EATON — The Preble County Board of Elections (BOE) met with the Preble County Commissioners during their meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 27 to discuss the BOE’s space in the courthouse.

Preble BOE Director Terri Hans asked that the commission help to provide a coat of sealant for the BOE’s secured rooms in the basement of the Preble County Courthouse to help prevent dust from entering the BOE’s election equipment.

The floor was previously grounded to prepare for a coat of sealant, but the coat was never applied, and Building and Grounds Maintenance Director Bob Baker said the floor will need regrounded, requiring new quotes.

Commissioner Rachael Vonderhaar then asked if there will be a storage issue for the BOE while the work is done.

“There will be because we probably will have a May election and we will probably lock everything down as of the end of March,” Hans said.

With the sped up timeline for getting the floors done, Baker said they will reach back out to companies that originally bid to do the work, and Commissioner Adam Craft recommended Baker look locally for work to expedite the process.

The BOE’s equipment will need to be moved out of their room for the work to be done, and while it could be stored elsewhere in the Preble County Courthouse, including the lobby, the BOE cautioned again that the work will need to be finished before their equipment is locked down in March.

As the meeting ended, Hans also asked that the commissioners begin thinking about a long-term issue for the BOE.

“Since we do have a new board here, we would like you to start thinking about moving us out of the courthouse to try to find this new space for our office,” Hans said.

In other business

The board approved the following financial considerations:

• Res. #72-21-194 to authorize an expenditure of $14,900 for the purhcase of Hydro-LOK premium cover material for the landfill.
• Res. #72-21-194 to authorize payment to the engineer for $15,456.36.

The board also noted receipt and considered approval by signing an agreement with Barrett Paving Mateirals for the 2021 Resurfacing Project in the amount of $1,642,969.40.

The Preble County Board of Commissioners meet every Monday and Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Preble County Courthouse. These meetings are open to the public.