Officials ponder what to do with municipal court

MEDINA — Medina County commissioners are pondering what to do with the Medina Municipal Court building once court operations move to the square in about two years. There has been talk of the Medina County Board of Elections moving to the building at 135 N. Elmwood Ave., which would alleviate the $100,000-a-year rent it pays at its current location at 3800 Stonegate Drive, Medina Township. "That's a significant hit to the board of elections' budget," Commissioner Colleen Swedyk said, noting there are three or four more years left on its lease. Swedyk is in favor of moving the board of elections to the municipal court building. However, the other commissioners don't seem to support such a move. "I don't think (the municipal court) building is conducive to the board of elections' needs," Commissioner Bill Hutson said. "You saw the traffic it had on Election Day." Commissioner Steve Hambley said the renovation costs would be significant to move the board of elections to the court building. It would need temperature-controlled rooms for the voting machines, a freight elevator and a loading dock — all absent at the courthouse. Hambley said he would suggest taking the board of elections officials through the municipal court and getting their opinion on such a move. He also is asking Maintenance Supervisor Steve Bastean to do a feasibility study. The commissioner said the upkeep of the municipal court building might equal what the board pays for rent in a single year. "I think we should keep it where we are now," Hambley said. "It's the best location we've had (for the board of elections)." In nonpeak times, there is very little traffic in and out of the board of elections, he said. However, during a general election, traffic sometimes is overwhelming. The current lot at the municipal court might not be able to handle the traffic during an election. Hambley said the city might be better off using the municipal court for a community center, a suggestion by City Councilman Bill Lamb. County Administrator Scott Miller said he wants to remove the Educational Service Center of Medina County and the OSU Extention Office out of their current location at the Professional Center. If the board of elections is not a good fit in the municipal court building, perhaps the ESC would be. "They could do a lot with it," Miller said. Miller will start negotiating with the city on what it will charge it for rent for occupying space in the Medina County Courthouse project. If the municipal court wasn't going to occupy space there, Hambley said the county could rent it to another entity. In other news The county wants to show a video of the progress going on during construction of the courthouse on its website. Bastean said a time lapse of the progress eventually will be shown after the county works through some security and IT issues. Swedyk is compiling possible items to place in a time capsule that will be in a cornerstone of the courthouse. She wants a Billy Joel CD, Hambley wants to include a copy of his book on county history and Hutson suggested a copy of The Gazette when the groundbreaking picture was used. The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $80 million on veterans in Medina County in 2020, an increase of almost $5 million from the previous year, Medina County Veterans Office Director Ed Zackery said. He said his office has dealt with 34 homeless veterans in the first half of 2021. Contact reporter Bob Finnan at (330) 721-4049 or rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.