Commissioners throw out bids on JFS location

The architect says new construction is more expensive than an existing building.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Because the three Trumbull County commissioners are deadlocked in their choice for a building to house the county Department of Job and Family Services, they will change course.
Meeting Wednesday, they voted to throw out all bids they'd been considering, return the bid bonds and look only at buying buildings or land.
Six bids they had were for leasing and buying buildings, and two were for new construction.
In the process, Commissioner Dan Polivka put in doubt the idea that one building will now house a combination of JFS, Child Support Enforcement Agency and the One Stop job training office.
Polivka said he thinks child support should stay where it is: in the county's Stone Building on High Street.
The three offices employ about 250 people in downtown Warren. Some of the buildings under consideration are outside the downtown and in Niles.
Commissioner Paul Heltzel said he still believes the site selection can be made in a couple of weeks.
Tries to narrow choices
Bruce W. Sekanick, architect representing the commissioners, said a few weeks ago that he was attempting to narrow down the commissioners' choices. Wednesday, Sekanick said he felt considering just purchase was a good way to do this.
Sekanick said the strategy will "get it down to two options so we can have a 2-1 vote or whatever, so we can come to a decision. We've got to move forward. We can't watch this wither away."
Sekanick said commissioners are free to still consider building their own facility, but he has advised them all along that is a more expensive option than fixing an existing one.
He said he believes one of the six previous bidders with existing buildings will eventually be selected.
Heltzel said the three commissioners "couldn't come to a consensus," that they were "deadlocked" and that there were four or five options "that were very viable."
Polivka said the county has spent a lot renovating the Stone Building, where the child support agency is housed, and "the employees don't want to move."
"Maybe we need to cut back our square footage," Polivka said. "I did some analysis. In these tough times, we need to be more conservative."
Initial idea
The county originally asked for bids to lease 77,000 square feet with an option to buy. The space was needed to house JFS and CSEA because they are merging Dec. 1. In addition, they wanted office space and parking that would adequately handle the One Stop office. All of the offices are largely federal and state funded.
The current lease with Kleese Development for JFS offices at 150 S. Park Ave. and the One Stop office at 147 W. Market St. expires at the end of this year. Heltzel said the county is in negotiations with Kleese and hopes something can be worked out so that the two offices won't be evicted Jan. 1.
Commissioner James Tsagaris voted no on throwing out the bids because the county's Workforce Investment Board is still planning to make a recommendation on a location -- and he would like to hear that recommendation first.
runyan@vindy.com