A meeting scheduled for next Thursday concerning moving the county jail to Franklin Furnace has been canceled by the state.

No reason was given by Scott Neely, legislative liaison for the state department of corrections and rehabilitation, in an email to County Commissioner Bill Pratt.

Pratt made the announcement at Thursday’s regular county commission meeting.

The meeting was to have taken place at the now closed Ohio River Valley Correctional Facility where the state has offered a 100-bed unit to Lawrence County for its jail.

The current jail has come under fire from the state for failing to meet a variety of regulations including providing the standard amount of square footage for an individual inmate. Because of that the jail should only have 24 prisoners. Daily census, however, can run between 70 to 100 inmates.

The move to Franklin Furnace in Scioto County would alleviate the current overcrowding.

“(Neely) said it would be rescheduled to late September,” Pratt said.

Also at the meeting the commissioners agreed to place on next Thursday’s agenda reactivating the Courthouse Centennial Fund that was used for the 2008 celebration of the courthouse’s 100th year.

Pratt suggested renaming the fund for the upcoming county bicentennial celebration.

“If a business wants to add to it, it would be a protected fund we couldn’t spend on anything else,” Pratt said.

On Monday will be the first meeting of the newly formed Bicentennial Committee to develop celebrations for the county’s 200th birthday. On the committee are chairman Pratt, Commissioner Freddie Hayes, Carl Murdock, Chris Saunders, Nicole Cox, Dave Lucas, Steve Call, Deb Rogers, Mike Finley, Mike Patterson, Bob Leith and Dave Milem.

In other action the commission:

• Accepting the resignation of Julie Yost as a part-time paramedic;

• Hired Russell Long and Adam Stone as part-time paramedics;

• Received the weekly dog warden’s report where eight dogs were destroyed, 38 were adopted or went to rescue and none were redeemed by owners.