STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Commissioners gave Engineer Eric Hilty the go-ahead for a new storage building to store dump trucks, equipment and materials at the complex on state Route 43.

Commissioners approved a contract with BlueScope Construction Inc. for construction of the 50-foot-by-150-foot steel building with a concrete floor, eight storage bays, natural gas heating and electric service at a total estimated cost of $1,233,384.

Hilty told commissioners the design-build approach they’re using “is the most cost-effective method to complete the project.”

“We intend to fund the project with $300,000 from the department’s 2025 budget and financing has been secured for the balance through the auditor’s office,” Hilty said. “Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in April and (be) completed in July.”

Commissioners also requested an opinion from the prosecutor’s office on solutions for parking lot enforcement after Maintenance Supervisor Patrick Boyles told them a nearby care home and a nearby vape shop that have parking available in front of their buildings have been using the lot, located opposite the county’s Tower building, as if it were their own, with the care home parking “four or five vans” in the lot overnight. He said they’re supposed to be gone by 7 a.m. but aren’t always. Employees at some Market Street businesses also are using the lot for all-day parking.

Commissioners had acquired the property, then paid to have it prepped and paved, to accommodate county employees and members of the public patronizing businesses and departments based in the Tower building.

Boyles told commissioners with the building very near capacity, “it’s starting to be an issue.”

“We need all the parking we can get,” Boyles said, adding that with a major snowstorm in the weekend forecast, he’s concerned the vehicles will pose snow removal problems for him.

Commissioners also:

• Heard a presentation by Carrie O’Rourke of OnMed CareStation for the Rural Health Transformation program. O’Rourke described the CareStation as a “clinic in a box,” a tech-enabled hybrid care solution providing “comprehensive experience of in-person care with the rapid scalability of telemedicine.”

“There’s a five-year runway of funding, and so the care station will be available at no cost to anyone coming into the care system, especially if you don’t have insurance or you’re on Medicaid or Medicare,” she said. “So, this would be a really exciting opportunity.”

• Approved the county engineer’s contract with Laus, Pyle, Schomer, Burns & DeHaven Inc. for design services for the county Road 22A (Cadiz Road) traffic signal and sidewalk project. Maximum compensation is set at $83,697.

• Approved Treasurer Brian Scarpone’s request to extend the collection of first half 2025 taxes from Jan. 31 to March 4, as provided by Ohio Revised Code.

• Appointed Alyssa Mosti, a special education teacher, to the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities.