ASHLAND — The roof over the Ashland County Jail has leaked for years.
Now, commissioners are committing $3.6 million to replace it.
The Ashland County Commissioners approved a $3,595,675 estimate from The Garland Company, Inc., a Cleveland-based material manufacturer, to replace the roof.
The project will address longstanding leaks at the building, Sheriff Kurt Schneider said.
The county will pay $700,000 from the jail operations fund. The remaining $2,895,675 will come from the capital projects fund, with that amount repaid to the fund from jail operations
The arrangement requires annual payments of at least $100,000 by Oct. 31 until the advance is repaid. Schneider said the county will monitor sales tax revenue and could make larger payments if funds allow.
Commissioner Jim Justice said they considered completing the work in phases but determined that approach would cost about $500,000 more than replacing the roof at once.
The roof’s problems are not new. During Thursday’s discussion, leaks traced back to at least 2002. The facility was built in 1998.
Historic plaques find new home
Ashland City Schools Superintendent Steve Paramore presented two plaques to the Ashland County Commissioners at the Thursday meeting.
The plaques were salvaged from the former Ashland Middle School on Cottage Street before its demolition in 2016.
The artifacts hold a piece of the school’s history as they transition to Ashland County’s second administration building.
“There’s going to be some of that high school/ middle school that tens of thousands of students have attended right there on Cottage Street that will live on in the county building,” Paramore said.
The first plaque was donated to Ashland High School by the class of 1914. It shares Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and an image of the Lincoln penny.
The bronze plaque was manufactured by the Gorham Company of New York City. The plaque used to hang inside the Cottage Street building’s entrance.
The second plaque was donated by the class of 1937. It honors George Washington and was hung on the second floor near the main entrance staircase.
The space later housed the Board of Education offices and middle school offices.
Philip McNaull, the district’s director of technology, removed the plaques from the building in 2016.
Brad Adams of VSWC Architects has worked with the school district and county commissioners on projects. He said the plaques came to light during discussions about items remaining from the former school.
The new two-story, 13,000-square-foot county administration building will house offices for the county auditor, treasurer, recorder and a tax map department.
The plaques will likely be displayed on the building’s second floor. Their placement hopes to give county employees a piece of Ashland City Schools’ history.
The county Administration building is on schedule and on budget, according to Adams. Constructions crews expect to complete the exterior masonry in about three weeks. The interior drywall work begins Monday.
