AUSTINTOWN BWC official says 'no' to move

Township officials thought their offer was being considered.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- A state official was "probably being polite" when he called township officials to ask about moving a state bureau of workers' compensation office to the township, says Jim Samuel, BWC's director of corporate affairs.
"If he was construed as, 'We are interested' or 'Send us more stuff,' he was probably misconstrued," Samuel said.
Township trustees sent a letter to BWC Administrator-CEO James Conrad on May 13 stating that they could provide a new home for the bureau's Warren office. Trustees said the office could move to its building at 100 Westchester Drive.
Moving downtown
Samuel said May 12 that the BWC is committed to moving the office to a proposed addition to the George V. Voinovich Government Center in downtown Youngstown to save money. The BWC's Youngstown office is in the Voinovich center.
Downtown's redevelopment agency, Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp., is expected to discuss the proposed addition at its board meeting Tuesday.
Township Administrator Michael Dockry said he received a call May 14 from Paul Johnson, who works in facilities for BWC, asking for more details about the township's proposal.
"He seemed very sincere about wanting to know more about our property and giving it serious consideration," Dockry said. "I was shocked that he called me."
Dockry added that Johnson also called him May 15 looking for more details about the township's proposal, and that he sent a second letter to the BWC on May 16.
Samuel, however, said Johnson wanted to be polite and respond to calls from elected officials. He added that the BWC is still committed to moving to downtown Youngstown.
Township Trustee David Ditzler said he believes state officials should give serious consideration to the township's proposal.
"If he was just doing it to be polite and just to respond to a call, then I think he's doing an injustice to the state, specifically to the budget crisis we're all in," Ditzler said.
Trustees offered the BWC 28,000 square feet in the township's Westchester Drive building, where the bureau had offices until it moved to Youngstown and Warren in 1999. They also said they could have a building constructed to provide an additional 12,000 square feet, or they could offer space in the building that houses Gatsby's restaurant.
Rent from the Westchester Drive building pays for township recreation.
Price quotes
The letter states the BWC would pay $10 per square foot the first year and $11 per square foot in each of the following five years, all utilities included. It paid $12 per square foot to rent the building before moving to Youngstown and Warren.
The BWC is paying $15 per square foot to rent 39,000 square feet in the Gibson Building on East Market Street in Warren, and $11.85 per square foot to rent 21,000 square feet in the Voinovich center.
hill@vindy.com