New jail issues raised
By KATIE MATZ, Times Leader Staff WriterArticle Photos
A MARTINS Ferry resident raised an issue to the Belmont County commissioners at Wednesday's meeting concerning the opening of the new jail addition.
Richard Hord asked officials if there would be a grand opening of the jail when it's ready to officially open its doors.
Commissioners were all in agreement that they would just like to see the jail open and in use as soon as possible.
"I'll give you my personal opinion ... There's no need for a grand opening for a jail - there's nothing grand about it," said Commissioner Mark Thomas. "I mean no disrespect, but I don't know that there's a sense of having any kind of celebration for the opening of a county building like that, as opposed to possibly something else."
Although Thomas said commissioners had not previously talked about any kind of grand opening, there was, in fact, a groundbreaking event prior to the building of the new jail expansion.
"We're just eager to get these deputies hired and trained and to get the facility open as soon as possible so we can start reversing the dollars we're sending out of the county and keep them here in the county and use those dollars for other projects," said Chuck Probst, vice president of the board of commissioners.
Hord also questioned commissioners regarding the possibility of naming the new jail facility after someone, specifically a judge born in Belmont County.
"A building that is owned by the government which, in essence, is a building that is owned by the taxpayers, should not be named after any individual. That building along with all other buildings in this county are owned by the taxpayers of this county and there should not be a name put on it," Thomas said.
In other jail news, commissioners signed a contract Wednesday regarding the $70,000 damaged computer equipment in the new jail that was ruined when a company in Ohio installed the jail's sprinkler system.
Thomas said the contract change order was in the amount of $70,297, for dust and dirt damage of the electronics equipment.
In other matters, commissioners presented Wesley Howsare of Crossroads Counseling Services in St. Clairsville, a proclamation to honor September 2008 as the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.
Howsare said that last year, Crossroads was host to a recovery rally to celebrate those people who have recovered from substance abuse.
"It went so well last year - it was so well attended - that we decided to make it an annual thing, so we're going to have one again," he said. "The biggest push this year is to make note that only about 17 percent of those people with substance abuse disorder actually get treatment ... the push is just trying to get more people who have this type of disorder into treatment."
Based on a population of 70,000 in Belmont County, Howsare said that there are about 7,000 people in the county who have this disorder and of those 7,000, less than 1,200 are receiving treatment or have received treatment.
He went on to say that "what we're trying to celebrate is treatment, those who have been in treatment and those who are now recovered."
The second annual Recovery Rally will be held Wednesday, Sept. 24, in the pavilion at St. Clairsville Memorial Park from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., and it will include guest speakers, entertainment and food.
In other action Wednesday, the board adopted a resolution in support of a fully-funded renewal of the Clean Ohio Fund bond package, which will be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot. The resolution urges the voters in the state of Ohio to vote yes on Issue 2, which will be funded by the sale of bonds and not from a new tax levy, for the Clean Ohio Program Renewal, also known as Issue 2 on Nov. 4. This is to meet the growing demand for water and green space conservation projects, brownfield revitalization, recreational trail development, farmland preservation and other important projects related to the Clean Ohio Fund.
Matz may be reached at kmatz@timesleaderonline.com
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SphinxRising58
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09-19-08 7:01 PM
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Grand Opening for a new jail ? I mean the thought is kinda crazy, as it is not like a new motel, hotel, or even a business is opening, just a jail, & exactly who does Mr. Hord see paying for this celebration, the tax payers ? I hope tax dollars are spent on much more important things that need adressing.
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doyathink
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09-18-08 6:51 PM
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I wish I didn't have anything better to do than worry about whether they were going to have an open house to "celebrate" the new jail addition. I think we should celebrate when we get a new sheriff.
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