Interviews of engineering firms vying to oversee work at the planned Wild Escape Theme Park at The Highlands are scheduled to continue today.

Ohio County Development Authority treasurer/secretary Greg Stewart told authority members Tuesday the number of eligible firms for the Wild Escape work has been narrowed down to three. Eight different companies originally submitted their qualifications. A committee consisting of Stewart, Terry Sterling, Orphy Klempa, John Miller and Tom Tominack is scheduled to hear the companies' final presentations at 3 p.m. today, Stewart said.

''We will get a little more in-depth as to how they would approach that project,'' Stewart said.

Stewart declined to name the three firms, but the original eight included Austen Surveying of Powhatan Point; CEC of Pittsburgh; CME of St. Clairsville; CTL of Morgantown; Pedersen of Valencia, Pa.; PS&R of North Huntington; Thrasher of Clarksburg/Charleston; and Zell Engineering of Pittsburgh.

He said the three companies will be ranked as required by state law. Contract negotiations with the top-ranked firm will begin. If talks with the first firm don't go as planned, the authority is required to negotiate with the second-ranked firm and, if necessary, the third.

''I think we narrowed it down to three good choices,'' said Klempa, an authority member. ''I think any one of the three is capable of doing the project.''

Stewart said he hoped the committee would pick a firm by next week.

The original legal advertisement noted the company would provide professional services for ''planning, geotechnical services, site/civil engineering, utility design and coordination, field testing and inspection services, design bid and award support, construction bidding, contract administration and on site construction monitoring for the site development of Phase V ... at The Highlands.'' It also would be responsible for evaluating the soil borings for the project that would include ''pads for up to eight buildings, footing for roller coasters and significant rides (10) and phased construction of parking lots, lighting, etc.''

In other matters, the OCDA approved hiring Bayliss and Ramey of Dunbar, W.Va., to install three new traffic signals at The Highlands for $303,770. They were the lowest of the three bidders.

The authority also approved Smoker Friendly as a new Highlands tenant. The shop will be located in a section of buildings below Wal-Mart.

Josh Noble, senior environmental scientist at Wallace and Pancher of Hermitage, Pa., also did a presentation about his company's mitigation project on Middle Wheeling Creek. He said the work is expected to decrease the voracity of flooding along the stream, but not eliminate it. In addition to mitigation, creation of a new wetlands area was required to offset the impact of Highlands-related earthwork.

Following the 5 p.m. development authority meeting, Ohio County commissioners Randy Wharton, Tim McCormick and David Sims met at 6 p.m. The commission approved bidders for grant-funded projects related to Homeland Security. For example, $34,775 will be used for a ''reverse 911 system'' that will automatically call residents within a chosen radius to alert them of an incident. Dispatchers choose the radius.

McCormick noted the National Association of Counties is encouraging county commissions to support a federal measure to reform health care.

''This does not support one individual's reform over another. This is a just a blanket statement saying something needs to be done,'' McCormick said.