Court facility bids go before Brooke commissioners
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WELLSBURG -- Bids for features of the judicial center under construction were among matters before the Brooke County Commission on Tuesday.
The commissioners opened and accepted a sole bid of $47,660 from Core 24 of Wellsburg for computer cabling for the 33,000-square-foot building while agreeing to advertise for panic buttons for the facility.
A desire to improve security as well as create additional space for the county's circuit, magistrate and family courts spurred the $12.8 million project.
Plans call for the building also to include the county prosecutor's offices and probation department.
Currently the magistrate and family courts occupy the first floor of the existing courthouse, with attorneys and clients often using the commission's meeting room for private discussions.
The three commissioners' offices also were consolidated to accommodate the courts.
Crews with Rycon Construction of Pittsburgh continue to work on the new building, which is adjacent to the courthouse on Main Street. It sits at the corner of Sixth and Main on a lot razed to prevent flooding from the nearby Ohio River.
The lot once was occupied by the county's museum which, because of its already elevated position, was said to have taken in very little water during floods that covered city streets below.
In related business, the commissioners approved an agreement required for receipt of a $13,858 grant from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.
Secured by former county administrator Adrienne Ward, the grant will be used for the storage of paper copies of county records the office of County Clerk Kimberly Barbetta is prohibited from destroying.
The commissioners also adopted a resolution supporting the inclusion of all emergency 911 dispatchers in the state's Emergency Medical Service Retirement System at the request of Christina White, the county's emergency 911 director.
White said she and other emergency 911 officials are encouraging the state Legislature to make all of the state's 911 dispatchers eligible for the retirement program, noting legislators have done that for all who were hired after July 1 of last year.
She said under the present state Public Employee Retirement System, dispatchers' age and years of service must equal 80 years or more to qualify them for retirement funds, while under the EMSR system, their age and years of service must equal 70 years or more.
White said she and others hope the move will help to keep dispatchers in the state.
Commission President A.J. Thomas said it was only recently that dispatchers were recognized formally as the emergency first responders they are.
On a lighter note, Commissioner Tom Diserio expressed appreciation to city crews who work to ensure the excellent appearance of parks in Follansbee and Wellsburg.
He said it's something he noticed when many photos were taken there of Brooke High School students dressed for the recent prom.