DOWNTOWN AKRON — Summit County law enforcement agencies will soon adhere to a uniform, countywide system of identifying properties where methamphetamine was manufactured now that Summit County Council has adopted recommended legislation.

At its Aug. 11 meeting, Council adopted the three recommendations that came from meetings of the Methamphetamine Property Awareness Task Force, which met several times since March.

The first recommendation was that law enforcement agencies that process a meth site submit a completed El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) form to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. According to task force documents, the nationally recognized form will ensure the process of reporting meth lab locations is uniform.

The data from the EPIC forms can then be put into a countywide database, which is the second recommendation. The Web site will list properties that have been used for the production of meth or the storage or disposal of meth components, byproducts or waste.

The sheriff’s office will be responsible for the property listings on the Web site. The site also will feature other resources and information, which will be maintained with the help of task force members and Council staff.

The task force’s third recommendation was that Council urge state and federal governments to establish meth cleanup guidelines, which the task force found are not in existence.

“Neither Ohio nor the federal government has established scientific standards that Summit County could turn to in order to make a qualified determination of meth levels,” the task force recommendations stated.

Once better guidelines are in place, the recommendations stated, the county could set more comprehensive policies that would include information on cleanup as well as other public health issues.

There was no discussion at Council about the legislation, which was unanimously adopted on first reading. Members Louise Heydorn (R-District 3) and Ilene Shapiro (D-at large) were absent.

Also adopted on first reading was a resolution ratifying and confirming a letter of understanding among the county, the Summit County Port Authority, the city of Akron and Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire for its new technical center in Akron.

The agreement states that Summit County will contribute $6.8 million for a parking deck and another $500,000 for a covered skywalk between the parking deck and new technical center building.

First-reading passage was not requested for legislation allowing the county to seek bids on construction of the new Veterans Service Commission building, but Council members moved to adopt the legislation during the meeting. The legislation states the estimated cost of the building, to be located on a 2-acre site on East Waterloo Road, is $1.98 million.

Council also adopted all legislation unanimously agreed to by committee, which included two pieces of legislation from Summit County Engineer Greg Bachman. One was to execute an agreement between the county and Medina County’s engineer for the repair and improvement of a section of pavement and a bridge on Medina Line Road. The pavement repair, straddling Copley and Sharon townships, will be overseen by Bachman, while Medina County’s engineer will oversee the bridge project, located on the border of Norton and Wadsworth Township. The counties will split the cost, with Summit paying $135,000, according to the legislation.

The other piece of legislation approved a construction contract with Precision Excavating and Grading for culvert replacements on three county roads, including Alger Road in Richfield, at a cost of $48,326.

Summit County Council is scheduled to meet for committee meetings Aug. 18 at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the seventh floor of the Ohio Building, 175 S. Main St.