Sandusky eyeing 3 sites for new justice center

SANDUSKY — Sandusky officials recently narrowed down the home for a new justice center to three possible locations.They include:• The former PNC Bank building on West Washington Street (U.S. 6) near the Merry-Go-Round Museum• The former American Crayon site on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) near Sandusky High School• Empty land on Tiffin Avenue (U.S. 6) next to the Erie County Juvenile Justice CenterA few months ago, city commissioners approved a relocation plan for City Hall, which today houses administrative, police and municipal court operations.The two-part, $18.5 million publicly subsidized project involves moving administrative departments — such as planning, community development, code enforcement, engineering, human resources, legal, finance, recreation and more — to parts of three empty downtown buildings by 2018. It's completely separate from the justice center plan.But police and municipal court services require a fresh footprint, according to a city-backed study.The current 60-year-old City Hall building presents many challenges for renovations, ranging from accessibility, security, adaptability and efficiency, the study indicated. Upgrading these shortcomings would be costly and most likely lead to an inferior product as opposed to building and relocating elsewhere.A new justice center should open by 2019 at one of these three properties, city engineer Aaron Klein said.A committee — comprised of police commanders, court employees and other city officials — will work with a city-hired firm to figure out which site makes the most sense."We will turn the process over to consultants to evaluate the sites independently and present their findings to the committee," Klein said. "A recommendation will then be presented to city commission."Klein expects the committee to reach a final decision by this fall."We are going to take our time and make sure we do it right," Klein said.Pros and consThree possible sites for Sandusky's new justice center, housing both police and municipal court operations, each present some advantages and disadvantages.Among the more notable for each one, as explained by Klein:Site No. 1: The former PNC Bank building• Ownership status: Sandusky would need to purchase the privately owned land for this option.• Advantage: "The proximity to a downtown civic campus that would include the current county courthouse, the county building and the future City Hall are certainly appealing features. From a court standpoint, there are many attorney offices in the vicinity as well. From a police standpoint, it is centrally located to the east and west ends of towns with multiple points of egress, which would ensure reduced response times."• Disadvantage: "Concerns lie with the size of the lot and potential on- and off-street parking limitations. Since the Merry-Go-Round Museum was the other property owner that sent in a proposal, we will have our consultant review that property as a possible add on to the PNC property. Of course, we would work diligently with the museum and have had a preliminary fact-finding discussion to ensure we meet their needs for growth."The former PNC Bank building on West Washington Street is one of three possible homes for Sandusky's new justice center.Site No. 2: The former American Crayon site• Ownership status: Sandusky city commissioners, through a contract agreement totaling $150,000, recently bought out the site's former property owner. • Advantage: "The draw for this site is that it is on a major thoroughfare near Firelands Regional Medical Center and the Sandusky High School campuses. The size of the lot is certainly more appealing than the PNC site, and the fact that we have an option to purchase the property is also a positive. (Sandusky police) Chief (John) Orzech likes its central location, similar to the PNC site, and the judge likes the size and the proximity to the county courthouse."• Disadvantage: "The negatives are potential environmental concerns. The city has engaged with (a private firm) to perform an environmental site assessment through the U.S. EPA brownfields grant to determine existing conditions, noise from the railroad and that it would not be on the outskirts of that civic district."The former American Crayon site on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) near Sandusky High School is one of three possible homes for Sandusky's new justice center.Site No. 3: Empty land on Tiffin Avenue• Ownership status: Erie County owns the land, and Sandusky would need to purchase the land for this option.• Advantage: "The vacant land adjacent to the Erie County Juvenile Justice Center is located on a main thoroughfare and has acreage to build a new facility."• Disadvantage: "The main concern, which is a huge concern for Chief Orzech, is the distance for SPD to respond to the east end of town. The site is not centrally located and is a decent distance from a civic center."An empty lot near the Erie County Juvenile Justice Center on Tiffin Avenue (U.S. 6) is one of three possible homes for Sandusky's new justice center.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.The former American Crayon site on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) near Sandusky High School is one of three possible homes for Sandusky's new justice center.Sandusky officials are considering three potential sites for a new justice center, which would house the city's police and municipal court operations. They include (clockwise, starting with top left): the former PNC Bank building on West Washington Street (U.S. 6) near the Merry-Go-Round Museum; the former American Crayon site on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) near Sandusky High School; and empty land on Tiffin Avenue (U.S. 6) next to the Erie County Juvenile Justice Center.