The budget for a community health center renovation has exploded due to supply chain and inflation issues, but the health board is forging ahead with construction plans.

At Thursday’s meeting, the Wood County Board of Health affirmed it would go on with the construction project, which is expected to be $200,000 over budget, as of now.

The board has received $517,105 in Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funds for the renovation and in April voted to hire SSOE Group to provide professional architectural, engineering and interior design services.

In a presentation to the board on Thursday, Heather Judge with SSOE said the approved plan is $200,000 over budget.

“It was significantly higher than we were expecting for a renovation of this type … even in the pandemic world and supply chain,” she said. “We’ve seen an escalation of prices that we haven’t seen in the last two years.”

The board could choose to forego the phased approach, which would save money. This would mean moving some services off site while construction is going on, Judge said.

The board could wait on the project. The federal money does not have to be spent until Sept. 14, 2024.

“You still have some time,” Judge said.

Board member Richard Strow said the board should carry on with the project, “eating” the $200,000 with levy money, if needed.

“With all the things happening around the country, behavioral health is a big deal,” he said. “Behavioral health is so important right now, because of all the stresses that are going on right now — and it’s going to get worse.”

Make it happen as soon as possible, Strow said.

“Because we’re here to provide services and worrying about $200,000 when we’ve got plenty of money sitting in reserve, we need to move forward,” he said.

“I would even go dollar for dollar,” board member D.J. Mears said. “As Richard says, we need to act on this now.”

Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison said they will bring a plan for meeting mental health needs to the board. There is an urgent need, he added.

“If a pediatric patient is identified for needing mental health support, it’s a six-week wait just to get the assessment in order be identified for services,” Robison said.

HRSA has also designated Wood County as a shortage area for mental health professionals.

“And that was pre-COVID,” Robison said.

They want to build a complementary program to work along the other service providers in Wood County, he said.

“Our intention is to bring the board a plan, an actual staffing plan that details out what the levels are, what the revenue would be, what the expenses would be and how we think we fit into the broader network,” Robison said.

The board could wait a year and see if prices are better, or they could be worse, he said.

Board member Bob Midden said he would like to see the plans before they commit the money.

“I’m not suggesting we wait. I’d just like to know a little bit more,” he said. “I don’t feel an urgent need to approve it tonight. I’m in favor of it, though.”

“This is just to keep the ball rolling,” Mears said.

All of the board members voted in favor of not diverting from the plan that’s in place.

Also at the meeting, the board:

• Heard Robison report that the staff has been discussing monkeypox. There are no identified cases in Wood County or Ohio. There are 31 in the United States and 1,000 worldwide, he said.

• Granted a private well variance for 23114 Dunbridge Road, Perrysburg Township.

• Went into an executive session to discuss employment. No action was taken.