Officials look at placing most offices in 1 building

The council president thinks city hall should be a one-stop shop.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- City council will be discussing consolidating most city offices into one building, and the council president said he favors such a consolidation if the city can afford it.
"The current system isn't effective. No one should have to go get a building permit out on Laird and then drive over to Main Avenue and open up an income tax account. It should all be in one building," said council President Robert A. Marchese.
Council meets at 5:30 p.m. today.
City offices are scattered among many buildings. The offices of the mayor and other executive branch officials are at the historic Perkins Mansion on Mahoning Avenue Northwest. City council, the police station and municipal court are on South Street.
The health, tax and community development departments are on Main Avenue Southwest; the building, planning and engineering offices are on Laird Avenue.
Marchese said council hopes to receive from the administration today the results of a feasibility study council members asked for three years ago concerning combining most city offices into one building.
"What we were looking at is: If we went to one building, would it be in our best interest?" Marchese explained. "We would have an interest in trying to unload some of the other property."
Options
Depending on the cost and feasibility, the city could build a new building, add floors to the South Street building, or buy an existing building elsewhere, Marchese said. The drawback of the South Street building, where council meets, is that it has limited parking, he said.
It wouldn't be feasible to relocate some departments, most notably the waste treatment plant, Marchese said. Other locations have their own issues:
"Engineering's on the second floor without handicapped access," Marchese said.
"The income tax department is in a building that we've just kept putting money into," he added.
The Perkins Mansion, "although historically beautiful, is not a very energy efficient or cost-efficient building to run," nor is it barrier-free, Marchese said.
"There's something you could use it for. I think it's too valuable to abandon, but I think, in terms of effectively running government out of it, I don't think it's fair to the employees or the public. There are cords on top of cords for computers and window air conditioners," Marchese said. Water collects in its basement, he added.
"You'd need a couple of million dollars to bring that up to today's livable space. The bathrooms have never been updated," he added.
"We have to think of those people who are handicapped. We have to think of those people who need to do all their business in one place," Marchese said.
milliken@vindy.com