Commissioners accept certificate of substantial completion for records building

Highland County commissioners Brad Roades, Terry Britton and David Daniels announced that the county’s records storage building is finally — approximately 300 days after its original completion deadline — ready for use.

Commissioners voted 3-0 to accept the certificate of substantial completion for the Highland County records storage building during their Wednesday, Sept. 3 meeting.
 
“It's been a long time, a long, long time,” Roades said. “We have a little final punch list left to be accomplished, which will probably take another couple days — by the end of the week, I'd say — but we now have possession of a records storage building.”

The announcement came over three years after commissioners originally took action for the project. 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.

In August 2023, commissioners voted to award the new county records storage building project at a total cost of nearly $2.8 million. The project’s substantial completion date was originally Nov. 8, 2024. Contractors submitted multiple change orders throughout the course of the project, while commissioners voted in November to issue a notice of liquidated damages for project delays, “at a rate of $500 per calendar day” that construction was not complete.

In other discussion:

• Joshua Thacker, outreach coordinator and substance abuse counselor for Anchor Addiction and Wellness Center in Chillicothe, spoke about a new mobile Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) unit they are offering in the area.

"We were granted, through the state of Ohio, the funds to start Ohio's first mobile MAT unit to help combat opioid addiction in underserved and Appalachian counties in Ohio,” Thacker said. “We as a company, with the assistance from other state and federal agencies, have recognized the importance and the drastic need for this type of program, not only in Highland County, but other Appalachian counties as well.”

According to Anchor’s website, “Utilizing Suboxone and Subutex, our MAT program provides essential support in managing withdrawal symptoms and reducing cravings” to assist those with substance use disorder to “maintain sobriety.

“ We would like to highlight the fact that we are not looking to take over any existing agencies and the amazing work that they already continue to do to combat the opioid epidemic, but rather complement these programs,” Thacker said. “We would like to work hand in hand with those programs, local agencies, health care providers and community organizations to create a countywide team approach. Our mobile medication units will remain flexible with scheduling and placement to ensure the community and residents remain safe and unbothered by our program efforts.

“This programming is designed to assist counties with reducing the barriers and accessibility services, assist with the improvement of community health outcomes, support the local health and healthcare infrastructure, as well as extend the reach of services.”

Thacker added that Anchor is also “not asking for any money from the county,” as the meeting was just to explain the new program.

Thacker said their two mobile medication units should be ready to deploy in “early fall.” In response to a question from Roades, Thacker explained that the MMUs “are the size of RVs” and are similar to mobile mammography units or other “mobile health care units” seen around the community.

“What we would like to do is just park it in a general area where people can come to us if they need help,” Thacker said. “If there is a rise in overdoses or bad batches come through, we’d like to be able to go to those areas and help with getting people to help that they need, supporting the communities, handing out NARCAN, those types of things.”

Thacker said that the MMUs will include a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant; nurses; and a security guard. 

Thacker also shared statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding overdose deaths in Highland County. Over the past three years, Thacker said the number has “seen a significant fluctuation,” with 21 deaths in 2022, 10 in 2023 and 12 in 2024.

According to Thacker, SAMHSA has also identified Highland County as one of the counties in the nation most “at risk of increased HIV and hepatitis C” infection “as a direct result of the opioid epidemic, ranked 196 out of 3,144 U.S. counties.

“As part of these units, we will have daily capability of tracking community impacts, including overdose rates and patient retention, regular reporting and feedback to our local partners and the continuous improvement based on the community's input,”  Thacker said. “We do drug screenings every time they come. We do instant cup screenings, and then every one of our screenings also go to the laboratory for actual definitive results of what's in their system, so we can track those numbers.”

Commissioners thanked Thacker for the information.

• Commissioners noted that Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender has offered to serve as the county’s representative on the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission’s bylaws subcommittee. The commission voted 3-0 to approve her appointment.

“Their bylaws has not been updated since 2017, so they're addressing that issue, and they need a person from each county to be on the executive committee,” Britton said.

Commissioners also made the following other approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A request to apply for a grant through Walmart and the Walmart Foundation for the records center.

• A Water Pollution Control Loan Fund change order in the amount of $19,125.77 for work at the Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“It's for motor controls and controls for the aerobic digesters in the sludge holding tank,” Daniels said. 

• A contract among commissioners, the Highland County Airport Authority and U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration for the FAA’s FY2025 Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

• A letter of recommendation for Environmental Engineering Services, at the company’s request. 

“Environmental Engineering has been doing our engineering for our sewer projects for 30 years,” Britton said. “I think we can give them a letter of recommendation.”

• A change order reflecting a $43,377.55 decrease  from the original contract with the Highland Solar and New Market I & II Solar Farm for final resurfacing.

• Commissioners received a petition filed by Joshua Tyler of New Market Township to vacate one alley (Couch Street) in New Market, approximately 233.75 feet long, located west of U.S. Highway 62, located in the center of a property between lots 44 and 48. Commissioners agree to set a public viewing for Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. at the site of the alley and a public hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. at
Southern State Community College.

• A request from the Sheriff’s Office for a budget modification within the 1000 County General fund in the amount of $10,000.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the (5020) Mowrystown Sewer Fund in the amount of $5,200.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $1,000.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $35,000.

• An additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue within the (1000) County General Fund in the amount of $4,299.36.

• An additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue within the (1000) County General Fund in the amount of $1,225.23.

• A request from the Highland County Treasurer to create the following fund: 7285 Treasurer Tax Certificate. Also requested is the creation of a new line within the 7285 fund: Fees.

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