New county office building proposed
Vacant lot could solve dilemma facing Adult Probation Department
Medina Attorney Stan Scheetz tells county commissioners they could build new offices for less money than it would cost to renovate the basement of the courthouse. Photo by GLENN WOJCIAK
MEDINA – A new idea for relocating the office of the county’s Adult Probation Department has appeared from an unexpected source.
Stan Scheetz, a Medina attorney who specializes in real estate and is a regular observer at county commissioners meetings, has suggested the county construct a new office building on a vacant lot it owns a block east of the Medina Square.
Scheetz proposed the new building a week after Silling Architects presented county officials with preliminary plans to renovate the existing offices housing Adult Probation at a cost of up to $1.5 million.
“I was outraged by your consideration of potentially remodeling the old courthouse basement for the Medina County Probation Department at a cost to exceed $1.2 million,” he wrote in a letter presented to commissioners.
Scheetz estimated the work would cost the county almost $250 per square foot for the 4,800 square feet of renovated office space that would result from the project. Contractors Scheetz talked to estimate the average cost to construct new office space in the Medina area at about $110 per square foot.
A likely location for a new building is the 165-by-80 feet lot the county owns on the corner of East Liberty and West Jefferson streets, directly across the street from the parking deck behind the Courthouse.
“That could easily house a new single or two floor, flex office space for Medina County Departments immediately and into the future,” Sheetz said. “This new office could provide anywhere from 5,000 to 12,000 square feet of space, directly east of the current parking deck.” Scheetz estimated the cost of such a building would be in the area of $500,000 to $750,000.
“It’s a good idea that we should look into,” said County Commissioner Pat Geissman.
She asked County Administrator Scott Miller to discuss the idea further with area builders.
County officials have been struggling to find suitable office space for the overcrowded Adult Probation Department for nearly a year. One plan was to move the department into a nearby commercial building, which was killed in part by Medina city officials who appeared determined to hold the county to a pledge not to move any offices from the courthouse complex if the city built the parking deck behind the building.
The lack of cooperation between the city and county on the matter of office space is another subject that irks Scheetz.
“I was more outraged by the fact that you (county commissioners) failed to proceed or follow up with working with Medina City Government to expand the area of your potential operations to anywhere within the Medina City Historic District rather than being handcuffed by the city to remain solely in the three buildings that you occupy on the east side of Public Square,” Scheetz wrote to commissioners. “You should negotiate to have the opportunity to expand your footprint to any of the more than 150,000 square feet of office space potentially available on or adjacent to the Square.”
Stan Scheetz, a Medina attorney who specializes in real estate and is a regular observer at county commissioners meetings, has suggested the county construct a new office building on a vacant lot it owns a block east of the Medina Square.
Scheetz proposed the new building a week after Silling Architects presented county officials with preliminary plans to renovate the existing offices housing Adult Probation at a cost of up to $1.5 million.
“I was outraged by your consideration of potentially remodeling the old courthouse basement for the Medina County Probation Department at a cost to exceed $1.2 million,” he wrote in a letter presented to commissioners.
Scheetz estimated the work would cost the county almost $250 per square foot for the 4,800 square feet of renovated office space that would result from the project. Contractors Scheetz talked to estimate the average cost to construct new office space in the Medina area at about $110 per square foot.
A likely location for a new building is the 165-by-80 feet lot the county owns on the corner of East Liberty and West Jefferson streets, directly across the street from the parking deck behind the Courthouse.
“That could easily house a new single or two floor, flex office space for Medina County Departments immediately and into the future,” Sheetz said. “This new office could provide anywhere from 5,000 to 12,000 square feet of space, directly east of the current parking deck.” Scheetz estimated the cost of such a building would be in the area of $500,000 to $750,000.
“It’s a good idea that we should look into,” said County Commissioner Pat Geissman.
She asked County Administrator Scott Miller to discuss the idea further with area builders.
County officials have been struggling to find suitable office space for the overcrowded Adult Probation Department for nearly a year. One plan was to move the department into a nearby commercial building, which was killed in part by Medina city officials who appeared determined to hold the county to a pledge not to move any offices from the courthouse complex if the city built the parking deck behind the building.
The lack of cooperation between the city and county on the matter of office space is another subject that irks Scheetz.
“I was more outraged by the fact that you (county commissioners) failed to proceed or follow up with working with Medina City Government to expand the area of your potential operations to anywhere within the Medina City Historic District rather than being handcuffed by the city to remain solely in the three buildings that you occupy on the east side of Public Square,” Scheetz wrote to commissioners. “You should negotiate to have the opportunity to expand your footprint to any of the more than 150,000 square feet of office space potentially available on or adjacent to the Square.”