County OKs feasibility study on converting building into offices

CELINA - Mercer County commissioners on Tuesday morning agreed to proceed with a feasibility study of whether the former Cheryl Ann building could be converted into office space for various county departments and agencies.

Commissioners approved a $10,400 contract with Celina architect firm Revival Design Studio Inc. to complete the study that will analyze existing structure, systems and future expansion opportunities of the 20,000-square-foot building at 4980 Mud Pike, Celina.

The firm also will interview county department heads to gauge their needs, examine existing space in the Mercer County Central Services Building in Celina - home to commissioners and other agencies - and complete sketches or renderings of potential layouts of department offices in the Cheryl Ann and central services buildings.

The study, expected to take four weeks, will provide cost estimates and construction timelines of potential repurposing projects.

Commissioners have ultimate ownership of the Cheryl Ann facility consisting of two buildings connected by a walkway, even though the Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities has funded its construction and maintenance, according to a memorandum of understanding between the two boards.

Mercer County DD had used the building for workshop facilities for daily habilitation and employment of adults with disabilities, according to the memorandum.
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities in 2016 ruled that county DD agencies could no longer provide residential services beyond normal day programs. The federal government's long-range plan mandates that county boards cannot - without creating a conflict of interest - recommend a set of services and then provide them using Medicaid dollars.

In response, CA Group agreed to become a private entity and take over the adult habilitation, vocational and transportation services. The nonprofit CA Group was founded more than 40 years ago as an arm of the agency to employ individuals with disabilities in a manner the board could not due to state restrictions.

CA Group on Jan. 1, 2017, began providing the services.

Mercer DD Superintendent Shawn Thieman in October told his board members that workshop facilities once housed in the building had been relocated to locations in Celina and Coldwater, freeing up about 15,000 square feet.

The workshop programs were moved to sites that are more accessible to participants while cutting down on the need for transportation, officials have said.

As a result, the agency uses only about 5,000 square feet of the 20,000-square-foot building, potentially making the remaining space available for use by another county agency.

"Even though there is a lot of square footage available, it would need extensive renovations for use by most interested agencies," Thieman had said in October.

Board of elections and other county officials have pleaded with commissioners over the last few years for more space due to increasingly cramped quarters.

Since the county already owns the building, it makes sense to explore using it for office space, commissioner Jerry Laffin told the newspaper.

But commissioners first want to examine the condition of the structure and its various systems. They also want to know how much it would cost to bring the building up to date and convert it into adequate office space before considering moving any departments.