LISBON — The Columbiana County commissioners took another step toward building a new county archives/records storage building by agreeing to advertise for statements of qualifications from design-build firms.

“This has been a long time coming,” Commissioner Mike Halleck said Wednesday.

The bid opening for the qualifications will be 9:10 a.m. Aug. 28. Commissioner Tim Weigle said firms that make the short list for the Best Value Selection Process will be notified for interviews.

Halleck said for many years, records have been placed in other locations. The state doesn’t accept a lot of digital records. He said they want the actual documents. He thanked Weigle for all the work he’s done on the project for the building.

In January 2023, the commissioners authorized Weigle to sign a preliminary design agreement with ms consultants, inc. of Youngstown to do a preliminary design of the new structure slated to house old county records and determine a probable cost for construction.

The building will be constructed at the former location of the county Department of Job and Family Services, which is now a vacant lot.

The county-owned lot is bordered by East Chestnut Street to the north, North Nelson Avenue to the west and North Jefferson Street to the east.

Referring to the building as a records retention facility, Weigle said that any records the county is required by law to keep will be moved to the new building from the various locations where they’re currently stored, such as the basement of the county jail and Iron Mountain, an underground secured storage facility in Pennsylvania.

The county pays $14,000 a year for storage at Iron Mountain and $4,200 a year for another storage location in Salem.

According to Weigle, plans call for construction of a two-story 24,600-square-foot, climate-controlled, secure block and brick building with a dry chemical fire suppression system, a commercial shredder and office space. He also said it will be designed with a freight elevator. The front of the building will face East Chestnut Street.

The goal will be to get all the county records in one location. He also said the county will be working with the Columbiana County Archives and Research Center regarding access to records.

In other business, the commissioners gave permission for the Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce to erect a community bulletin board, 6 feet by 7 feet, on the fountain square in downtown Lisbon, with the chamber controlling the content. The commissioners also authorized the county prosecutor to sign a lease to purchase agreement for a new vehicle and gave Donald Quales Jr., David Duvall, Gary Eichler, Christian and Breann Barnes and Christina and Glenn Warner permission to hunt on County Home Road property owned by the county.

Commissioners approved an American Rescue Plan Act expense of $30,089 for flooring materials for the Community Resource Center in East Liverpool.

Shook Company LLC was awarded the contract for the Bonesville School Road bridge replacement project in Fairfield Township for the low bid of $412,412. Other bids ranged from $454,777 to $598,185. There were five bids submitted.

During a recent meeting, Lisbon resident John Williams brought up concerns about then and now bills, saying the expenses should be explained. The then and now bills are routinely approved at commissioner meetings. Halleck explained what they are during a recent meeting, saying they’re like an emergency in the home, when an expense is necessary immediately and the approval comes later. He said nothing was being hidden.

Williams also discussed a concern for safety and security in the county, urging the commissioners to be proactive and plan for an event, specifically mentioning illegals.

Weigle commented that the county can’t close its borders and said “we do work hard to keep our county safe.”

“Is there something you know that we don’t know?” Commissioner Roy Paparodis asked.

At the time, Weigle said they would take Williams’ comments under consideration. During the most recent meeting, Weigle said he looked up a couple of Ohio Revised Code numbers that Williams cited during his talk. He said ORC 149.43A1 regarding public records and expenses said nothing about then and now bills. The other citation, ORC 149.46, didn’t exist, Weigle said.

The next meeting of county commissioners will be 9 a.m. July 31 at the downtown courthouse.