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Commissioners to Explore Donation of Oakhill Renaissance Place
By Dan O'BrienYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Mahoning County Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday morning that allows the county to study the possibility of acquiring the former Forum Health Southside Medical Center and turning it into a hub for government offices.The county will examine in more detail an offer by the Southside Community Development Corp. which calls for that organization to donate the former hospital to the county. The building could then be used to house numerous county departments, including the Department of Job and Family Services.The old hospital, now re-named Oakhill Renaissance Place, already leases space to other government tenants including the office of the Mahoning County Coroner and the Youngstown health department. "It is our desire to provide a base for redevelopment on the South Side," said Adrian Byrne, executive director of Southside Development. "We see this as an appropriate measure for commissioners to take."Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock, who sponsored the resolution, said Forum Health has also expressed interest in assisting with any renovation efforts. "Forum Health is committed to this. They made a tough decision in 1998 to close the hospital, but instead of boarding it up, they were committed to redevelopment," she added.Revamping the building could serve as a model for redeveloping other vacant hospitals throughout the country, Sherlock said. "This kind of project is real," she said.Janet Yaniglos, vice president at Forum Health, stated that her company has always been a supporter of Southside Development and looks at the former hospital not as a liability, but as a "building in transition."Commissioner Ed Reese stated that if the project is deemed feasible, then offices now located in the county courthouse could also be relocated there to free up space for operations such as the clerk of courts, which needs more room. "Let's look into every avenue," Reese stated.He also said there are other closed hospitals in the area that should be considered, including the Youngstown Osteopathic Hospital. That facility is privately owned, and the landlords want county officials to tour the building which has now been renovated into offices. "In case this [Oakhill proposal] doesn't work out, we might have to bid it," Reese said.Commissioners have been mulling for months now to terminate a month-to month lease it now holds with Cafaro Co. of Youngstown and move Job and Family Services from Cafaro's McGuffey Mall to another site -- preferably downtown -- with the city's help.The county pays $449,000 a year to Cafaro for 97,000 square-feet of space at the plaza.Sherlock's first option was to move the offices to the mostly vacant Phar Mor Centre, located on Federal Street. The intent was to have the city purchase the lease-hold agreement to the building and then turn it over to the county. Such government-to-government transactions do not require an open-bid process.But Cafaro neutralized any attempt by the city to acquire the facility by purchasing the lease first, sources confirm. Cafaro will now assume a $100,000 annual payment to heirs of the Wick estate, which still owns the property.Cafaro's purchase then led Sherlock to consider an earlier proposal by Southside Development. The organization made its first pitch to county commissioners in late April and said it could save the county about $4 million in rent over a 15-year lease, numbers the Cafaro Co. disputes.Cafaro Co. President Anthony Cafaro Sr. told The Business Journal in its August edition that the McGuffey facility is still the best site for Job and Family Services, since it is a one-floor facility and meets the criteria for such government departments.When renovation costs of the Oakhill facility are included, Cafaro estimated the McGuffey site -- with its own proposed improvements factored in -- would actually save the county $2.5 million over the life of a 15-year lease. Cafaro also insists he has fully complied with the original terms of the lease agreement, first signed with the county in 1988. Under that agreement, the county is responsible for all non-structural repairs, including a roof that needs replaced.Sherlock has openly criticized the lease agreement with Cafaro, saying it is unfair to the county. Two weeks ago, Southside Development altered its first proposal and offered to donate the entire building to the county instead of leasing space."Our facilities manager will do some in-depth research for upgrades. We need to look at space allocation and some engineering," Sherlock said. "I'm hoping to move it forward. I'd like to meet with Forum and get something together by the end of the month."Contact Dan O'Brien at [email protected]"