WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners on Wednesday approved providing up to $21,400 to hire Baker, Bednar, Snyder & Associates to design the technical specifications for the Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency’s improvement project at 773 Everett Hull Road in Cortland.

“They will provide in the package everything I will need in the drawings,” Trumbull County EMA Director John Hickey told the commissioners during their weekly workshop meeting on Tuesday.

Hickey said the design work for the project should be completed within 30 days of the contract being awarded. The county must hire an architect because of the project cost, he said.

“My goal is to have the bids ready no later than mid-March,” Hickey said.

The EMA is expected to move from its location at 640 North River Road to a former Bazetta fire station on Everett Hull Road. The move was necessitated because the county moved the Trumbull County coroner’s office and labs into the North River Road building.

The coroner is expected to stay in the current EMA building. Further modifications are expected to be made at that building once the EMA moves into the Everett Hull Road location. An estimated cost of the renovation of the former fire station and the move previously was projected to be approximately $300,000.

The movement of the EMA to a new building is one of three major projects the commissioners have been discussing for more than a year. The other two projects include the relocation of the Trumbull County 911 Center and finding a location for a new Trumbull County dog pound.

The commissioners have been looking at moving the 911 center to the second floor of the Trumbull County Combined Health District building in Cortland.

DOG POUND DISCUSSION

Discussions are still taking place about the relocation of the dog pound. At one point, the new dog pound was planned to be built on property formerly owned by the Animal Welfare League in Vienna.

The AWL sold the property to the county and designs were drawn for the project.

Commissioners recently hired a new dog warden, Matthew Dubon, and are expected to hire an assistant dog warden.

Dubon replaced former warden Michelle Goss, who resigned.

“Once the two of them are in place, we will work with them and other interested stakeholders to look at the design of the new pound,” Commissioner Rick Hernandez said.

Commissioners Tony Bernard and Hernandez each have expressed the projected $3.5 million to $4 million cost of the new 55-kennel dog pound based on 2024 architectural drawings is too high.

The commissioners would like to see a simpler, less expensive pound built.

“We can build a simpler one that serves the current needs, which later may be expanded,” Hernandez suggested. “Donors may be able to provide the funds to add new wings that will be named after them.”