LIMA — Allen County commissioners and county department heads are considering several options for how to best use its facilities, one of which may include vacating the Allen County Courthouse.
After searching for direction on how to address an aging juvenile detention facility, commissioners have expanded that assessment to all county properties, looking at how to use county funds most appropriately. On Tuesday, commissioners met with county elected officials and department heads to go over three capital improvement options from Cleveland-based K2M Design, all of which call for a newly built juvenile detention facility.
“There wasn’t a lot of discussion, and we’re just trying to digest it,” county Commissioner Cory Noonan said. “What they did do is provide us an overview of how they arrived at the different options, looking at not just the structures, but also the offices and what the offices’ needs are and trying to project what those needs will be in the future.”
In the end, K2M Design summarized its preliminary findings into three recommendations, each of which represent a significant shift in the county building landscape. Noonan emphasized that while each plan’s recommendations will stay the same, projected numbers could be subject to change.
1. “Repurposing with Purpose”
•Renovating the courthouse building envelope and roof
•Demolishing old jail
•Renovating fourth floor for Juvenile Court and probate administration, third floor for hearing rooms and courts
•Renovating first and seconnd floors and updating technology
•Relocating Board of Elections and Child Support Enforcement Agency to renovated Juvenile Justice Center on Wardhill and closing law library, place Veterans Service Commission in Court of Appeals Building
•Construct new juvenile detention facility at old Ohio Department of Transportation site on North West Street, renovate old train depot station on same site for EMA and County Engineer’s Office, move dog warden to same site and demolish old building
•Upgrade technology at Veterans Memorial Civic Center
Estimated cost: $41.2 million to $50.3 million
2. “Downtown Investment”
•Renovate fourth and third floors for same purpose as option 1, renovate first and second floors for county departments
•Build new juvenile detention facility just north of Allen County Justice Center with structured parking, transfer sheriff’s maintenance shop to county engineer
•Close existing law library for “swing space,” renovate first floor of Court of Appeals Building for Veterans Affairs and relocate Board of Elections to first floor, relocate Juvenile Probation department to lower level
•Relocate County Engineer and Dog Warden to ODOT North West Street site renovated structures, demolish old dog warden site
•Relocate Child Support Enforcement Agency to Wardhill site
•Relocate EMA to new building near Sanitary Engineer’s Office on North Cole Street
•Upgrade technology at Veterans Memorial Civic Center
Estimated Cost: $44.3 million to $53.7 million
3. “Government Campus Concept”
•Constructing new facilities near Sanitary Engineer’s Office on North Cole Street, with a singular structure for all court components, Veterans Affairs, Board of Elections and Commissioners Office, a new juvenile detention building, a new EMA building and a new Job and Family Services and Child Support Enforcement Agency Building
•Relocate County Engineer to old ODOT North West Street site
•Construct new dog warden office at current location with enhanced dog play area
Estimated Cost: $46 million to $53.8 million
All three options would also involve demolishing the County Home, selling or gifting Memorial Hall, selling the current County Engineer building, canceling leases at two EMA facilities and selling the Savings Building once Child Support Enforcement is relocated.
While commissioners plan to meet with Judge Glenn Derryberry of Allen County Juvenile Court and Juvenile Court Director Berlin Carroll next week, it will be some time before county officials reach a final decision on which direction to go.
“They all present awesome ideas, but we need to get the reactions from elected officials and department heads,” Noonan said.
A final draft of K2M Design’s proposals will be completed by Tuesday, according to Noonan.
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Greg Sowinski | The Lima News
