$180,000 accepted for courthouse roof repairs | News, Sports, Jobs

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners approved an agreement with Murphy Contracting of Youngstown to make emergency repairs to the roof of the Mahoning County Courthouse, costing $179,800.

Jim Fortunato, the county’s purchasing director, said Thursday that the most recent restoration of the roof was done six years ago as part of the $6 million courthouse restoration project that began around 2013. Since the last roof restoration work, there has been some deterioration of the mortar and soil. cotta in the roof area, from the gutters upwards, Fortunato said.

The work will be carried out to ensure that no water enters the building and causes internal or structural damage to the historic structure, he said, adding that he does not yet know what caused the damage, but this could become clearer as the repair work progresses.

The $6 million restoration included replacing the roof, downspouts and pieces of molded clay brick (known as terra cotta), as well as restoring the 16-foot copper statue on the roof , according to Vindicator archives.

Ceremonial activities for the $6 million renovation project were delayed by COVID-19, so some of them took place later, such as the August 2022 installation of a new time capsule in stone corner of the building, which celebrated the completion of the work. restoration and celebration of the courthouse.

Murphy Contracting was also the general contractor for the restoration project. Fortunato was the project manager for the restoration project.

The other major repair done to the courthouse in recent years was a four-month project ending around January 1, 2020, to replace metal girders and steam lines and add storm water drainage pipes and concrete work to resolve a corrosion problem in the alley behind the courthouse. court.

The problem was observed after water seeped through the driveway’s decorative pavers and seeped into a concrete roof above a tunnel that connects the courthouse and the building administration of the neighboring county.

The water caused steel beams to rust where the tunnel meets the courthouse and destabilized the courthouse’s granite walls in that area of ​​the building. Commissioners authorized spending $325,000 for this work in May 2019. Murphy Contracting also managed this project.

$47.6 MILLION COUNTY

APPROVED BUDGET

Separately, the commissioners approved the county’s 2025 general fund budget of $47,665,000 and the Criminal and Administrative Justice Fund budget of $40,100,000, the same amount as the county commissioners and their Office of the Management and Budget said during the November budget hearings that it had been certified as available. spend in 2025.

The General Fund increased by 7.4% compared to 2023, and the Criminal and Administrative Justice Fund increased by 2.8% compared to 2023.

The general fund covers most major county departments, including the courts, offices of commissioners, auditors, treasurers and recorders, and the board of elections. The criminal justice fund funds the sheriff’s office and jail, coroner’s and prosecutor’s offices and county 911.

Judge Theresa Dellick attended the commissioners’ meeting to thank them for how the commissioners have helped the juvenile court this year with capital improvement funds and money for health care benefits.

She mentioned the storage tanks which have been brought up to standard, the heating in the juvenile detention gymnasium has been repaired, the boiler has undergone a “five-year repair”, the detention radios have been upgraded. upgrades, hot water tanks were upgraded, kitchen hood, HVAC circulation pump, hard floor improvements, installation of new cameras and locks in the detention center with the help of the commissioners and the Department of Ohio Youth Services.

“As old as it is, it’s probably one of the best buildings,” she said of the juvenile court and detention center.

Dellick’s budget request for 2025 was $7.9 million, a 13.9 percent increase from his 2024 budget of $6.8 million, but the budget approved by commissioners was $7.1 million, an increase of 10.1 percent.

Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said of the county’s finances and budget, “We monitored the results as best we could, even though there was a lot of upheaval in the economy, inflationary phenomena. Mahoning County has remained very, very fiscally strong, and we are very proud of that. The numbers don’t lie and we have an excellent budget and management office.

Also at the meeting, commissioners reappointed Ed Muransky, chairman of the board of directors of The Muransky Companies and founder and majority owner of Southwoods Surgical Hospital in Boardman, to the board of directors of the Western Reserve Port Authority, an economic development organization that manages the Youngstown Warren Regional Airport. The appointment is for four years.

Before the vote, Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Port Authority, said Muransky was “a true gem to this community, not only in terms of his philanthropy, but his business acumen and his leadership is incredible.” I regularly call on him for matters related to aviation and business.

Commissioners also appointed Chelsea Hillard to the Mahoning County Developmental Disabilities Board for four years and reappointed Jodi Kale and Anthony Sertick. Commissioners also reappointed Sharon Hackett to the Mahoning County Law Library Resource Board for five years.

Next week’s meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the commissioners’ courtroom in the basement of the county courthouse.