Commissioners accept $88K contribution from Innergex for Highland County EMA; ongoing county projects discussed

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades received an $88,000 donation from Innergex during their Wednesday, July 26 meeting.

Innergex community and government relations representative Janet Grothe presented the check to benefit the Highland County Emergency Management Agency, with commissioners accepting on EMA’s behalf.

“On July 17, Innergex marked its 33rd anniversary,” Grothe said. “Safety is one of the paramount values of Innergex — the safety of our employees and our community — and so today, I wanted to present you with a check for the Highland County Office of Emergency Management for $88,000 for some equipment that they will be needing and purchasing.

“This will provide some lighting towers, and it will provide supplies for the OES trailer. It will allow Highland County to respond to any nighttime emergencies throughout the county.”

Roades, who is a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Highland County EMA board, explained that the EMA is purchasing “a mobile lighting unit” for emergency response for both their agency and other first responders.

“It’s very nice to get that,” Roades told Grothe. “Thank you.”

Attending Wednesday’s meeting, along with Grothe, were Hillcrest Solar site manager Mac Hussey and Innergex’s Senior Director of Corporate Relations and Policy, Julia Balabanowicz.

Innergex is the developer for both the Hillcrest Solar farm in Brown County as well as the proposed 200 MW Palomino Solar project in Highland County.

“Palomino will be located in Dodson and Union Townships, just east of Lynchburg, in Highland County,” according to the Innergex website. “The Project will add clean energy to Ohio’s electrical grid, providing enough power to meet the energy needs of over 40,000 Ohioan households. Construction will be funded by Innergex and the power will be sold to a large energy buyer, most likely a creditworthy corporation or electric utility.”

The project is anticipated to “be located across 2,700 acres of private land, with an anticipated area to be impacted of 1,410 acres,” according to PUCO documents. The Ohio Power Siting Board approved a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need for the construction of the project in April.

“We're nearing completion on our Highland County Road Use and Maintenance Agreement [RUMA], and we're moving ahead with the design and construction planning of our Palomino site,” Grothe told commissioners Wednesday. “Our environmental team is working on the landscaping and visual screening plans, and they are in town this week, making site visits.”

In other discussion:

• Doug Karnes of McCarty Associates, LLC gave a brief update on the county’s proposed records storage building, saying he expected to have an official recommendation in approximately two weeks.

Three bids were opened July 12, including: Alpha Construction Inc., $2,797,000; Miles-McClellan Construction, $3,350,000; and Elford Inc., $3,799,000.

Plans for the project have been underway for more than a year, as commissioners voted in May 2022 to purchase a 0.236 acre lot on Beech Street in Hillsboro for construction of the property, which will be used to alleviate some of the storage issues seen in all county buildings. They also voted in the same month to enter the contract with McCarty Associates, LLC for engineering and architecture design services.

“We have been scrutinizing the apparent low bid, and we have more to do,” Karnes said. “Even though it's lowest, we want to make sure it's the best. We think we'll have a recommendation to you in two weeks or so to either move forward with them or to consider something else.”

Karnes said that includes interviews with the contractor as well as with references who have used the company on other projects.

“We have all the information that we've requested,” Karens said. “We have also many projects that they've completed, so we have references.

“Everything that they've sent is good, so we just want to make sure, and then we'll decide as a team what to do next after that recommendation.”

Commissioners thanked Karnes for the information and for the “due diligence” he’s done on the project.

• Discussed, but not acted on yet, was a request from the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office for a new software system.

According to Daniels, the need for updated software was discussed during a recent department budget meeting with the Prosecutor’s Office.

If approved, the new system “allows them to do more work online, and the ability to transfer documents electronically, that they really haven't had before,” Daniels said.

Britton said the base quote is $74,400, with “some optional items” for an additional cost as well as a $10,000 annual service fee. Commissioners did not take action because they are “waiting for some clarification” on which specific options Prosecutor Anneka Collins is requesting, according to Daniels.

