Judges and city remain at odds over court move

Renovating the annex for court facilities could cost up to $10 million.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City council's buildings and grounds committee is recommending the city administration develop a financial plan to relocate the municipal court to the city annex building.
The cost of renovating the 74-year-old city annex building on West Front Street to make it usable for the municipal court is at least $7.5 million, said Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr., the court's presiding and administrative judge. The cost of asbestos and mold removal could push that amount to $10 million, he said.
The court's three judges originally wanted to relocate to property on Wood Street, near the Mahoning County jail, but that plan was cost prohibitive.
Another suggestion
The judges then suggested in April that a new courthouse be built at the site of the former Masters buildings on West Federal Street, owned by the city. The estimated expense of constructing a courthouse there was $8 million, an amount city officials said was too much.
City officials suggested spending $2 million to $3 million for a transitional court facility at the three-story annex, but Judge Douglas rejected that offer in April and said a new city court proposal was dead.
But the judge then sent a letter last month to city council asking for a meeting to discuss the courthouse proposal.
Judge Douglas told council's buildings and grounds committee Tuesday that he and Ray Jaminet of Olsavsky-Jaminet Architects, a Youngstown firm retained by the judges for a courthouse design, toured the annex last week.
"I'm not really impressed with it," Judge Douglas said. "It's been neglected, but it's not a bad building. Maybe it could work, but it's going to take money."
The judge called the three-story building an eyesore and said it would need a major renovation for it to be used as the city's court facilities. But the judge also said the building's structure is fairly sound, and as a gateway location to the city's downtown, it's important that it be improved.
"Sooner or later the city is going to have to dump money into the annex because it needs attention," said council President Charles Sammarone, who agrees the structure is an eyesore. "This is an opportunity to do something about that building. The problem is the administration says that we can't afford this project."
The building currently houses the city's Community Development Agency and the Mahoning Columbiana Training Association. The third floor is vacant.
City's response
City administration officials couldn't be reached late Tuesday, but have said there isn't enough money in the city's budget to spend more than $3 million on a court facility, even though a new one is needed.
The buildings and grounds committee recommended to the full council that it approve legislation giving the administration 60 days to develop a financial plan for a new court facility at the annex. That resolution could be considered at tonight's meeting as late legislation or introduced at council's June 21 meeting.
The municipal court is currently on the second floor of city hall in a location that the judges and members of council say is unsafe and deplorable.
Judge Douglas said he doesn't understand why the city spends money on nonessential capital improvement projects -- such as the $11.9 million spent to help finish the construction of the Chevrolet Centre -- while ignoring the municipal court problem.
For the past eight years, the judges have collected $14 fees for the proposed court facility. The fund has more than $1 million in it and the money was to be used to furnish a new building as well as purchase court technology, including computers, and to pay for security, Judge Douglas said.
But if the annual debt on money borrowed to pay for the annex's renovations is about $500,000, the judges could use the court fees to come up with about half of that fee for at least a few years, Judge Douglas said.
skolnick@vindy.com