LISBON — Soil conditions and the expected weight of the new Columbiana County records building are requiring the construction of extra reinforcements underground to support the foundation.

County Commissioner Tim Ginter gave an update on the construction Wednesday, revealing that a bore hole test to check the soil condition beneath the proposed location of the building resulted in the discovery that the soil wasn’t conducive to the weight of the building.

“They discovered the soil had the consistency of toothpaste,” Ginter said, adding he was told that it’s a condition that’s common in the downtown Lisbon area.

To address the situation, he said C. Tucker Cope Design-Build, the contractor for the project, contracted with Keller Company, a geotechnical specialist contractor. He said they specialize in constructing caissons, which provide sublevel reinforcements through rebar cages filled with concrete.

A normal commercial building is built to handle 200 pounds per square foot, but Ginter said in this case, the structure will be built to handle 300 pounds per square foot.

He admitted, this extra work is taking longer than expected, but the project is still expected to be substantially completed by the end of the year. He also admitted it’s costing more, too, with the change order for the extra reinforcements costing $500,000.

He explained there was a cushion built into the budget that was able to absorb the increased cost. The total project cost had been estimated at more than $7 million, with $4 million coming from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and $2.9 million from the state’s capital budget.

The vacant 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 and previously was the former home of the county Department of Job and Family Services.

Previous plans for the records retention facility called 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, freight elevator and office space. 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.

“It’s going to be a beautiful building,” Ginter said.

In other business, the commissioners approved the notice to proceed for the county’s Community Development Block Grant street improvement projects in Lisbon and Salem this summer. Lindy Paving Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa. submitted the lowest bids for the projects. In Salem, East Fourth Street and East Fifth Street, both from Hawley Avenue to North Lincoln Avenue, and East Sixth Street from Union Avenue to North Lincoln Avenue will be resurfaced at a cost of $292,913. In Lisbon, East Washington Street will be resurfaced from South Market Street to state Route 45, with the bid totaling $173,989.

The commissioners reappointed Ginger Grilli, Erich Offenburg and Tad Herold to new three-year terms as directors on the county Visitors Bureau, reappointed Dan Thompson to a new three-year term on the county Airport Authority Board and appointed David Serafy to a three-year term on the county Airport Authority Board.

Serafy, a previous hangar lessee, was appointed as a new member to replace Timothy O’Hara, a longtime board member who recently passed away unexpectedly. Terms for Thompson and Serafy will expire June 30, 2028.

Commissioners also gave permission to hunt on the county’s County Home Road property to Darryl Quesenberry and approved depository agreements with various banks at the request of county Treasurer Bryan Blakeman.

The next meeting of commissioners will be 9 a.m. June 25 in the downtown courthouse.

mgreier@mojonews.com