SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS EYED — The Jefferson County Commissioners Thursday agreed to hire McKinley Architecture and Engineering to plan improvements requested for the Social Security office at the Tower building. The Wheeling firm is expected to present estimated costs for the work for the commission’s approval. -- Warren Scott

STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Commissioners Thursday agreed to hire an engineering consultant to plan improvements requested for the Social Security office at the Tower building by officials with the federal agency and learned about damages caused by a food truck to the exterior of the Jefferson County Jail.

Patrick Boyles, the county’s maintenance supervisor, said McKinley Architecture and Engineering of Wheeling and the Thrasher Group of Bridgeport, W.Va., each responded to a request for qualifications for the project.

The commissioners selected McKinley because of its past experience with work in the Tower building, which houses multiple county departments.

Following the meeting, Commissioner Tony Morelli, the board’s president, said the engineering firm will meet with Social Security Administration officials to discuss their needs, which could include additional offices through the addition of walls, and project costs for the commissioners to consider.

“They (McKinley staff) will draw it out and give us an estimated cost,” he said.

Morelli noted the SSA entered into a 10-year lease for its present space in May.

The county commissioners noted then the federal agency pays a little more than $14 per square foot of the space it currently occupies, amounting to upward of $85,000 per year in rent, nearly $1 million in revenue for the county.

Commissioners earlier improved a parking lot across from the Tower building to accommodate the additional visitors to the Social Security office.

Boyles also advised on July 28, a food truck backed into the rear of the Jefferson County Jail, causing more than $29,000 in damages to the brick wall, a drain line serving the sprinkler system and other areas of the building.

He said a complete total will be presented for reimbursement by the food service company.

Boyles said it’s not the first time a vehicle has struck the building and suggested sturdy steel posts called bollards be installed to prevent future damages.

The commission also:

• Signed a proclamation declaring August Child Support Awareness Month at the request of Michele Santin, director of the Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services; and Angie Harman, the department’s child support administrator.

The two reported the child support program serves 3,488 children, a drop of nearly 5 percent from the same time last year that nonetheless accounts for $4.9 million in payments.

They added Ohio is second in the nation for child support collections, which benefit about 594,000 children statewide.

• Received a report on ongoing and upcoming road work from county Engineer Eric Hilty.

He said work to continue or begin next week includes chipping and sealing of State Park-Mooretown Road in Cross Creek Township; spot paving of Ross Ridge-Alikanna Road, bridge replacements on Piney Fork Road and Knox Township Road 289 and tree trimming along Bergholz-New Somerset Road.

• Heard from Vincent Ferragonio of ABM Industries, who said the company may be able to help commissioners find savings in utility and operational costs that it may apply to various projects.

He said ABM staff could study utility costs for the county from the last 12 months and visit its various facilities, preliminary measures he said would be at no cost to the county, to determine whether they can help the commission.

Commissioner Jake Kleineke told him, “We own a lot of facilities. You’re going to be looking at more than a day.”

He agreed to discuss the matter further with Ferragonio.