Article published September 03, 2008
Seneca County commission delays courthouse demolition
Key to deal is how structure will be used
A development group led by Franklin Conaway has until Nov. 10 to produce a viable plan for the 1884 courthouse.
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THE BLADE
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By JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
TIFFIN - They still haven't committed to saving the county's 1884 courthouse, but the Seneca County commissioners again delayed plans to demolish the landmark and agreed to consider a plan to have another group renovate the historic courthouse and lease it back to the county so it could once again be used as the "seat" of county government.
The board yesterday agreed to give a development group led by preservation consultant Franklin Conaway until Nov. 10 to show it a viable plan for renovating the downtown courthouse.
That plan could involve transferring the building to a port authority, which would orchestrate a renovation plan that could benefit from tax credits and grants.
Ultimately, the building could be rejuvenated for cultural, educational, even retail purposes or it could become the county courthouse again under a lease agreement between the port authority and the commissioners.
Board President Dave Sauber said he would only accept a proposal that keeps the site a courthouse.
"That's been the county seat. It would be economically a benefit because we could connect to our annex," Mr. Sauber said. "I see it as a win-win for the county, and it would provide a cost savings."Commissioner Ben Nutter, who made the motion that called for giving the Seneca County Courthouse Development Group more time, moved that the extension be contingent on the development group providing the commissioners with a document by Monday that includes:
•A written commitment from the low-bid demolition contractor extending its bid price through Jan. 1.
•A certified check by Sept. 29 that would cover the expenses of demolition plans that the county has incurred so far.
While both sides said they were open to negotiating the amount the development group would reimburse it, Mr. Nutter said the county so far has paid MKC Associates of Mansfield "$86,000 and some change" for engineering costs related to demolishing the 1884 courthouse.
About $40,000 went toward analyzing the costs of renovation, partial salvage and demolition, and new construction, he said, while the other half was paid to prepare the specifications and bidding requirements for demolition of the courthouse.
Mr. Conaway said he believed he could get the money within two weeks, although he declined to say after the meeting where those funds would come from.
"There are several sources of funds and at this time a decision as to which of those sources will be used has not been made," he said, adding that it's too early to approach potential investors.
"You don't really bring investors into a project until you're certain you have a project," he said.
He told the commissioners he may not have every T crossed or I dotted by Nov. 10, but he believed by then "or before you're going to absolutely know for sure where you're going with this or not going with this."
Jerry Arkebauer, a port authority consultant who serves as president of Findlay's Blanchard Valley Port Authority and the Regional Port Authority of Northwest Ohio, a coordinated effort among Defiance, Fulton, Henry, and Paulding counties, told the commissioners they need to determine how they want to see the courthouse used so that he and others working on the proposal can get it done.
"I think we can put a deal together. Obviously we think we can put a deal together otherwise we wouldn't be here," Mr. Arkebauer said. "The commissioners still have to make a decision about what do we want that courthouse to be. Do you want that courthouse renovated to be a courthouse again or do you want that courthouse to be renovated for other uses? That makes a tremendous difference in how we approach putting the pieces together."
While the commissioners asked the group to address both options in its proposal, Mr. Sauber and Commissioner Mike Bridinger said afterward that they would prefer to see the site remain a courthouse that the commissioners would lease from the port authority for a certain period and then buy back for a nominal amount.
Mr. Nutter said he was reserving judgment on how the building ought to be used until he sees the group's proposal.
While the commissioners' decision to delay demolition seemed out of step with previous statements they've made about moving forward with demolition and construction of a new courthouse, Mr. Sauber said he was impressed by the "real players" Mr. Conaway has brought to the table. All have credibility and have been involved with projects across the state, he said.
The commissioners also said they were open to the latest proposal for saving the courthouse because it involved a viable way for an entity - most likely a port authority - to renovate the courthouse while taking advantage of tax credits and other financial incentives not available to the county.
"We've kept an open mind," Mr. Sauber said after the meeting. "We haven't pulled the plug yet."
Theresa Sullivan, president of the Tiffin Historic Trust, said that while the local preservation group would like to see the 1884 courthouse remain a courthouse, it would support whichever option "is going to make the most economic impact for the city."
"We are so happy that the commissioners are still in ongoing dialogue with the Seneca County Development Group because we hope that they see the potential for economic development in downtown Tiffin for the betterment of all citizens," she said.
At a subsequent meeting yesterday with Tiffin's Architectural Board of Review, the board agreed by a 4-0 vote to defer any action on the commissioners' request for a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the 1884 courthouse while the county continues to talk with Mr. Conaway's group.
Mr. Conaway was encouraged.
"I think the commissioners are being objective and considerate in view of entirely new information that's been submitted to them and I applaud them for being open-minded at this late hour," he said. "I would say there really is new hope for the courthouse."
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:
jfeehan@theblade.com
or 419-353-5972.
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