LISBON — A plan to renovate the south wing of the minimum security section of the Columbiana County Jail to increase space is moving to the final design/bid phase.

County commissioners on Wednesday authorized Commissioner Roy Paparodis to sign the contract documents with Howells & Baird to provide final design drawings and bid phase services for the renovations at a cost of $25,000.

Paparodis said demand is getting bigger and this project’s goal is to create more room at the jail. He said construction is expected to possibly begin later this year, with completion expected next year.

In other business, commissioners approved the following contracts for the county Department of Job and Family Services presented by CCDJFS Director Rachel Ketterman: Smith Oil Company, client gasoline vouchers, Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023, $20,000 contract ceiling, funded through Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Community Action Regional Transport System (CARTS), Ohio Works First client and applicant commute services, Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023, $3,000 contract ceiling, funded through TANF; sub grant for Columbiana County General Health District, Cribs for Kids, Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023, $72,255 contract ceiling, funded through TANF; and Small Town USA, LLP, homemaker, chore and home health aide services, Aug. 24, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2022, $10,000 contract ceiling, funded through Senior Services Levy.

The commissioners also approved a proclamation declaring Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day in the county as a way of “remembering loved ones lost to overdose and ending the stigma of drug-related deaths.”

The resolution said “we resolve to play our part in reducing the toll of overdose in our community, which claimed the lives of 51 Columbiana County residents in 2021 together with countless more affected forever.” The source for the number of deaths was the Centers for Disease Control website.

Permission to hunt on County Home Road property was granted to Derek Cox and Darryl Quensberry. No new information was available regarding the Elkton water and sewer project. Elkton resident Deborah Bins attended the meeting and asked for an update, but was told the county engineer is still looking into it.

Bryan Weyant of the Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District also attended and told the board the district is looking into the effects of the Kensington solar project regarding water and wildlife in the area.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Aug. 31 at the courthouse.