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Officials to study building report
A new report says there are strengths and weaknesses with three proposals.
LISBON — A new report describes the bad and the good of renovating the Department of Job Family Services or building another — or more — buildings.
Commissioner Jim Hoppel said Monday the other commissioners have to study the report before taking any action.
Commissioner Penny Traina said she has not yet read the report compiled by A I Studio, a design firm in East Liverpool. Commissioner Dan Bing couldn’t be reached.
A I described its examination as an “initial walk through commentary” but said the facility is inadequate.
The department needs more office, meeting and storage space for workers and citizens, better security, and must meet state requirements for people with handicaps.
A I, or some other company, will have to be hired to undertake the planning for renovation or construction.
The commissioners have been debating what to do with the building at 110 Nelson St. Parts of the overcrowded and leaky building date to the late 1940s.
The commissioners have taken an option on land at the northern edge of the village. Their initial plan was to build a new facility that would house the JFS, the county board of elections, whose building also leaks, and the county’s veterans services, which rents space.
The Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce has asked the commissioners to keep the department and its 160 workers downtown.
Downtown options include renovating the facility or buying and renovating the former IGA building on the block east of the JFS. Under that scenario, the building could be torn down to create much-needed parking.
A I’s report said, “There are inherent strengths and weaknesses” for all three options.
The architects said county officials must understand who visits the JFS and other agencies, and when.
Eileen Dray-Bardon, the department’s director, said she appreciated the company’s efforts.
The report mentions the possibility of building different buildings or entrances for the three separate agencies.
Dray-Barton said initial talks had included ideas of a campuslike area with three buildings or three separate entrances for the three agencies.
Dray-Bardon said the next move may be for the county to determine how much it may borrow to finance renovation or construction. The county has about $1.2 million in grants for the project. The JFS would pay rent to help fund the project.
wilkinson@vindy.com