COLUMBIANA MRDD Dispute settled, facility to be built

Officials were worried that additional postponements would allow construction contracts to lapse.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County officials are ready to build a facility for disabled people, now that a dispute with state officials has been resolved.
Officials with the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities board have decided to stop debating with the state whether a sprinkler system for the facility is necessary, William Devon, MRDD treasurer, said Friday.
State officials said the building should have the system. MRDD officials had argued that, given the structure's size, the intended use and the planned installation of fire walls, sprinklers were unnecessary.
To continue debating the issue would further delay starting the project, which was to have got under way in midsummer, Devon explained.
MRDD officials were concerned that more project postponements would allow construction contracts to expire and necessitate seeking new bids, Devon said.
Adding a sprinkler system to the nearly $1.2 million project will increase its cost by about $20,000, Devon said.
Bids below estimates
But he noted that construction bids were well below original estimates, so MRDD officials are comfortable the project can absorb the cost increase from the sprinkler system.
The project is funded mostly through MRDD funds.
Now that the sprinkler dispute is resolved, Devon said a building permit is expected to be granted sometime around Friday. Construction can start as early as Oct. 21, he said.
The project will take about six months.
Plans call for converting a former five-and-dime store into a center for adults with mental and physical disabilities.
A nearly 2,896-square-foot addition will be constructed to house MRDD administrative offices.
The building to be remodeled is along state Route 45 in Center Township, north of Lisbon.