“We’ve done a lot of software upgrades around here to ease a lot of the offices as they continue their work,” Daniels said. “This is one area that we really haven't addressed and thought it was time that we at least get some idea what those costs would be.”

Britton added that the new system would “bring them up to the 21st century,” while Roades said that it would cut down on the “hundreds of pages of documents” being printed in the prosecutor’s office.

• Britton also reported that the county is working to address an HVAC system failure at the Highland County Justice Center.

• In the middle of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission’s second-round caucus, which began at 10 a.m., commissioners hosted a bid opening for storm sewer repairs on Sycamore Circle for the Village of Greenfield.

The village was awarded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Critical Infrastructure for Sycamore Circle. Village representatives, who were attending the caucus, were present for the bid opening, as were representatives from DLZ, the engineering firm overseeing the project.

The county received bids from Reed Mechanical, $156,941; Jackson Brothers Construction, $184,108; and Axis Civil Construction, $191,835. The apparent low bidder, Reed Mechanical, submitted the only proposal under the $175,200 project estimate.

DLZ engineer Gary Silcott said he would review the bid proposals and submit a letter of recommendation to commissioners.

In other approvals:

• Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a contract with the City of Hillsboro for the county’s previously committed American Rescue Plan Act funds in the amount of $750,000.

Commissioners previously voted April 5 commit $750,000 in ARPA funds toward the City of Hillsboro’s planned Roberts Lane extension, out of the $3.1 million total request submitted by the city.

• Commissioners approved several items related to the new Ohio State University Extension building at the Highland County Fairgrounds, after voting to award the project July 19.

As outlined by the county’s ARPA funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht, the resolution for the $1,113,599 project included awarding general work and labor to Tag Williams, Inc. in the amount of $771,249; mechanical ($100,800) and plumbing ($112,950) to Weller’s Plumbing and Heating; electrical to CT Electric, in the amount of $92,000; and an alternate bid ($36,600) for a standing seam metal roof to Tag Williams, Inc.

Three building agreement contracts, among commissioners, WDC Group LLC and each of the approved contractors — Tag Williams, Inc., Weller’s Plumbing & Heating and CT Electric — were passed, 3-0. Commissioners also voted 3-0 to authorize the commission president to execute a notice of award to each contractor as well as to execute a Public Improvements Notice of Commencement for the building.

• Commissioners approved two separate rent agreements with the Highland County Historical Society for rooms at the Scott House (second-floor west room and second-floor east room).

• The commission voted 3-0 to appoint Roades to the Local Emergency Planning Committee.

• The commission also voted 3-0 to authorize the commission president to execute several insurance-related items, including: the Medical Mutual Highland HSA group and Highland PPO group benefit summary reports; disclaimer and notes; legislative updates; and renewal form.

• Also authorized to execute was a 2023 general partnership agreement with the City of Hillsboro for the economic development department.

Commissioners approved the following resolutions, each by a 3-0 vote:

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds in the amount of $55,578 to fund 2183 - Other Expense – 2023 Technology Grant.

• A transfer of funds from Children Services Special, 2115 to Public Assistance, 2050 in the amount of $10,569.40 for April-June 2023 Children Services shared cost distribution.

• A transfer of funds from Child Support Enforcement, 2015 to Public Assistance, 2050 in the amount of $21,187.26 for April-June 2023 Child Support Enforcement shared cost distribution.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund, Advertising and Printing in the amount of $5,000.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund, Economic Development Rent, in the amount of $1,200.

• A request from the Board of Elections to rename Fund 2305 to August 2023 Special Election. Also requested is to create 11 new line items with the appropriation of $52,144.

“This is money that came down from the state government to pay for the August election,” Daniels said.

• In addition to the aforementioned OVRDC second-round caucus, commissioners had several other appointments scheduled throughout the day Wednesday, including budget meetings with County Court, Municipal Court and Community Action; a work session with records manager Julie Wallingford to discuss the records storage building plans; and an executive session to discuss compensation. No action was taken, according to commission clerk Ashleigh Willey.