Saturday, June 21, 2003
Among the issues that concern the CSB is the cost .
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning County Children Services Board appointed a committee Wednesday evening to put together a wish list for the proposed construction of an addition to the George V. Voinovich Government Center.
CSB would occupy about 75 percent of the 40,000-square-foot addition; the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation would occupy the rest.
CSB has until midnight June 30 to decide if it wants to move to the new location.
"This may not be our dream location, but we can make it work if we can design our own space," said Denise Stewart, CSB director.
If the plan goes forward, CSB "would put up the building and the BWC would lease space for at least two years," said the Rev. Joseph Allen, pastor of St. Dominic Church and CSB chairman.
"We all agree that a new building is necessary but we want to protect our interests and most importantly, the interests of the children we serve," he continued. "We want to make sure there won't be any liabilities that would come into opposition with what we're trying to do."
Key issues
Among the issues that concern the CSB are the costs of the project -- how much CSB would be required to front is unclear -- and the number of parking spaces it would be allotted.
Under the proposed plan, CSB would have 65 covered parking spaces and 35 more in a surface lot. Those 100 spaces would satisfy CSB's regular daily needs, Father Allen said, but could not accommodate visitors in the event of a meeting.
Father Allen, Bev Reyes, head of CSB's personnel committee, Edgar Giddens, chairman of the finance committee, and Peter Lymber, chairman of the building committee, were appointed to the wish list committee. Father Allen said they will meet "however often is necessary" with Stewart, Tom Infante, CSB's legal adviser, and Daniel Thomas, finance manager, to work out a list that meets CSB's needs and that will serve as a "counter contractual agreement" to what has been proposed.
kubik@vindy.com