Photo Provided BELMONT COUNTY receives a Project BEST award for its use of local labor and materials in the new Senior Services building. From left are Project BEST Co-Chairman Tom Cerra; Green Core Designs Architect Jeremy Greenwood; Commissioners Matt Coffland and Mark Thomas; Project BEST Co-Chairman Joe Miller; Commissioner Ginny Favede; Architects Tim Crowley; and Bred Breisch of BC Design Build.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County has received an award from Project BEST for its use of local labor and materials in the construction of the new Senior Services administration and kitchen facility.

The award was presented at the annual Project BEST Holiday Breakfast Wednesday. The Belmont County Commissioners were in attendance, along with the project architects.

“The county has had a very long and fruitful partnership with Project BEST and all the labor councils here in Belmont County. From the general contractor down to the sub-contractors, they have build what will be a crowning jewel of a building for our seniors in Belmont County, so we were honored and very pleased to receive that award. We’re looking forward to opening that building in 2017, and more importantly we are excited to continue this long partnership with Project BEST in all future buildings,” said Commissioner Mark Thomas.

Commissioner Matt Coffland said the building was both needed and long awaited. He agreed the county has a long history of working closely with Project BEST to the benefit of local communities.

“This is our third Project BEST project that we have done since I’ve been hear in eight years. This was a $6.4 million project. A new senior building with a kitchen and administrative offices and a community room,” he said, adding the project was nearing completion. “It’s been a project that’s been talked about for over 25 years and we will have it completed around the first of the year.”

Coffland said the use of local labor was intended from the inception of the project.

“We always try to use local labor. We try to do our project through Project BEST. It’s just a good guarantee of quality, done on time and staying within cost,” he said. “We always try to use local labor, take care of those who live here in Belmont County and feed back into our economy in Belmont County.”

“We are pleased to receive our third Project BEST award this morning,” said Commissioner Ginny Favede, adding the other two awards were for the work on the Belmont County Museum at the Sheriff’s Residence and the Eastern Division Court building.

“It’s especially important to us because … it is a commitment to local contractors, local products and local labor. We went into this particular build knowing that it was going to be a Project BEST project,” she said.

She noted this had been decided during the planning phases two years ago.

“We have worked very diligently that all aspects of it come from local, and we’re proud of that and we think the people should appreciate that, because this building is paid for in full with Senior Services levy dollars. This is money that the people of Belmont County have committed by vote at the ballots to Senior Services and we’re utilizing that money not only to build a building for our Senior Services but we’re also using that to hire local contractors and local labor for local products,” she said.

“Money comes into the county and we put it back into the county and into the economy and into local pockets of people who frequent our businesses, so we’re very pleased to received this award.”