MAHONING COUNTY COURTHOUSE Trustees, clerks to dine in style

They'll be served a catered dinner, then take a tour of the courthouse.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County's township trustees and clerks will sit down to dinner Thursday surrounded by marble pillars and staircases, historical paintings and elaborate stained glass.
They won't be in a five-star restaurant; they'll be in the county courthouse. The county Township Trustees and Clerks Association will hold its quarterly dinner meeting in the rotunda.
"We thought it was appropriate since the association represents all the townships in the county," said Trustee William Spellman of Ellsworth Township. "And as taxpayers, we help support that facility."
The trustees and clerks association holds quarterly dinner meetings, with townships taking turns hosting the event. Ellsworth Township is hosting this one.
Spellman said trustees considered holding the dinner at a facility somewhere in the township, but decided instead to see about holding it at the courthouse.
He said people who have visited the county from other states and have seen the courthouse, constantly remark about its beauty.
"I think all the trustees are kind of proud of it," he said. "It's a showcase."
Robert Rupeka, common pleas court administrator, is coordinating the event with the trustees. He said the township association will pick up the cost of a catered dinner that will be served.
County commissioners will absorb the cost of keeping the lights on in the building for about two hours after regular business hours.
Tours planned
After the dinner and a short business meeting, association members will be given tours of the courthouse by court personnel.
"I think it's a nice way of keeping close ties with people in our local governments," Rupeka said. He said the association held a dinner in the rotunda about 15 years ago, shortly after the building was renovated.
The four-story courthouse sits downtown between Boardman and Front streets, and opened its doors to the public March 6, 1911. The interior is highlighted by marble columns and staircases, and by four triangular murals by New York City artist Edwin H. Blashfield.
There are also large murals on the walls of some of the courtrooms. A stained-glass dome above the rotunda features a panel with the name of each of the county's 14 townships.
bjackson@vindy.com