Jail move off, ORV likely to become regional jail

SOUTH POINT — At the Lawrence County Commission meeting Tuesday at the Tri-State Bible College, the commissioners announced their intent to send a letter to the owner of the Country Hearth Inn regarding the prevalent drug activity and poor conditions at the location.

Commission President Bill Pratt read the letter at the meeting, which is addressed to the owner at Mortgage Management Inc. in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“As you may well know, our county has been overtaken by the same drug problem that is occurring nationwide. The immeasurable toll that drugs have taken on our citizens, and in particular, the children of the people addicted to drugs in our county is a major problem,” the letter states. “The Lawrence County Commissioners are well aware of troubling reports regarding the property you own at 70 Private Drive 302, South Point. In fact, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to this location 20 times in 2016. Also, the Lawrence County EMS made 70 runs to this location in 2016.”

Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless added that the number of 20 times the sheriff’s office was dispatched to the Country Hearth Inn was probably lower than the actual number due to their computer system changing and people calling from the location, but having a different address show up, which is not recorded to the number of runs to the Country Hearth Inn.

“When I look at EMS going there 70 times last year, I would estimate that we went over there closer to half of that number, 35 or 40,” Lawless said. “We don’t go out every time EMS is called there, but 20 is an extremely low number.”

At a previous commission meeting, recovery personnel from Spectrum Outreach Services brought up the issue of the Country Hearth Inn, along with two other South Point motels, the Grandview Inn and Southern Hills Inn.

An inspection of the Country Hearth Inn in October, requested by Spectrum Outreach Services, revealed 26 violations at the motel, which included broken windows, cockroaches, dead mice, bed bugs, unsanitary carpets, walls and floors, mold, and ventilation and fire protection issues. When the property was inspected again in March, only five of the 26 violations had been corrected.

Pratt said a letter to the Country Hearth Inn owner addressing the issues was needed.

“We think it’s unacceptable the way this place is run. The conditions are unacceptable for children who are living there, and we’ll do everything we can to get that cleaned up,” he said. “We don’t have a problem with people doing business in Lawrence County as long as they’re doing it the right way, and that’s not the case here.”

Commissioner DeAnna Holliday added a resolution for payment of the utility bill at the ORV facility to the council agenda, but she removed it, due to lack of support for the move.

“I’ve been getting strong signals from the state that they will remove us from that lease and make the facility a regional jail,” Holliday said. “The information I have is that it will be open to Lawrence, Gallia and Scioto counties with the potential to add a few other surrounding counties.”

She added that it disappoints her that the county is not able to capitalize on the jail move, and will have to send its prisoners to the same facility once it is a regional jail.

Lawless said that the whole jail issue has been a testy one from the beginning, but that everyone’s hearts and minds have been in the right place, just with differing opinions.

“Our next fight will be trying to get as much bed space from that facility as we can,” he said.

With the jail move off the table, prisoners who are unable to get into the eventual regional jail at the ORV will still have to be transported out of county.

Also at commission, the commissioners:

• Approved and signed the weekly invoices and certificates as presented by the Auditor’s office.

• Received and filed the Dog Warden Report dated April 15, 2017.

• Approved one floodplain permit.

• Received and filed the Prosecutor Opinion regarding providing legal services for the Lawrence County Land Reutilization Corporation.

• Approved the inter-county trade of funds between the Lawrence County Department of Job and Family Services and the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services. Lawrence County will be sending Athens County $150,000 of TANF regular funds in exchange for $150,000 Title XX TANF funds from Athens County.

• Approved two transfer funds.

• Approved one appropriation.

• Approved Hecla Water to transfer a water meter into the name of VFW Post 6878 in Proctorville.

• Met in executive session with Lawrence County Chief Deputy Auditor Chris Kline and LCDJFS Director Terry Porter regarding the possible purchasing of real estate. No action was taken.

• Met in executive session with Chris Kline regarding personnel hire, fire, reprimand. Adam Myers was demoted from Maintenance 1 to a custodial position, which was recommended in a probationary period by maintenance supervisor.

The next Lawrence County Commission meeting will be 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 2 at the Coal Grove Freez-ett.