Commissioners approve change orders for jail, county-home repairs; RFQ issued for new dog shelter; facilities updates reported

Medina County commissioners approved four county-administration resolutions authorizing construction change orders and procurement steps for several county facilities and also heard a substantial facilities update from county staff.

The board approved a $2,645 change order for the Medina County Jail Security Platform project to replace a non-tamper-resistant water fountain in the northern general population unit; that fixture was moved to the southern unit and commissioners authorized replacing the fountain with a tamper-resistant model. Separately, commissioners approved change order number 4 for the Medina County Home Emergency Foundation Repair Project with Lalor Construction in the amount of $245,435.12. County staff said the change order covers interior cafeteria repairs, exterior stone, and sidewalk replacements; with the change order the project remained roughly $125,000 under the originally approved budget and the projected completion date was November 6.

The board also authorized an amended agreement with Envelope Consulting to expand design services tied to the emergency repair scope, increasing that contract by $4,000, and authorized issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) for professional design services for a new dog shelter. County staff said the dog shelter RFQ was prepared with the dog shelter advisory committee and anticipated advertising later in the week.

Facilities staff provided a lengthy update on county building projects and maintenance work. Highlights included installation of parking-lot lighting at the OSU extension site (4046 Medina Road); replacement of a rooftop HVAC unit and floor finishes at 60 Public Square; replacement of two HVAC systems at 72 Public Square; and ongoing elevator, exterior-door, and electrical-panel work at the Administration Building. Staff reported the chiller had been installed, that four stand-alone units were expected within weeks, and that wayfinding design and door control (fob) access would be phased as hardware and controls arrive. The county home repair project was said to be in phase three, with concrete pours and imminent demolition of phase four.

On jail work, staff said the north pod platform was complete, the south pod was under construction, and a missing fire-alarm device discovered during testing has been ordered; final inspection by the fire marshal is pending delivery of the device. Juvenile detention sidewalks and parking-lot repairs were reported complete. Staff thanked Human Resources for fall-protection training delivered to county staff.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about timing for door controls and wayfinding; staff said doors and controls would arrive concurrently and that access control would begin before the county-wide security platform is fully deployed. All four county-administration resolutions were approved by unanimous roll call. No public comment on these items was recorded.