Jubilation for the justice center

SANDUSKY — So what's the verdict on the area's newest building, known as a justice center, for police and court operations? It's greatly positive, according to a consensus reached by those receiving a first look at Sandusky's new $11.4 million complex during an open house on Monday. Among the site's biggest fans are employees who'll call this space their work home. They couldn't stop smiling when looking at their new offices, common areas, fresh furniture and the like. "This building is phenomenal," Sandusky police Chief Jared Oliver said when addressing a crowd of nearly 100 people prior to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. "Our officers have a second home to be proud of." Sandusky Municipal Court Judge Erich O'Brien wholeheartedly agreed. "We have had a lot of starts and stops, but I'm thrilled with what we were able to accomplish," O'Brien said. Spreading the love Located at 222 Meigs St., beside Battery Park, the building will become fully operational for public use this week. During construction and: • For a little more than a year, municipal court operations worked out of the city service center, by Lions Park, off West Monroe Street. • Despite encountering difficulties, and while in piecemealed quarters, police officers still managed to conduct business from Meigs Street. John Orzech, who first became a city employee in 1997 as a police officer, later became the department's chief. Today he serves as the city manager. He's overseen the construction work both through the lens of a law enforcement officer and an administrative employee. Maintaining a keen eye and paying great attention to every single detail, in the end, he's thoroughly impressed with the final product. At the ceremony, he thanked many project partners, including the architect, Cleveland-based Bowen, and general contractor, Fremont-based Mosser Construction. Mosser, in fact, served as this building's original contractor in the 1950s. Orzech then gave a shout-out to one group deserving some praise as well. "I would like to give a special thanks to the citizens of Sandusky for their trust and support, which has made this renovation in this facility possible for the officers and the court staff," he said. Dick Brady, the city's ex officio mayor, backed up Orzech's comments. The public "deserves a building like this," Brady said. "I'm just glad our commission could give it to you." A long time coming A groundbreaking for the justice center occurred in 2022. Yet planning began in earnest nearly a decade ago. But ask O'Brien, who began serving as the city's municipal court judge in 1996: Talks about either repairing or relocating court operations began nearly 30 years ago. O'Brien and his staff, rightfully, complained about the then-outdated structure's infrastructure issues. The court often experienced leaks and plumbing problems, causing embarrassment for them when people came in for a multitude of reasons. The judge even kept an umbrella nearby — partly as a joke — but also, really, to cover his head from water dripping from above him, which helped get his point across for a new facility. "For almost the last quarter-century, being honest, there were more than a few times I would have thought there would be a cold day in hell before I would be standing here," O'Brien said during the 2022 groundbreaking. A huge issue for police, meanwhile, revolved around storage capabilities. Simply put, under its old configuration, which included City Hall's administrative offices, not enough space existed to adequately store records, equipment and everything else a police department would need. But now, with a state-of-the-art 38,000-square-foot facility — which doesn't include administrative offices, moving to downtown in 2018 — construction crews remedied all aforementioned issues. "When you got City Hall out of here and freed up square footage, the police department and court now has a decent place for them that works," Brady said. "This site works." Originally, and in 2018, commissioners supported a plan to build a justice center at the former American Crayon property on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4). It's actually now the intended home for a forthcoming city recreation center. But several issues — related to that site's foundation, traffic congestion, its overall location, which all would have factored into cost overruns — presented deep concerns for a dual police department-court center, prompting commissioners to change their minds. They ultimately opted to stay at Meigs Street where police and court operations had operated from for decades. "After many years of site selections, analysis, designs, meetings and evaluations, the decision to remain at this location has proven to be a good one," Orzech said. "It was about a seven-year process with many trials and tribulations. Throw a pandemic in there. But the unwavering commitment (of all involved) has been greatly appreciated." Brady put the project into historical perspective. "We all have the same hope that they had in 1958: It's never your best day when you are in court. It's never your best day when you usually have to come to the police department," Brady said. "But we have gotten good in the last 40 to 50 years at community policing, and that's thanks to people like John Orzech, our former police chief, and now continuing with Chief Oliver," Brady said. "Community policing will be done right here. And we will have compassion and fairness in the court system, which will be continued to be done in Judge O'Brien's courtroom with his staff's leadership." All the amenities Aaron Klein, the city's public works director heading up this project, listed off all the major components one can find inside the justice center. Here are the most notable, which include a mix of new and/or updates amenities: • A centralized public entrance off Meigs Street with an outdoor monument seating area. • A landscaped police memorial beside a flagpole. Monuments pay tribute to the late Sandusky police Officer Andy Dunn. There's also a tree planted in memory of the late Frank Link, who served as a city manager. • A grand lobby with a massive map on the wall; This image replicates a map of downtown Sandusky that was embedded in the lobby floor when City Hall operated from this site. • A magistrate's courtroom with private interview rooms • A main courtroom, which includes the court's original benches • A jury deliberation room • Security windows and increased office space for civil and criminal clerks • A secure courtyard for staff breaks • A police lobby with private interview rooms • Locker and training rooms • A designated K-9 room • A secure and expanded evidence room • A lobby and private interview rooms for the probation and prosecutor offices • A secure parking lot for staff safety Making sense of the dollars and cents The justice center's final bill totals $11.4 million, down nearly 14% from the original estimate of $13.2 million. From this $11.4 million, it's being primarily paid for through two local funding sources: • About 60%, or roughly $7.9 million, comes from a city account • About 40%, or about $5.2 million, comes from municipal court dollars banked over many years