Medina County Courthouse project moving along

MEDINA — The Medina County Courthouse project remains on budget at $30 million. "We're working hard on the cost to hit that $30 million target," architect Nancy Nozik, partner with Brandstetter Carroll Inc., told Medina County commissioners Tuesday in a Zoom call. She said she's working with Gilbane Building Co., the project's construction manager at risk, to keep the estimates in check. "We're moving forward," Nozik said. "We're trying to squeeze out as much square footage as we can." County Administrator Scott Miller has been cross-checking with county judges on what can be trimmed and tweaked and keeping them abreast of any changes. "The engineers are moving forward based on these plans," Nozik said. "We're working through design development, which will allow Gilbane to (configure) design development estimates." In the new renditions, the courthouse features 107,300 square feet, quite a difference from the original plans for 135,400 square feet. There will be 86,300 square feet of new construction, down from the original 114,400 square feet, and 21,000 square feet of renovation, the same as the previous plans. On the renditions shared with commissioners, it read, "Medina Courthouse." Commissioner Pat Geissman took exception to the wording and said it needed to say, "Medina County Courthouse." "We haven't had that formal conversation," Nozik said. Commissioner Bill Hutson said the next phase will be for Nozik and the commissioners to engage with the community. Miller said the Medina County Prosecutor's Office noted the county may be exempt from getting approval from the city of Medina's Historic Preservation Board. "We might not be legally obligated, but we should engage the community and groups," Commissioner Bill Hutson said. "This is a major fixture in the city of Medina." Miller agreed with Hutson and said out of courtesy, the county should allow some of the groups some input in the project, and Nozik said she'd be glad to meet with some of the community groups and "get some information in front of them." Construction is expected to begin in the spring. The three buildings that make up the current courthouse will remain intact. It consists of the 1841 courthouse, the 1969 courthouse and the Sturgis House that has been there since 1872. Most recently, the prosecutor's office was housed there before it moved across the street. The new courthouse will be constructed behind the current courthouse in the parking lot. The proposed five-floor structure has been pared to four floors after the city of Medina's Municipal Court was prevented from joining the project. One new wrinkle is the first floor of the new courthouse will have a testing lab to administer drug tests. "We intend to clean up (the 1841 courthouse)," Nozik said. "We're going to replace the HVAC and electrical in the building. The intent is to keep it bare so it can be used for storage. It's not going to be built out. We'll keep it bare bones." The county clerk will be on the second floor and space for a potential third Common Pleas courtroom, there will be two large Common Pleas courtrooms on the third floor and adult probation will be in the renovated 1841 building. The juvenile and probate courts will be on the fourth floor, divided by a glass wall, a request from Judge Kevin Dunn. Nozik said half of the Domestic Relations Court will be in the new building and the other half in the 1841 building, and there will be one large courtroom and five meeting rooms. "They are self-contained," Nozik said. "It gives them the privacy they were desiring." In other news Assistant County Administrator Amy Lyon-Galvin said the final budget recommendations will be ready for the next commissioners meeting Dec. 29.One issue appears to be the Medina County Public Defender's Office. Miller has requested a 90-day budget for that office, as the commissioners work on a budget for the full year."We need to reevaluate the whole structure and why we even need (a Public Defender's Office)," Hutson said.The Public Defender's Office has increased its budget in the last few years, from $474,000 in 2014 to $716,000 in 2020 to $735,000 in 2021.Hutson hoped that the state would take the office under its umbrella. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency has been looking for additions to its emerging leaders council. Miller nominated Denise Testa, Medina County planning commission director. Commissioners approved the new gate fee at the Medina County Solid Waste District that will increase from $50 per ton to $52. They also approved the new rate for a 13-gallon bag of rubbish from $1.45 to $1.75. They rejected bids for renovation for the 8730 building. The bids were reviewed by the Medina County sanitary engineer on Dec. 4 and all of them were in excess of 10 percent above the engineer's estimate. Due to Ohio Revised Code, the bids were rejected and will be rebid. The engineer will reevaluate the estimates. David T. Manley and Amy H. Wermer, Medina County Township Association representatives, were reappointed to the Medina County Advisory Council on Aging. Manley's term expires on Sept. 30, 2021, and Wermer's term expires on Sept. 30, 2022. Seville Village Mayor Carol Carter has agreed to serve as the villages' representative on the Medina County Council of Governments on Drug Enforcement for 2021. Contact reporter Bob Finnan at (330) 721-4049 or rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.