Seneca County shifts attention to vacant site

A gazebo for events and performance considered for the site of the former Seneca County courthouse. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

TIFFIN — With the clock tower standing alone amid a sea of debris from the demolished Seneca County Courthouse, commissioners Tuesday talked about ways to make the site look good.

“I think we need to move quickly to make it look respectful and attractive for people to come downtown,” board President Ben Nutter said.

His comments came in response to a proposal by Commissioner Jeff Wagner, who suggested commissioners set aside $400,000 to $500,000 of this year’s carryover balance in a courthouse construction fund and consider an idea proposed in the local newspaper by a resident who suggested turning the vacant courthouse lot into a park with a pavilion for performances and other community events.

“As far as what will be built when or remodeled when, there are a lot of options that need to be explored as we go along — a new courthouse at the same location, combined space with the city of Tiffin, remodel somewhere else for juvenile and probate [courts], build something else for juvenile and probate and leave [common pleas] 1 and 2 where they’re at,” he said. “There are a lot of possibilities.”

Mr. Nutter previously proposed setting aside half of the county’s carryover every year for five years then using that money to build a new courthouse on the same site.

B&B Wrecking and Excavating of Cleveland continued clearing debris from the site Tuesday. County Administrator Stacy Wilson said the firm plans to take down the clock tower Thursday or Friday. That part of the demolition has been delayed by ongoing mechanical problems with B&B’s crane, which has not worked since the day demolition began Jan. 9.

Commissioners Tuesday voted 3-0 to give B&B a 30-day extension to its original 60-day contract to get the building demolished and the site cleared.

While Mr. Nutter said he wanted to get an architect on board “sooner as opposed to later” to draw up landscaping plans for the site, Commissioner Dave Sauber, who opposed demolition of the 1884 courthouse, said he did not favor spending money on an architect when simply planting grass will go a long way toward making the site attractive for now.

“I think there should be a footprint of what we’re thinking [of building] so we don’t build a gazebo that just has to be torn down or we don’t do any landscaping or monuments that would hinder any progress and incur another cost,” Mr. Sauber said.

Mr. Wagner said the county might not need an architect but could hire a local landscape company to come up with a plan.

“My reasoning behind having an architect is we want it to be planned,” Mr. Nutter said. “Without a plan, I think it would be difficult to coordinate what improvements would be made.”

He directed Ms. Wilson to get a quote from MKC Associates, an architectural firm in Mansfield that has worked with commissioners on courthouse and demolition plans. Mr. Sauber and Mr. Wagner also asked her to contact some local landscapers for prices.

Also Tuesday, commissioners met with the county’s bond counsel and investment adviser to talk about future financing options for projects, including the new juvenile detention center, an energy savings plan for county buildings, and a new courthouse.

Mr. Wagner said repeatedly that he preferred to “borrow as little as possible,” pay cash, and continue to eliminate county debt. But Mr. Sauber and Mr. Nutter said they wanted to learn more about the possible long-term benefits of borrowing rather than paying cash.

“I certainly appreciate Commissioner Wagner’s conservative posture, but I would like to see that information so I can make an intelligent decision,” Mr. Nutter said.

Katie Kleinfelder, a director with RBC Capital Markets, said she would run the numbers on what it would cost to finance the projects versus paying cash. She reminded commissioners it’s important to have both cash reserves and debt obligations to maintain a solid credit rating. Seneca County’s rating recently was upgraded from A3 to A1 by Moody’s Investor Service, she said.

At the request of the Sandusky-Seneca-Tiffin Port Authority, commissioners are scheduled to meet with the port authority Tuesday to hear financing options for building with the city a new courthouse that would house Tiffin Municipal Court as well as the county’s common pleas courts. Those options include a plan for the port authority to build a courthouse and lease it to the city and county.

Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-724-6129.