Turner building isn’t right site for one-stop shop, leaders say

The middle school is too big for what the city wants to do with it.

BY MAYSOON ABDELRASUL

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Many city department heads say the old Turner Middle School on Mahoning Avenue is not the best place for the proposed “one-stop shop,” where city residents could go to take care of all their city business.

City officials took a tour of the school Thursday to see if the building is appropriate to house the different departments, which currently are in various locations around the city, including city hall.

Councilman Alford Novak, D-2nd, has suggested to council the idea of a one-stop shop. He said he likes the idea of having it at Turner because the city would not have to buy the building, only fix it up. He said the proximity to Packard Park is ideal and it would bring people to that side of town.

“This could be a neighborhood anchor,” he said.

Mark Donnelly, Warren schools business manager, said the building is 85,000 square feet and will be demolished if the city chooses not to use it. He said it’s true the building is essentially free, but there will be a cost to upgrading electric and making sure the building meets current codes.

“You can’t just move into the building the way it is,” he said.

Too big

The building was built in 1950 and closed this past academic year.

City department heads agree that the building is too big for what the city has, and there is not enough parking.

Dan Notar, engineering planning coordinator, said a lot of the building space would just go to waste. “I think if we were a larger city, it would work,” he said.

He likes the idea of the one-stop shop, but he said he would prefer something in the downtown area.

Salvatore DiLiello, manager, said his data processing department would benefit greatly from a one stop shop because he has computers in all the offices and wouldn’t have to travel from building to building.

“To have as many departments under one roof is a good idea,” he said.

But he also thinks the Turner building is too large and would prefer a more centralized site.

Novak, along with other officials, remembered going to school at Turner as he walked through the halls.

Bob Davis, utilities service director, said it brought back memories — but he would rather not do his business there. Davis said the building needs a lot of work.

Concerns

Auditor David Griffing said he has a lot of concerns with the building and won’t be able to give any cost figures unless there’s a study to see how much work needs to be done.

Some of his concerns include parking, asbestos in the ceilings and walls, exposed wiring and other deteriorating aspects of the building.

Donnelly said the Warren Board of Education will vote to demolish the building sometime in the fall, so the city has to move quickly if it wants Turner.

Councilman Andrew Barkley, D-3rd, said other things have to be resolved first before council can make a decision. They need to know exactly what departments will be in the one-stop shop and what other possible sites would be.

He said Novak was right to put the project into motion and let people see the building. “Until we have another building to weigh this out, I don’t think we should rule anything out,” he said.

Barkley likes the location because it’s near the park and it is has a beautiful surrounding area.