Courthouse lighting project awarded to Millersburg Electric

With hopes of having the new lighting system in place for the exterior of the Holmes County Courthouse prior to Christmas, the Holmes County Commissioners wasted little time in accepting the low bid on the project.

A trio of bids were accepted and opened by Holmes County engineer Chris Young in the Old Jail meeting room in Millersburg, and immediately following the opening, Young retired to a separate room to pour over the bids to make sure they each entailed all the details the commissioners sought when creating the job.

Ables Inc. out of Zanesville offered a bid of $384,343, Perram Electric Inc. out of Wadsworth submitted a bid of $566,185 and Millersburg Electric of Millersburg provided a bid of $365,173.

Young returned to the commissioner’s meeting approximately 20 minutes after reviewing the bids, noting all were on par with the commissioners' design and recommended accepting the bid of Millersburg Electric.

“They’ve got a subcontractor in Midstate (Contractors), and they have a construction bond, so I recommend Millersburg Electric,” Young said.

As part of Millersburg Electric’s bid, it will utilize Midstate Contractors as a subcontractor to place all the hardware and lights on the outside of the courthouse. That brings with it a certain amount of confidence because Doug Hooper, president of Midstate, had his crew do all the recent structural work on the courthouse during the remodeling of the courthouse clocktower.

For Kerry Taylor, Millersburg Electric owner and president, the opportunity to work on the lighting system on such a prestigious historic building in Holmes County is an honor.

“This is something that is going to be enjoyed by the community and visitors for years to come,” Taylor said. “It will bring a sense of pride to be able to know that we were a part of the process.”

Taylor said they are excited to get started on the project, but one thing that is out of their control is the lead time on the fixtures and lighting that will factor into the process.

Without knowing any exact dates, he said it will be difficult to determine when he and his crew can get started on the electrical portion of the project.

Young said once the contract is officially signed, there will be a 90-day window to complete the project.

“The wiring will actually be the majority of the work that needs done,” Young said.

According to Commissioner Joe Miller, the hope is the entire process will be sewn up well before the Christmas season arrives.

“This is exciting,” Miller said. “We are proud of the courthouse and that clocktower.”

He said it is imperative the project utilizes the exact lighting fixtures and lights that were placed in the contract. The lights came highly recommended by KLH Engineers of Cincinnati, which created the specs for the upcoming lighting project for the courthouse clocktower.

“It’s very important to get the right lights that will last,” Miller said.

Once completed, the commissioners believe the new lighting will only add to the allure of what has become a major tourist destination in Millersburg.