STEUBENVILLE — Jefferson County’s self-funded insurance plan is holding the line on premiums for the approaching yr, commissioners introduced Thursday.
Commissioner Tom Graham stated charges will stay at their 2022 ranges for the county in addition to its workers.
“We have a sufficient surplus that we don’t need an increase for next year. So, it’s good news for the employer and good news for the employees,” Graham stated
Commissioner Dave Maple stated it was “really, really good news” for the county in addition to its employees, whereas Commissioner Tony Morelli identified that again when he was within the personal sector, “I don’t remember very many years at all when insurance didn’t go up.”
“Years ago, when this was front page, our health insurance was $9 million or $10 million in the hole,” he stated. “We’ve come a long way.”
“It’s a good plan,” Graham added. “In the private sector people would be paying a lot more (for it.) And the fact that we haven’t had a rate increase in three years, that’s unheard of.”
Jefferson County Veterans Association adjutant Barry Bardone, in the meantime, informed commissioners the paperwork to have the Medal of Honor bestowed on the late Fred McGee is on the president’s desk.
McGee, who served within the Army through the Korean War, was simply 23 when he discovered himself on Hill 528 Tang-Wan-Ni in June 1952, combating an entrenched, numerically superior military. A gunner on a lightweight machine gun in a weapons squad, veterans say McGee delivered a heavy quantity of supporting fireplace from an uncovered place, regardless of intense enemy machine gun and mortar fireplace instantly on his place.
When his squad chief was wounded and his second in command out of fee, McGee took cost and moved the squad even additional ahead to a extra uncovered place as a way to ship neutralizing fireplace on an enemy machine gun sweeping the assault platoon with lethal flanking fireplace. When his machine gunner was killed, McGee took over the gun. Despite two wounds — one within the leg, the opposite in his face–he held his place, “standing up in intense enemy machine gun and mortar fire as he attempted to evacuate the body of the company runner.” After carrying the soldier between 75 and 100 yards, McGee realized the person was lifeless, so he helped one other wounded soldier to security by way of the mortar and artillery fireplace. Ordered to withdraw, he despatched his squad to safer positions and voluntarily remained behind to assist evacuate the wounded.
McGee was awarded the Silver Star, however by no means the Medal of Honor that he’d been promised.
“Hopefully, Jefferson County will soon be the home of a Medal of Honor recipient,” Bardone stated. “The late sheriff (Fred Abdalla Sr.) and I worked on this for at least three years.”
Bardone stated he “recently got information that it went through all the committees, the defense secretary signed it … now it’s at the White House.”
“It took them 70 years, but finally, hopefully, he’ll get one,” Bardone stated. “Since it’s on his desk in the White House, I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think he’ll sign it.”
Bardone additionally requested commissioners for assist with indicators warning folks to remain off the army tools on show on the army park at Friendship Park, and stated the veterans had been keen to contribute $150 towards the cost, however commissioners informed him that wouldn’t be mandatory.
Commissioners additionally signed off on Water and Sewer Director Mike Eroshevich’s request to make use of $190,000 in unencumbered funds to pay for additional work that needed to be finished along with the Norton Hill water tank refurbishment.
Eroshevich stated the unique appropriation was primarily based on the engineer’s estimate and was all the time meant to pay for the tank itself, which truly got here in about $100,000 underneath finances.
The $190,000 will cowl the cost of additional work they needed to do “prior to the tank project itself.”
“There’s a large pit outside the tank, pressure reducing vaults — whenever the tank drops to a certain level, (a valve) opens up and allows the water tank to fill,” he stated. “That had been in the ground for about 40 years, since the tank was built, and weighs about a thousand pounds. There are a lot of valves in there.”
Because of the hilly terrain, Eroshevich stated valves are wanted to scale back the water strain on the down aspect of hills to keep away from blowing strains. Most of them don’t have meters that may be learn outdoors so employees need to go inside on an everyday foundation.
The Norton Hill tank has an out of doors meter that’s learn day by day.
He stated they needed to faucet a line and run a bypass line, which required buying supplies and different objects.
“All that work wasn’t factored into the original appropriation,” he informed commissioners. “We knew in the end we’d have to make some adjustments.”
Graham confirmed the cash was within the division’s finances.
“You’re just taking it from the unencumbered fund to (contract projects),” he stated.
Eroshevich informed Maple his crews did a lot of the additional work themselves, so it wasn’t topic to state bidding necessities.
Commissioners additionally:
• Granted the Jefferson County Regional Airport Authority the authority to barter industrial leases for property on the airpark by way of Nov. 20, 2023. “If they get a prospective tenant, they would obviously come back to us to approve or not approve,” Graham identified. “They just want ability to negotiate leases.”
• Awarded the contract for county Road 14 slip repairs to Ohio-West Virginia Excavating, which bid $438,254 for the challenge. The solely different bid, $466,571, was submitted by Alan Stone Co. The engineer’s estimate was $451,675.
• Referred a petition asking them to vacate deserted alleys and roads in Salem Township to county Engineer Jim Branagan for evaluation. Morelli additionally identified progress on the fireplace escape had stalled, and Maintenance Director Patrick Boyles informed him the contractor needed to “wait on the metal to be fabricated — they couldn’t get the steel.”
“There was a little bit of a holdup with the metal being fabricated and delivered here,” Boyles stated. (Now) it’s not going to be painted till spring.”
Boyles stated he’s planning to have the fence dissecting the parking zone eliminated as quickly as attainable so parking can resume.
“I made it clear I didn’t want to leave the fence up (all winter),” Boyles stated. “As soon as the metal’s up and they’re done, I want the fence out of the way.”
