Commissioners spar over $400,000 courthouse stair replacement funded by ARPA

The Trumbull County Board of Commissioners spent extended time April 7 debating whether to proceed with a competitively bid renovation to replace the monumental steps at the county law library, a project whose cost has risen to roughly $375,000 and could reach about $400,000 after change orders and asbestos remediation.

Commissioner Julie Green raised the concern that the project’s cost — characterized in the meeting as approximately $400,000 to replace 11 steps — would draw public criticism if it used ARPA funds while other county facilities still need repair. Other commissioners and staff said the work must move forward because the bid was the lowest received and asbestos remediation and unknown structural conditions under the steps could raise costs if the work were delayed.

Daryl Dunigan, facilities administrator, warned that unknown conditions could be uncovered once the steps are removed: "So under the steps there are beams that hold that structure up that protrude into the basement area. So once they uncover that there could be some issues under there with the beams. They're not anticipating that, but there's always that potential." The board heard that the asbestos abatement was a main driver of the higher price and that segregating the abatement would have been administratively more complex.

County staff said the project was competitively bid, came in below the engineer’s estimate, and falls within Ohio procurement rules allowing award when the low bid is within 20% of the estimate. Commissioners and staff also noted an ARPA spending deadline this year that requires progress on funded projects.

The president of the board was authorized earlier on the agenda to sign a notice to proceed for Dan A. Terrarian Sons to begin the step replacement; meanwhile the commissioner who volunteered to oversee the project said construction-administration services had been an oversight and staff would request a proposal from the architect to cover on-site administration, pay-app reviews and prevailing-wage checks.

Why it matters: The replacement involves historically sensitive courthouse fabric and taxpayer funds designated under ARPA, raising questions about procurement transparency, scope creep and prioritization of maintenance across county facilities. The board signaled it will continue oversight of change orders and construction administration as the work proceeds.

Next steps: Staff will return with any new proposals for construction administration and monitor change orders closely; the project must also proceed on the ARPA timeline to keep federal-eligible funding available.