Maintenance sparks debate over JFS

The county has been trying to decide what to do about the building for 30 years.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

LISBON — Dan Bing, chairman of the Columbiana County commissioners, asked, “You’ve seen how bad it is?”

The “it” he was referring to is the building at 110 Nelson St., which houses the county’s Department of Jobs & Family Services.

The list of problems includes flooding, mold and mildew, gaps at least an inch wide between some blocks in interior walls, waste from storm drains overflowing in offices, mice in desk drawers, and plumbing backups.

Some work areas have no false ceilings, so workers spend the day viewing beams and pipes. The wiring for the agency’s phone system is exposed in a hallway.

The agency, which is spread over two floors, has 14 separate heating and cooling systems.

The building also has no elevator. A person in a wheelchair first must go to the intake office. Then that person would have to go outside and around three sides of the building to use the lower level to be interviewed for benefits.

The county also is down to one repairman.

“There’s no ongoing maintenance now,” said Eileen Dray-Bardon, the JFS director. “We do it ourselves.”

Several years ago, she asked for an outlet in her office so she could use a heater to stay warm. A maintenance worker drilled through the wall and an extension cord — plugged in someplace else — was poked through. The extension cord is still there.

The JFS moved into its current location after its last headquarters burned down in 1976. The department’s current offices also were damaged in a fire in 1985.

The JFS is primarily federally funded, but it is under the control of the commissioners. The agency spends about $12 million a year on food stamps and about $26 million on nursing home care alone.

The agency has 160 workers, although eight work in another facility because of a lack of space.

The commissioners have taken an option on land at the village’s northern edge for a new building.

Preservationists think the current building can be fixed at a lower price than constructing a new facility, however. And the Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce fears moving the workers would hurt their business.

Bing said the commissioners are trying to be creative. He added, “It’s been 30 years and nothing has happened” with the building.

A new option would be to buy the former Value King store just east of the JFS, tear it down, and build a new facility.

Bing said the state won’t pay for moving the agency’s phone and computer lines to a temporary location while the current building is restored.

Jan Bean, a JFS caseworker, drives to Lisbon from East Liverpool early everyday to get a free parking space. Otherwise, she may get a $6 ticket.

She’s concerned about the mold and mildew, as well as a lack of privacy. People have to discuss their health, finances, and even criminal records within earshot of other clients and workers,

Bean said, “I think the clients deserve a little bit better.”

Another caseworker, Debbie Flannigan of Wellsville, compared the JFS building to a “rotten tooth.”

The county built its new municipal courts outside the village, and the courthouse underwent a renovation, without complaints, Flannigan said. Now, it should be the department’s turn to get a new facility, she added.

wilkinson@vindy.com