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Work goes on despite pandemic

T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Richard Hord of Martins Ferry observes a monitor and speakers set up in the hall outside the Belmont County board of commissioners office Wednesday, to allow the public to view proceedings despite limitations imposed by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Board of Commissioners fielded questions Wednesday about the state of county business and economics during COVID-19 pandemic.

Richard Hord of Martins Ferry inquired about the process of hiring two new directors for the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services and Belmont County Senior Services and if there were any further planned changes.

Commissioner J.P. Dutton said Dwayne Pielech took office in the Senior Services department Monday and Jeffrey Felton will begin work at DJFS May 11. Pielech, a former DJFS director and Senior Services director, replaces Gary Armitage since his retirement. Felton, who is concluding his service as DJFS director at Medina County, is replacing Vince Gianangeli, who was terminated for ignoring an order from the board.

Dutton said Pielech might make a formal report on the state and future of Senior Services in an upcoming meeting, likely after the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

Hord also brought up word of a potential river barge loading facility coming to Martins Ferry and asked if any public hearings have been set up to discuss possible pollution from such an industry.

“That’s not been brought to the attention of our board formally from a regulation standpoint or even from a business interest standpoint,” Dutton said. “There’s been times in the past where the Port Authority’s reached out to properties such as that one along the river and tried to speak about future development. … To my knowledge, there hasn’t been anything recent in terms of any interaction.”

Hord also commented that the medical office complex attached to East Ohio Regional Hospital seems nearly empty of physicians.

“Everything about health care right now in the local area is very disconcerting,” Dutton said. “There’s talk obviously of trying to restart some elective procedures, but the hospitals that are even operating at this point, from all media accounts that I’ve seen, are really struggling right now just financially. It’s difficult for any business right now, and we’re seeing that obviously with restaurants and everything else, to really curtail the amount of work they can do.”

He said there is reason to be hopeful.

“I think there’s a healthcare demand in the area. I think it was evident prior to COVID and I think it’ll become even more evident after COVID and after additional economic development,” Dutton said.

“COVID-19 has affected the medical field,” Commissioner Josh Meyer said. “They’ve had to reduce the way they see patients and only see patients on an as-needed emergency basis, so they’ve had to reduce hours as well.”

In other matters, Belmont County Engineer Terry Lively reported the Ohio Department of Transportation would be rehabilitating the bridge on Belmont County Road 214 that crosses over Interstate 70. Lively said this was one of the last remaining area bridges over the interstate to be renovated.

“It’s a good project for the county. We definitely need it,” he said.

Lively said single-lane traffic will be maintained and ODOT will work on the deck, not the beams.

“I think it was much-needed and long overdue,” Dutton said. “There’s been a lot of attention paid by the state of Ohio on Belmont County in the past years.”

“I think ODOT’s going to continue to focus on this area of the state,” Lively said.

According to ODOT, the $703,000 project is expected to begin in July 2021 and end October 2021.

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