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Columbiana commissioners prep for courthouse, jail makeovers
Photo
Penny Traina
Improvements may be made before the Ohio Supreme Court visits the county.
LISBON — The Columbiana County commissioners have agreed to fix up the courthouse and county jail.
Commissioner Penny Traina, the new chairwoman of the commissioners, said Wednesday that $400,000 has been put aside for repairs for those two buildings.
It’s the first time in recent years the commissioners have earmarked funds for such capital improvements.
“The courthouse is the people’s house,” Traina said.
The courthouse’s second floor, which contains the courts, recently underwent a massive renovation that was completed last year.
Traina said other parts of the courthouse need improvement.
The first floor, which contains most of the services used by citizens, hasn’t been spruced up in recent memory. The walls are now two-tone beige.
Traina said she wants to see the first floor and basement walls and the towering stairwells painted. She also would like to add period ceiling lights on the first floor. The courthouse dates to the late 1800s.
She’s shooting for an eggshell white in an enamel paint.
“That’s so the walls can be wiped down,” she said.
Painting the high stairwells may require professional painters with scaffolding.
She also wants to see the facilities in both the men’s and women’s restrooms fixed up. She didn’t know the cost of that part of the project.
Traina said she doesn’t even have an estimate on the painting. As a first step, she has sent requests for proposals to about five painting companies.
Last year, with a $1,000 grant from Waste Technologies Industries and students at Kent State University, Traina helped remove some of the overgrown plants around the courthouse in the first step of a beautification project.
Traina said she hoped to get the work done by the time the Ohio Supreme Court hears cases in the courthouse later this year.
The county jail is about 12 years old, and the equipment and structure have begun to break or wear out.
Jail improvements have included $25,000 for creating a well, and repairs to other parts of its water system.
The county also plans to add razor wire to improve security to parts of the jail grounds west of Lisbon. The commissioners previously said they will upgrade the security cameras. Four men escaped from the jail last year after making dummies with clothes and other items. They were quickly recaptured.
County Auditor Nancy Milliken said the commissioners decided to use the $400,000 for the various projects.
That left the county with a $600,000 carry-over balance into 2009.
Milliken said she could recall the commissioners earmarking funds for capital work about 12 years ago. Because of revenue shortages, however, the money eventually had to go into the general fund.
But the commissioners and auditor have worked together in recent years to control spending.
The commissioners and the auditor this year also have updated their computers to keep better tabs on spending. A new software program quickly shows what an agency received, how much it has spent, and how much it has left.
wilkinson@vindy.com