YOUNGSTOWN Appeals court needs home after plan fails

Judges want to stay in the city if possible but will head south if they must.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Plans to move the 7th District Court of Appeals into the Mahoning County Administration Building have fallen through.
That has the court once again looking for a new home. And if suitable space can't be found downtown, it could spell the end of the court's long run in Youngstown.
Judges hope that doesn't happen, however.
"This is the center of government. We would like to be here," appellate Judge Gene Donofrio said of the downtown district. "Moving out of the city would be a last resort, but it might become an option."
Cramped space: The appellate court has four judges and a team of secretaries and law clerks. It is housed on the fourth floor of the county courthouse, but judges have long complained that they need more room.
County commissioners have explored several options both inside and outside the courthouse, to no avail. They thought they'd found the answer last year when judges agreed to move into the administration building, which is directly behind the courthouse.
But Judge Donofrio said a closer look at the building, which is the old county jail, showed that it would not meet the court's needs. There were too many "logistical problems," he said.
County Administrator Gary Kubic said commissioners already have lined up another tenant to take over the administration building space that had been set aside for the court.
Commissioners haven't made a firm decision yet, but Kubic said they will probably seek proposals from property owners who have space to rent for the court.
"The commissioners have all along tried to facilitate an expansion for the court's needs," Kubic said. "We've exhausted our options in terms of space between the courthouse and administration building."
Best location: He agreed that the best location would be downtown, close to the county courthouse and the two federal courthouses. But if no suitable space is located, commissioners and the court will have no choice but to look outside the city.
If that happens, Judge Donofrio said, the court would prefer to move to a southern suburb of the city because it would be closer to the rest of the district.
The 7th district includes eight counties: Mahoning, Columbiana, Belmont, Jefferson, Carroll, Harrison, Noble and Monroe.
Kubic and Judge Donofrio said appellate courts have historically been located in their district's largest county. The other counties help pay the rent for building space, with their payments pro-rated according to population.
Cost consideration: Judges have said they're trying to be mindful of the cost of a move while looking for new quarters. They do not want the relocation to become a financial burden, especially for smaller counties with skimpy budgets.
"It's going to have to be the right mix of space and cost efficiency," Judge Donofrio said.
He said the court has hired a consultant to scout possible locations and evaluate their suitability for the court's needs. Besides a courtroom, judges need adequate office space and room for legal research.
Storage room also is a primary concern, because the court generates loads of paperwork, Judge Donofrio said.
"We have four judges and their staffs working in the same space that would be used by an average common pleas judge," he said. "This has been long overdue."
He said commissioners have "been very accommodating" in the quest for space, for which judges are grateful.
bjackson@vindy.com