LISBON — During a recent meeting, Columbiana County commissioners awarded the contract for a new storage building for the county engineer to C. Tucker Cope & Associates, Inc. of Columbiana.

The final amount for the proposal was listed as $1,388,106. The minimum bid of their proposal had been listed as $1,247,961.

Other firms who expressed an interest in the project by submitting their qualifications and the amount of their minimum bids included: J Herbert Construction/Strollo Architects/Fenton Engineering, Salem, $1,925,000; Dawn Inc./CT Consultants/Prater Engineering, Warren, $2,675,095; Hively Construction/Strollo Architects, Canfield, $1,509,000; and Hodge Construction LLC/SH Design LLC, New Waterford, $1,408,434.

County Engineer Bert Dawson previously said the new building will replace one and a half buildings on the South Market Street property and serve as home for the plow trucks, shop trucks and fuel trucks. He said the existing building is old and falling down and the trucks of today don’t fit inside. Previously, he said plans call for construction of a larger building.

On Wednesday, Commissioner Roy Paparodis reported on a recent meeting of the health insurance committee with Wendy Dillingham from the County Employee Benefits Consortium of Ohio (CEBCO), himself and commissioners’ assistant clerk Beth Duvall, reviewing the 2023 year end data. The consortium carries the county’s health insurance for employees and includes 47 counties in Ohio.

In his report, he said the numbers for the loss ratio are excellent at 80 percent, referring to the usage for medical and prescriptions combined. He noted the lower the percentage, the more the premiums paid are being saved to help with years of higher claims.

According to Paparodis, Dillingham said if the county’s numbers stay like they are over the next three months, the county will be in a good position not to see a premium rate hike or if there is a hike, it will be a lower amount.

She told him that the county’s members are doing well keeping appointments within the network, but each county needs more education on not using the emergency room as the first place to go for minor illness.

Commissioners also approved a gas line easement for Columbia Gas on county-owned property on South Market Street in Lisbon near the Grant Street bridge that’s being replaced by the village of Lisbon and gave permission for the Lisbon Chamber of Commerce to use the courthouse parking lot for Christmas in July on July 20 and for the Johnny Appleseed Festival from Sept. 19 to 22. The festival will be held Sept. 21 and 22.

In other matters during a recent meeting, the commissioners gave the county engineer permission to advertise for bid for asphalt, signed a natural gas purchasing program agreement for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, heard about a request from Butler Township Trustees for American Rescue Plan Act funds towards a new administrative/maintenance structure, did not seek a hearing for a liquor permit request by Due Sorelle Food Imports, LLC, Elkrun Township and approved changes to the Prevention, Retention, Contingency Plan for the county Department of Job and Family Services.

Commissioners approved the following Healthy Aging Grant amendments: Community Action Agency of Columbiana County senior nutrition food vouchers for Curbside Connection Mobile Market, decreasing the contract ceiling by $20,000, from $40,000 down to $20,000, for the period Nov. 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024; Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, senior nutrition Get Out and Dine Program, increasing the contract ceiling by $30,000, from $40,000 to $70,000, for the period Nov. 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

The next meeting for county commissioners will be 9 a.m. April 3 at the downtown courthouse.