Officials Set Town Hall Demolition Date
The VC Park at Geauga Lake developer is threatening to take legal action against Bainbridge Township Trustees after they repeatedly denied occupancy permits for the new apartment complex due to safety concerns.
The VC Park at Geauga Lake developer is threatening to take legal action against Bainbridge Township Trustees after they repeatedly denied occupancy permits for the new apartment complex due to safety concerns.
Trustee Jeff Markley announced during the June 9 trustees meeting Vision Development, the company building the apartments, recently sent a letter threatening a lawsuit against the township.
Vorys law firm, representing Columbus-based VD, sent the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office a letter June 4 stating three reasons why they believe the township is working unlawfully.
“Aurora Apartments (VD) constructed the buildings pursuant to the building code and fire code, yet the county and township are improperly delaying occupancy,” the letter said. “The county is required to issue the certificates of occupancy under Ohio law and the township has no authority to interfere with this straightforward process. The county and township are exposing themselves to unnecessary liability for violation of the law.”
The letter went on to demand occupancy for nine buildings on the property.
“Aurora Apartments hereby demands that the county immediately execute certificates of occupancy for the nine completed (and approved) buildings within the development and the township cease and desist from its illegal interference with same,” it said.
While some apartments have been completed, construction is ongoing and Markley had previously expressed concerns about a lack of safety precautions, including fencing and signage, as building continues on the site.
As a result, trustees delayed allowing tenants to move onto the property until those concerns were addressed, despite Scott Morgan, director of construction for VD, requesting trustees’ approval for occupancy in three completed apartment and amenity buildings late last month.
“They want their occupancy permits regardless of whether it’s safe or not,” Markley said during Monday’s meeting.
While Morgan was set to appear before trustees Monday night to once again seek approval for occupancy, neither he nor anyone from VD were present.
Trustees previously set conditions for VD before approving occupancy, including providing fencing around construction areas, signage on the property and a designated road — none of which have been done, Markley said last month.
Morgan said at that meeting VD would begin working on getting fencing around construction areas and are working on addressing signage.
When asked for further comment, Bainbridge Township Trustees issued the following statement.
“While the township cannot comment on the specifics of pending claims, it is fair to say that it does not agree with a significant number of the allegations in this letter and it will consider carefully its various legal options.”
VD did not return a request for further comment prior to press deadline.
In other business, Bainbridge Township Service Department announced a demolition date for the town hall has been set for June 16.
The renovation project — which would include demolition of the room cap and the basement — was fast-tracked in February, after Drew Thompson, of DS Architecture, told township officials the front room of the town hall was dangerous and should be closed immediately.
“We observed what appears to be a significant escalation in structural damage to the Bainbridge town hall gym. Based on our professional assessment, there is a substantial risk of catastrophic structural failure, posing a serious threat to the health, safety and welfare of all occupants,” Thompson said in a letter to officials. “Given these concerns, we strongly recommend that the entire town hall building and surrounding area be temporarily vacated as a precautionary measure.”
Trustees have been discussing the demolition and construction of the town hall since 2021, when Michael Bates first became a trustee, Bates said.
“The building is falling down,” he said in April. “I watched (Service Director Jim Stanek) move those walls (with his hands).”
In order to prepare for the demolition, the service department has been working on shifting things around at the town hall, said Assistant Service Director Alex Hansel during Monday’s meeting.
The service department installed conduit for a new fire optic line between the Bainbridge Township Police Department and Fire Department, Hansel said.
“We are moving all of our communications to the police department, so all of our firewalls and data will run through there,” he added.
In addition, the service department removed furnace units from the basement, relocated the electrical panel, capped and removed plumbing from the basement and located and marked all underground utilities, he said.
