Warren offers incentive for locating JFS in city

Commissioners have been deadlocked for months in deciding on a location.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The city is offering a financial incentive to Trumbull County in its latest effort to keep 250 county jobs downtown.
The Gibson Building and Park-Porter Building in downtown Warren and the former Best Products store in the Great East Plaza in Niles apparently have the inside track to house the Job and Family Services agency and One-Stop job-training facility.
Warren city has now offered a $90,000 annual credit on water utility services if the jobs stay downtown for at least 10 years at current staffing levels, a letter to Trumbull County commissioners from the city administration says.
On Thursday, commissioners made counteroffers to owners of the three properties -- offering to pay them the amount at which they are appraised by the county.
At stake is the location where 250 people will work at the Trumbull County JFS, One-Stop facility and the Child Support Enforcement Agency -- and where their clients will get services.
Commissioner Paul Heltzel authored Thursday's motion, but it was approved by all three commissioners. The three have been deadlocked for months in deciding which of about eight locations to select to house the agencies.
Seeking less space
In all three cases, commissioners are asking for 50,000 to 55,000 square feet of space, which is below the amount they had previously sought.
Commissioner Daniel Polivka said this is because "a majority" of the three commissioners has agreed to keep the CSEA office in its present location in the Stone Building on High Street, so less space will be needed.
The Gibson building is at 258 E. Market St. and was built in 1997. The owner is Gibson Real Estate Management Group, represented by John C. Gibson Sr. It has offered the building for $3.2 million. The county is offering to buy it for $2,588,500.
The Park-Porter building, built in 1922, is at 280 N. Park Ave. The owners, represented by Kurt W. Sauer, offered the building for $895,000, and the county is offering to pay $699,500.
The former Best Products space in the Great East Plaza, owned by Cafaro Corp., is located between the Hobby Lobby and T.J. Maxx stores. The corporation has offered to sell the space for $1,970,000. The county has offered to pay $337,500.
Target date
Heltzel said he still hopes to have the combined JFS and One-Stop center in its new location by the time the leases on the JFS and One-Stop locations run out Dec. 31. Both now are in quarters at 150 S. Park Ave. and 147 W. Market St.
Negotiations with Kleese Management, landlord for the two locations, have also broken down in recent weeks, officials have said, and an extension on those leases is uncertain at this time.
Heltzel and Polivka could not say how it would be possible to move into a new location within the amount of time left before the end of the lease.
Asked whether the three locations discussed Thursday are the only ones still under consideration, Commissioner James Tsagaris said, "Yes, unless someone comes up with an out-of-this-world deal."
Tsagaris said one of the former front-runners, Covelli Enterprises, owners of the former Carlisle's property in the Village Plaza in Niles, has dropped out of the running. "They don't want to bid anymore," Tsagaris said.
The Park-Porter building currently houses the Veterans Services office, an insurance company and several legal offices. Heltzel said if the county used space there, it would need the entire building.
runyan@vindy.com