Bidding to open for space for county courts

By Peter h. Milliken

A commissioner wants to look at court consolidation.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County commissioners have voted to advertise for bids for the lease or purchase of space for the county’s area courts in Austintown, Canfield and Boardman.

Also to be considered is leasing with an option to purchase. Bids will be opened at 2 p.m. Jan. 7, in the county purchasing office.

James Fortunato, county purchasing director, said the county seeks a 10-year commitment with an option to renew for any leased space.

The county’s architect, Tracie Kaglic, will evaluate the bids to determine whether they meet the court’s space, security and handicapped-accessibility requirements.

The Austintown court is on a month-to-month lease, and the leases for the Boardman and Canfield courts expire at the end of February and at the end of March, respectively.

Sebring court is not included because its lease runs for five more years and because of its distance from Youngstown, Fortunato said.

Any decision on the space to be occupied by the Austintown, Boardman and Canfield courts would have to be approved by their judges and the county commissioners.

Although the current bid specifications call for three separate locations, Commissioner John A. McNally said he believes the commissioners should entertain proposals to combine the courts.

“I’ve always thought that Boardman and Canfield were locations that could be consolidated,” McNally said. “I understand Austintown might be a little bit off the beaten path, but I’m flexible to everything,” he added.

McNally said commissioners have discussed getting county offices out of leased space and into county-owned space over the past two years. “I think this is a great time for that to take place,” he added.

After they study the bids, it’s possible the commissioners could decide to keep the Austintown, Boardman and Canfield courts in their current locations, Fortunato said.

In other business, Bert Cene, Mahoning-Columbiana Training Association director, told the commissioners Thursday that his agency will hold “rapid-response sessions” next week to assist the 1,100 General Motors Lordstown employees, who will be laid off, in obtaining unemployment compensation and retraining.

“We will assist the GM employees in any way we can,” Cene said. The sessions are being planned by MCTA, GM, the United Auto Workers and the Trumbull County Department of Job and Family Services.

Maggi McGee, county 911 director, urged support of Ohio House Bill 550, which she said needs to be passed this month to ensure continuation of about $70,000 in monthly funding for the county’s 911 system from a 32-cent monthly surcharge on cellular phone bills. The bill would extend collection of the surcharge until the end of 2012.

The current bill authorizing the surcharge, which has been in effect since 2004, expires at the end of this month.