Commissioners approve contract for JFS building work

“I absolutely never liked the exterior of that building, ever,” Cordes said. “The curved wall in the building needs to be fixed and reconditioned.” Cordes said that wall is made of a spray-on concrete and it needs to be scrubbed, dried, resealed and repainted. “We cannot wait as long as it has waited this time, because you get moisture in behind that and it just wreaks havoc on it,” he said. In other news, the commissioners approved an agreement with Eaton Township and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to use $54,636 in funds from the Great Lakes Restoration

Lorain County commissioners approved a contract Feb. 6 for changes to the exterior of the Job and Family Services building. Williams Brothers Builders, of Elyria, will receive $306,700 for the construction which is scheduled to begin April 30 and conclude by July 15. Lorain County Administrator James Cordes said the color scheme of the building will change to reflect the cooler tones used by new county facilities on Burns Road in Elyria. Initiative grant to improve a wildlife habitat at Margaret Peak Nature Preserve, on Butternut Ridge Road. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will contribute $3,670 for the project. A news release distributed at the meeting by Economic Development Director Don Romancak, indicated the plan is to enhance the current habitats at the preserve by planting a “modified oak savannah” which will include native pollinating plants where there once was a soybean field. The planting of trees and prairie grasses on the property is planned to increase the wildlife diversity and to ward off invasive non native plants, the release said. As an added benefit, it will cut down on the movement of sediments that normally would enter nearby creeks and ditches and eventually, Lake Erie, according to the release. Cordes warned that the area may seem unkempt by casual observers because it will not be mowed, but that is intentional. Also, Lorain County Sanitary Sewer Department customers will see an increase on their bills beginning June 1 as the water operations, maintenance and replacement rate will rise to $7.90 a month from $4.40 a month. Commissioners approved the change and also for additional increases of $1.50 per customer on June 1 of each subsequent year. As part of the change, commissioners will review the rate at least once every five years and revise to reflect the actual cost of operating, maintaining and replacing water lines to the outlying communities. Cordes said these increases are necessary to keep the water system running and that the money generated by the increased rate will not go into the county’s general fund. “We have not collected money to replace lines and deal with stuff for a number of years, and we’re running into a lot of problems with our water lines,” he said. “We have to begin a replacement process.” Cordes said one can’t put a price tag on fresh water because people need it to live. But the county cannot get a better price from the cities that do produce water, he said. “It’s not huge, but people still complain about every little increase,” Cordes said. “The only thing I suggest is that we let them know why it’s there, and if they continue to complain, they can obviously turn their water meter off and buy jugged water.”