Commissioners award bids

The Hot Springs County Commissioners met Tuesday afternoon, going over a few things including granting bids for carpeting and the painting and drywall projects for the Hot Springs County Counseling Center (HSCCC).

The commissioners approved a letter to the state’s Behavioral Health Division on behalf of Al Braaten, supporting Braaten’s application to renew the HSCCC contract to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment in Hot Springs County.

The HSCCC provides services to all, including those without the ability to pay, so monies from the state help make up for the shortfall. Unfortunately, the state is asking centers across the state to cover more mental health issues without an increase in the funding they provide.

Braaten told the commissioners, however, Governor Matt Mead has promised no further cuts to the Department of Health, at least for this year.

Over the holidays, a burst pipe at HSCCC created a flooding situation that damaged carpeting and sheetrock inside the building. The commissioners put the work out for bid and granted those bids on Tuesday.

The carpeting bid was awarded to Thermop Hardware for a total amount of $12,324. The bid for sheetrock and painting went to Patterson Construction for $10,800.

There was also some discussion about being able to provide health insurance for fairground staff.

The fair board has been trying to hire someone to take care of the grounds, but have run into the issue of prospective employees wanting some kind of health care to go along with their salary. At this time, there is no health insurance provided and any payments beyond what the employee contributes would have to come from the fair board’s budget.

The health insurance information will be taken back to the fair board for discussion.