MAHONING COUNTY Officials debate study for building

The county auditor says a building commission would provide expertise.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County Auditor George Tablack says county commissioners should appoint a panel of experts to help them decide the feasibility of accepting the donation of a former hospital and converting it into government offices.
One commissioner and the county prosecutor think that's a good idea.
In July, owners of the former Forum Health Southside Medical Center offered to donate the building, now known as Oakhill Renaissance Place, to the county as a possible site for the county Department of Job and Family Services.
The building is already occupied by several private and public agencies, including the county coroner's office and Youngstown Health Department.
Commissioners voted Aug. 3 to authorize Tablack and other county officials to meet with Forum Health and the Southside Community Redevelopment Corporation, which operates the facility, and determine if it would be economically feasible for the county to accept the building.
But Tablack said neither he nor other employees have the expertise to examine the building and determine its structural condition and what sort of upgrades might be needed. That's why he thinks a building commission is the way to go.
"It's pretty tough for us to turn our heads away from a building like this," Tablack said. "There are people in this community who have the experience and expertise and value who could bolster this evaluation."
Panel's composition
Tablack said the commission should be an impartial panel made up of experts in the fields of construction, commercial property management, hospital facilities and finance. By law, he said the four-member commission must be equal parts Democratic and Republican.
Having an impartial commission assisting with the decision would also lift the process out of the political arena, he said.
"If we have people of that capacity helping in the process, I think we could hold our heads high regardless of what decision we make," Tablack said.
Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock said she doesn't mind asking for expert advice to guide the process but, "I'm not so inclined to put together an official building commission."
She said that under the law, building commission members must be paid. Given the county's tenuous financial state, Sherlock said she doesn't think a paid commission is a good idea.
"I don't think we're in a position right now to start compensating people for things like that," Sherlock said.
Tablack said community members served for years on a building commission leading up to and during construction of the county jail, which opened in 1996. They weren't paid.
"They did yeomen's work," Tablack said. "They kept that project from getting out of hand with change orders."
Sherlock said she has spoken with community members who have the necessary expertise and are willing to serve without pay, and she would be willing to go along with that.
Commissioner David Ludt said he likes Tablack's suggestion for a commission and said the county should move quickly to set one up. He said people with required expertise could evaluate the extent of repairs and upgrades the building would need for conversion to an office complex.
"If somebody wants to give you a building, and it's feasible, why would you not take it and consolidate some of your services there?" Ludt said.
Like Sherlock, Commissioner Ed Reese said he's not convinced of the need to appoint a formal building commission to oversee the project. He said Ohio law allows for creation of a building commission to oversee new construction, but he's not sure one is appropriate in this case.
Prosecutor Paul Gains said Reese is technically correct. Ohio law requires appointment of a building commission for construction of a new county building or expansion of a county-owned building.
Under the law, commissioners appoint the panel and then petition the common pleas court to set compensation for its members, Gains said.
There is no building commission requirement for donation of a privately owned building, Gains said. Still, he said Tablack is correct to want expert review before making a decision.
"There's the old saying that you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, but if that gift horse is going to require a ton of dental work, then you'd better look close," Gains said.
He said there is nothing to prevent commissioners from using community volunteers to form an ad hoc committee, though, and suggested that's what they do.