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Blair County accepts Clear Creek withdrawal and awards decedent storage contract to Force Delivery Services
Summary
After public comment from Coroner Ray Benton about unsafe storage conditions, the Blair County commissioners accepted Clear Creek Company’s withdrawal from coroner contracts and approved awarding the remainder of the decedent storage contract to Force Delivery Services through June 10, 2026.
Blair County commissioners on Dec. 4 accepted Clear Creek Company’s written withdrawal from contracts to provide decedent removal, transport and storage for the coroner’s office and approved awarding the remainder of the storage contract to Force Delivery Services.
Ray Benton, Blair County coroner, told the commissioners he had received letters indicating Clear Creek would not continue removal and transport work but that Clear Creek later said it would honor the storage contract through June 2026. Benton said the county’s procurement process directed the award to the second-place bidder for storage and urged the commissioners to consider families’ concerns when making the decision. “This facility has been used before. It’s located within a 3 car carport. It’s surrounded by junk vehicles. Most of the time it’s dirty,” Benton said, adding that “at 1 particular [time] a funeral director had found a body outside of the cooler, which is unacceptable.”
Bill Ford of Force Delivery Services, the second-place bidder now awarded the short-term storage contract, acknowledged the site’s limitations but said it met needs that arose during the COVID pandemic. “You’re gonna get what you pay for,” Ford said, and added, “I’ll provide you the best service I can for the money I’m getting paid.”
Commissioners approved a motion accepting Clear Creek’s withdrawal, effective Dec. 3, 2025, and separately approved awarding the remainder of the storage contract to Force Delivery Services for the period Dec. 4, 2025 through June 10, 2026. During discussion, commissioners noted that the county has expedited plans to purchase its own storage units for the coroner’s office, shortening the expected interim reliance on vendor storage.
The coroner’s concerns, including photographs provided to the board, were entered into the record during public comment. No formal protest or appeal was recorded at the meeting; the board’s action to award the storage contract was approved by voice vote.
The board did not take final action at the meeting to replace Clear Creek for removal and transport services; that function was discussed as separate from the storage award. The commissioners said they would proceed with the county’s expedited procurement to obtain in-county storage as previously budgeted.
