Sunday, December 15, 2002
The Mahoning County commissioners now have it in writing: Keeping the 7th District Court of Appeals in downtown Youngstown will save taxpayers money.
Commissioners Edward Reese, Vicki Allen Sherlock and David Ludt had sought proposals for a home for the four-judge court and had made it clear that all eight counties in the court's jurisdiction were eligible.
But only three developers submitted proposals by the 2 p.m. Dec. 6 deadline, and of the three, the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. made the commissioners an offer they would be hard-pressed to refuse.
The CIC is willing to make available 14,500 square feet of space in the City Hall Annex on Front Street across from the county courthouse at a lease payment of $210,250 a year
The next lowest proposal was submitted by Ohio Valley Mall Co. and involved 13,654 square feet of space at the McGuffey Plaza on Youngstown's East Side. The rent: $211,227.
Finally, the Southside Community Development Corp. offered 14,000 square feet in Oakhill Renaissance Place, formerly Southside Hospital, for $216,580.
Review
Though the proposals are being reviewed by a three-member panel and a recommendation is to be made to the commissioners in about month, it is clear that the Annex space is not only cheaper, but is more centrally located and is ideal for a court seeing as how the federal bankruptcy court once occupied that space.
In addition, the judges of the 7th District Court of Appeals, Gene Donofrio, Joseph J. Vukovich, Cheryl Waite and Mary DeGenaro, have expressed a desire to remain downtown and have wanted to move into the Annex.
Likewise, the commissioners have spent many hours trying to find a home for the appeals court in the central business district. A shortage of space in the Mahoning County Courthouse has meant that the judges' law clerks have had to use the courtroom as work space when the judges aren't on the bench. The court has 15 employees.
The review of the proposals represents the final stage of what has been a long process. The mayor and city council, the CIC, the commissioners and the judges have worked tirelessly to find adequate quarters for the court.
Because Mahoning County is the largest of the eight counties in the 7th District, it is up to Reese, Sherlock and Ludt to provide space for the court. The lease payments are shared by all the counties, but downtown Youngstown has been the location since the time the court was created.
The CIC has submitted a proposal that reflects its strong desire and that of the mayor and lawmakers to keep the 7th District Court of Appeals downtown. The CIC is a quasi-public entity charged with leading the revival of the central business district.