironton project and the county expects to advertise for bids next week.

SEOEMS had expected to keep that station on the same schedule as Chesapeake’s, but hit delays in getting blueprints, Kuhn said.

The bid will take at least until the end of the year, commission administrator Kathy Fraley said.

Then, the county must award a contract and construction should take about five months, Kuhn said.

Patterson suggested future construction projects involving the county should require a contract and timetable with the architect.

Plans for a third station, one at Aid, remains in the proposal stage, although property is ready and leased, Kuhn said.

"We’re still deciding how much staffing to use, and we will come back Dec. 9 so they can decide what they can afford," Kuhn said.

SEOEMS favors a full-time staff but ambulance stations can use statistics to operate only at peak times, he said.

With no ambulance station there now, any staffing time will benefit Aid area residents, Kuhn added.

Also Tuesday, commissioners:

– Approved a replacement property tax collection process for manufactured homes. The state abolished the current taxing practice and asked counties to use an assessment-style tax based on property values, the commission said.

– Requested the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department report on the usage of a camera purchased earlier this year for surveillance of open dump sites.

– Delayed action on a pending request by property owners for annexation into the village of Proctorville. The commission is waiting to make sure all necessary legal procedures are finished, and will discuss the matter Dec. 9.