Funding Recovery One priority for officials

Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy said the first order of business will be how to fund Recovery One.

“You may read reports that the deaths are down, obviously (naloxone) is in a lot more hands these days and saved a lot of lives. However, we still have about 60 people a month that are overdosing.” — Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy

Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy said the first order of business for the new commissioner will be a discussion on how to fund Recovery One. The remark came at the end of the commissioners’ Feb. 6 meeting during Lundy’s report. The county is continuing discussions with community partners about the facility, which would be located at the former Golden Acres Rest Home in Amherst Township, because the epidemic has not gone away. “You may read reports that the deaths are down, obviously (naloxone) is in a lot more hands these days and saved a lot of lives,” Lundy said. “However, we still have about 60 people a month that are overdosing.” A levy would have raised more than $2.01 million a year to pay for the proposed treatment center failed at the polls in November with almost 52 percent of voters in opposition. Since the epidemic is not subsiding, the facility must be funded, Lundy said. “The reality is, when (the new commissioner) arrives, we’re going to have to have discussions about probably going back to the community (for the funds),” he said. The Lorain County Democratic Party’s Central Committee is scheduled to take a vote on filling the seat vacated by Ted Kalo - who was appointed to clerk of the Lorain Municipal Court - at 5 p.m., Feb. 10, at the Bricklayers Training Center, 8501 Leavitt Road in Amherst Township. In other news, commissioners approved a contract with Pioneer Technology Group for a new case management system to be used by the Lorain County Common Pleas court personnel. The contract is for $1.27 million which is about $375,000 less than what Lorain County Clerk of Courts Tom Orlando projected the system to cost when he presented it to the commissioners in December. This is because the county was intending to finance five years of maintenance fees at the same time as purchasing the system. This system will be used by court staff, except for the Lorain County Prosecutors Office and the Juvenile Division. Commissioners also approved the system the Prosecutor’s Office will use in a late addition to the meeting agenda. That system is through Matrix, and will be leased for $9,500 a month with a $125,000 fee once it is completely implemented. In other court-related business, commissioners awarded a $286,629 contract to MIELKE Mechanical Inc., of Medina, to replace the boilers in the Lorain County Courthouse. Also, the commissioners announced an amnesty program for 2019 dog licenses due to the recent frigid temperatures which closed county offices for two days. From Feb. 1-15, anyone who was late in renewing their dog’s license will not be forced to pay more for the license. Lorain County Administrator James Cordes said the program is not retroactive, which means anyone who already has paid the late fee will not be refunded.