Carroll County cuts ribbon on new annex building

Carroll County officials celebrated the ribbon cutting and open house for the new Carroll County Annex Building March 19, a project Carroll County commissioners said will improve public access to services while preserving a longtime community landmark.

The annex building, a former Catholic school and later the Carrollton YMCA and food pantry, has been renovated into a centralized government services center. Carroll County Commissioner Chris Modranski said the project grew out of years of space concerns, particularly for the Board of Elections and Job and Family Services.

“If you’ve ever been in the Board of Elections, especially during early voting, it is tight and crammed and inefficient,” Modranski said.

He said the same problem existed at Job and Family Services, where departments were crowded into separate buildings and county leaders were running out of practical options.

When commissioners toured the former building, Modranski said they saw an opportunity to bring new life to a structure with deep community roots.

“I saw something more than an empty structure,” Modranski said to a crowd of approximately 80 residents and local officials. “I saw a building with strong bones, deep history and real potential.”

The 45,000-square-foot facility was repurposed rather than replaced, a decision county leaders said saved millions of dollars. Modranski said the total cost of purchasing and renovating the annex building, along with constructing a maintenance garage behind it, was just under $6.9 million.

By comparison, he said, a new 45,000-square-foot building in Ohio could cost an estimated $15 million to $20 million.

Even more significant, officials said more than $5 million in grant funding was secured for the project, reducing the county’s local share to about $1.8 million.

“This was done with no debt service,” Modranski said.

Commissioner Donald Leggett II also stressed that point during the ceremony, addressing rumors about county spending.

“There is no debt created for this project,” Leggett said.

Departments moving into the annex building include the Board of Elections, Job and Family Services, OhioMeansJobs, the Child Support Enforcement Agency, the Emergency Management Agency, the county coroner’s office, the OSU Extension office, county record storage and the voting and grounds maintenance garage.

Future plans could include relocating the county’s 911 dispatch center and commissioners’ offices, along with development of a community conference center.

Commissioner Robert Wirkner said the project was ultimately about matching county needs with a usable existing asset.

“To me, this whole thing boiled down to one thing, and that is asset management,” Wirkner said.

He said the building will help the county meet current needs while creating room for future growth, all without placing additional burden on taxpayers.

Wirkner added that the property includes about six acres, giving the county space to expand as needs change.

“We’ve got six acres with this property, so each one of these offices has built-in expansion room,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we have the ability to expand again if needed down the road.”

The project also significantly upgrades the county’s emergency response capabilities. Emergency Management Deputy Director Dustin Lucas said the new Emergency Operations Center is larger, fully accessible and equipped with modern technology, including interactive smart boards, live data feeds and expanded workspace for up to 20 personnel during major incidents.

Lucas said the previous facility was limited in both space and technology, while the new setup allows real-time coordination using live drone footage, weather data and communication with first responders.

“Just by this room alone, we’ve expanded tenfold our capabilities,” Lucas said.

He added that the future relocation of 911 dispatch into the same building will further improve communication and response times.

“Information sharing is going to be seamless during an emergency,” Lucas said.

State and local officials attending the ceremony praised the project as an example of practical government investment.

State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel called the annex a “one-stop shop” for residents needing essential county services and said the project blended the building’s historic character with the needs of modern government.

“Instead of letting a piece of our local history sit vacant, our county commissioners chose a path of renewal and revival,” Blasdel said.

State Sen. Al Cutrona also praised the commissioners for focusing on cost savings and efficiency.

“This is exactly what government is supposed to look like,” Cutrona said.

Department of Job and Family Services Director Matt Damschroder said the former arrangement required residents to move between multiple buildings to access services, which made the process harder on families already dealing with difficult circumstances.

He said the new space will allow staff to serve residents in a more dignified, respectful and accessible way.

The renovation was also a major undertaking behind the scenes. Officials thanked architects, contractors, maintenance workers, engineers, electricians, heating and cooling crews and county staff who helped complete the project, including Hasenstab Architects and Stitle Construction Corp.

Carroll County Buildings and Grounds Superintendent Ed Eick said seeing the former YMCA transformed into county offices was something few would have expected just a few years ago.

“I must say that out of all the large-scale projects pertaining to buildings and grounds, none of them can top this one,” Eick said.

As the ribbon was cut, Modranski said the project was about more than reopening a building.

“Buildings matter, but what matters most is what happens inside them,” he said. “This project reflects our belief in the future of Carroll County.”

Following the ceremony, members of the public were invited to tour the building, and refreshments were available during the open house.