“I can envision this area to be more than just a hospital and some county buildings. This can be a destination for residents of Geauga County and beyond, providing not only health care and county services, but potentially business opportunities as well.” - Tim Lennon
Geauga County Commissioners, department heads, staff and special guests came together Oct. 28 to officially break ground on a new administrative building in Claridon Township.
County Administrator Gerry Morgan kicked off the event with a reminder the building, which should be open for occupancy in 2022, has been a long-term project.
“This building has been a long time coming — not only the four-plus years of planning for this specific building, but the numerous years before that, when discussions about a more centralized, combined facility for county offices had been discussed,” Morgan said.
He also thanked County Commissioners Tim Lennon, Ralph Spidalieri and Jim Dvorak for steady leadership.
“Dealing with the ebbs and flows of the project, and addressing the naysayers, and those that would try to throw up roadblocks in the way of doing what is right for the citizens of Geauga County,” Morgan said. “Because it was not good for them, they cannot see the benefits this project will provide.”
Commissioners kept their eyes on what was best for the county and got past trouble spots where previous office building projects ended, he said.
Dvorak led the ceremony — an official meeting of the county commissioners — in an opening prayer dedicated to the laying of a cornerstone.
“On this stone laid down with prayer, let a church rise strong and fair. Every, Lord, thy name be known, where we lay this cornerstone,” Dvorak read, in part, from the prayer, closing with a request to keep the skilled tradesmen safe and sound.
“Geauga County is where history meets the future,” Dvorak said.
Spidalieri emphasized the pride the new building will bring the county.
“It’s gonna be a proud moment for us, it’s gonna be a proud moment for our veterans to have a nice facility,” Spidalieri said. “For our veterans, they’ll have a nice place for us to be able to respect and give back to them, and it just gives our county a better image.”
Spidalieri also thanked Morgan and Lennon for keeping the project moving forward. Lennon sometimes used a heavy hand to get things done, he said.
“Thank you Ralph. I never knew I was the heavy hand, wow,” Lennon joked.
The future potential for the building and its location are huge, he said.
“I can envision this area to be more than just a hospital and some county buildings. This can be a destination for residents of Geauga County and beyond, providing not only healthcare and county services, but potentially business opportunities, as well,” Lennon said.
All three commissioners and Morgan commended University Hospitals Regional President Steven Jones and UH-Geauga President Donald DeCarlo for their partnership in keeping the project moving forward — especially after the sale of the county Job and Family Services building to the hospital last December, which Spidalieri said made the difference in getting the ball rolling on the project’s completion.
Commissioners also singled out former County Administrator Dave Lair, who Morgan said saw plans for new county facilities start and stop many times.
“But his steady leadership kept the idea alive and maintained the focus needed to eventually get to this day,” Morgan said.
He thanked former County Commissioner Skip Claypool for hiring architects at R.L. Bowen to evaluate existing county office facilities and propose options for office consolidation.
Clerk of Courts Denise Kaminski helped in the design and planning of the building, Morgan said.
“With this new building, Denise’s longtime goal of bringing the title department and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office under one roof will be realized,” he added.
County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz, and Assistant Prosecutor Laura LaChappelle were praised for their assistance with drafting legal documents related to the project.
Lennon invited Lake County Commissioner Jerry Cirino to speak, telling the assembled crowd Cirino and other officials in Lake County offered advice on the project. Last year, Lake County completed a new five-story office complex in Painesville, the county seat.
Cirino congratulated commissioners and staff, adding his county’s new building has made services more efficient for residents, with departments consolidated in a single area.
Spidalieri made a point to thank NV5, an engineering and construction firm acting as the county’s owner’s representative, for already saving the county money on the roughly $27 million building project.
Mark Seifried, managing director at NV5, joined Don Dreier, executive vice president at construction manager firm Donley’s Inc., and Bob Fiala, founder and executive chair at ThenDesign Architecture, in expressing gratitude and enthusiasm for the project.
“Everybody is just working together as a team and it’s just real comforting to see this. This is not something that just happened overnight,” Spidalieri said.
