There will be no delays in the openings of bids for emergency ambulance service in Lawrence County.

The Lawrence County Commission Thursday rejected a request to consider extending the bid deadline past 10 a.m. Monday.

&#8220My feeling is, there is no need or reason to extend,” Malone said. &#8220They've all had their bids the same amount of time.”

&#8220That's good enough for me,” Lawrence County Commissioner George Patterson agreed.

At Tuesday's pre-bid conference, Dan Csaky director of Ohio Operations for American Medical Response, which has an office in Akron, had asked for an extension, citing the new information accumulated during that Tuesday meeting. Patterson told him such an action would have to be addressed at a regular commission meeting.

AMR was one of a half a dozen outfits that attended the pre-bid conference.

This year was the first year in more than 30 that the county chose to ask for bids for the county's emergency ambulance service. South East Ohio Emergency Medical Services has had that contract since the 1970s.

In opting to put the contract up for bid, Malone and Patterson contended they are pleased with SEOEMS' level of service but want to save money. The vote on the matter was 2-1, with Commissioner Jason Stephens casting the lone vote against putting the contract up for bid.

Bids will be opened at 10 a.m. in commission chambers.