MAHONING CO. EMA building set for October

By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County's Emergency Management Agency and hazardous materials response team will have a new address next year.
Both will be housed in a new building set for construction on Industrial Road, on the city's West Side. It will be near the county engineer's building.
County commissioners awarded contracts to low bidders Thursday, clearing the way for construction to begin.
Breakdown: Augere Construction Co. of Hudson was selected as the general contractor for $370,300. Thornton & amp; Sons of Youngstown will do the plumbing work for $33,850, and the heating and air conditioning work for $33,252. Valley Electrical of Girard is the electrical contractor with a bid of $88,300.
Boardman Fire Chief James Dorman, a member of the HazMat policy board, said having a permanent home will be a welcome change for the team.
The HazMat team is a division of the EMA and responds to situations involving hazardous materials. It is housed in the former Boardman Township road department garage on Southern Boulevard. The county will continue leasing that space on a month-to-month basis until the new building is finished, said James Fortunato, purchasing director.
Staff to move: Besides housing the HazMat team's vehicles, uniforms and equipment, the building will also hold the EMA staff, which will move there from its quarters in the South Side Annex on Market Street, near Southern Boulevard in the city's Uptown district.
The EMA has also been through its share of moves, changing locations eight times in the past 19 years.
Fortunato said construction should begin in early October and take about three months. The cost is being paid with revenue from a 0.5 percent county sales tax.
bjackson@vindy.com