POINT PLEASANT — Exterior work on what will be the new Mason County Sheriff’s Department may be wrapped up as early as next week.

At Thursday’s Mason County Commission meeting, County Administrator John Gerlach said he’d spoken to the contractor and it appears the exterior work on the old Point Pleasant Hardware Building could be done by Tuesday. Gerlach said the contractor had brought in an extra crew to help with the brick work which was helping moving the project along. The next status meeting on the project will be 11 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Work began at the end of November with contractors Trisco Systems of Lima, Ohio having 60 days to complete the job for its bid of $102,092 - the lowest of six total bids. Since contractors began, it was discovered the exterior renovation wasn’t going to be as extensive as previously thought due to the building’s underlayment being in better shape than anticipated.

Gerlach previously told county commissioners the price on the work should be significantly adjusted. This should be enough to pay for the unexpected $12,000 worth of testing which must take place due to a hydraulic lift, which used oil, being located in the building. These required tests will include testing for oil leaks and asbestos in the surrounding flooring.

In other business:

Gerlach reported the commission had been approved for two Claflin Foundation grants, one for $7,000 to build a 20-feet-by-20-feet storage garage behind the Mason County Dog Shelter - this project will be 100 percent funded by the grant. The other grant was for $2,950 to go towards the purchase of five, new bulletproof vests for the Mason County Sheriff’s Department.

Gerlach reported the new electronic sign at the Mason County Health Department has been installed. The sign cost $13,000 and in addition to being used to display health department and community announcements, it can display public service announcements during power outages. The health department and sign will both operate on the same backup generator during outages which means the county will have access to its own means of displaying emergency information such as the location of shelters, food, etc.

The commission approved revising the county budget, adding $56,000 as a county line item to renovate the basketball courts near Point Pleasant Intermediate School, $150,000 added to the budget for the Mason County Sheriff’s Department which was in reference to the purchase of new radios required by the federal government. In addition, Gerlach said more funds had to be added to the budget for the sheriff’s department for legal fees regarding litigation proceedings with five previous employees of the department.

Commissioners Bob Baird, Rick Handley and Miles Epling all recognized the recent W.Va. Class A Football Championship won by the Wahama White Falcons, publicly congratulating the team.

“It’s quite an honor for Mason County,” Baird said.

Epling asked Gerlach to draft an email to the Mason County Public Service District asking for a copy of the transfer agreement between the PSD and Rolling Acres subdivision.

The courthouse Christmas dinner is at noon on Friday, Dec. 21 with the courthouse closing at noon and being closed the rest of the day. The Mason County Courthouse will also be closed all day on Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1, 2013.

Also present at yesterday’s meeting, County Clerk Diana Cromley.