Trumbull County receives 9 choices as locations for agency's quarters

The county has some large plaza spaces with ample parking to consider.
WARREN -- Trumbull County received nine proposals for its large Job & amp; Family Services/Child Support Enforcement quarters, only two of which would keep 250 employees and their clients downtown.
Among the county's other possible choices are large vacant plaza spaces in Warren, Howland and Niles.
Thursday, county officials opened proposals from landlords and developers seeking to house the merged agency. "This is our first step here, in analyzing where it's going to go," said architect Bruce W. Sekanick.
The nine proposals
Proposals submitted in the order they were opened are:
UKleese Development Associates, Warren, for 150 S. Park Ave. (current landlord downtown); 88,056 square feet at $12.50 per square foot; annual rent, $1.1 million.
UCovelli Properties, Warren, for 6000 Youngstown-Warren Road, Niles (Village Center Plaza); 76,264 square feet at $12.25 per square foot; annual rent, $934,234.
UDIY Warren, Birmingham, Mich., for Elm Road near state Route 5 in Howland (former DIY store building); 74,000 square feet at $16.99 per square foot; annual rent, $1,257,260.
UEastgate Technology Park, Poland, for 6.2-acre site on U.S. Route 422 (former Fiore Restaurant and Soul 77 Nightclub); 74,000 square feet at $12.50 per square foot; annual rent, $925,000.
URiverside Square, Warren, for 1400 Tod Ave. N.W. (former St. Joseph Riverside Hospital); 90,000 square feet at $6.67 per square foot; annual rent, $599,900.
UJack Gibson Construction Co., Warren, for 258 E. Market St. (Gibson Building downtown); 75,000 square feet at $14.65 per square foot; annual rent, $1,098,750.
UThe Cafaro Co., Struthers, for Boulevard Center, Eastwood Mall, Niles (former Sam's Club); 70,040 square feet at $13.71 per square foot; annual rent, $960,248.
ULewis Development, Warren, for 5000 E. Market St., (former IGA store in Market Square); 74,000 square feet at $16.05 per square foot; annual rent, $1,188,000.
URiverview Limited Partnership, Cleveland, for Ridge Avenue (the Ridgeview Plaza); 76,700 square feet at $15.40 per square foot; annual rent, $1,181,180 for the first five years; $16.15 per square foot for years 6-10; annual rent, $1,238,705.
The county seeks a 10-year lease with a flat rate per square foot and an option to buy whatever building it selects.
Sekanick said he was pleased with the selection and costs per square foot. "These are good numbers, from what I can see here," he said.
County commissioners will hold the proposals for 30 to 60 days before making a decision on the lowest and best deal. Council officials will rank each proposal package, visit the top three sites and then negotiate a pact.
Keep agencies downtown
Warren City Council wants the Department of Job & amp; Family Services and Child Support Enforcement Agency to remain downtown. The two agencies are merging this year and are largely federal and state funded.
Trumbull County wants to lease 76,000 to 77,000 square feet with parking for the "One Stop Center and Child Enforcement" operation. Factors to be considered include convenience to the predominantly urban clientele, utility costs, travel time for staff in the field and moving costs to be paid by the agency.
The current lease with Kleese Development for Job & amp; Family Services offices at 150 S. Park Ave. and 147 W. Market St. expires this year. Kleese Development's Nick Perod has offered to give the county the buildings if it makes a five-year commitment to stay.
The county's Child Support Enforcement Agency is now at 106 High St. N.W. in the county-owned Stone Building.
The Gibson Building on East Market Street at present is not big enough for the county agencies. Owner Jack Gibson is willing to add floors to his $4 million, three-story office building, built in 1997 to house a Bureau of Workers' Compensation office. The 39,000-square-foot building is now mostly empty because the BWC moved its employees to Youngstown in a cost-saving measure.