Board of DD takes next step towards new facilities

TIFFIN – At the Seneca County Commissioners' meeting Thursday morning, the board opened a bid for interior renovations at 40 Fair Lane and 541 W. Market St. The A-T spoke to Seneca County Opportunity Center's, 780 E. CR 20, and Seneca County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Lew Hurst about the buildings which will be utilized for adult services. The estimate for the project was $769,000. One bid of $788,000 from Telamon Construction, Inc. was received. The Board of Developmental Disabilities will review the bid and decide. The board purchased the properties about a year ago from Mercy Health – Tiffin Hospital. Hurst said the board acquired the properties at "a very reasonable price" from Mercy. "Mercy Hospital's mission was to give back to the community," he said. "We partnered with them as we (the board) have a similar mission of giving back to the community and improving the lives of people with disabilities." While the board has had plans for the buildings, it allowed the Seneca County General Health District and Seneca County Regional Planning to utilize the space when the building the departments reside in was discovered to have mold during construction last year. For the last three years, the board has been renting one of the buildings in the area, so, when the opportunity to purchase all three buildings arose, the board jumped to purchase all three. The rented building had sat empty for three years until the board started to rent it and utilized the location for the board's SSA department, which manages cases for those with developmental disabilities. "One of the conditions in our field has been changes in Medicaid, which is a funding source for folks, to stipulate that day services (which is the adult services program) can't operate in a building or an institution which is a school," Hurst explained. "We already have the School of Opportunity, so we are required to move the adults out (of the building)." Two of the buildings will be utilized for adult services, the buildings need tweaks to work as adult service buildings, which is the reasoning for the interior renovations. Rooms will be made "a little bit bigger" and medical equipment will be removed. "We've been growing in numbers, mostly in children, so we're out of space there (at the Opportunity Center)," he said. "We were looking for space when these buildings became available. We're excited about the opportunity to provide more space. We truly would not have been able to have done it without the support of Mercy Hospital who gave us a good deal on the properties." The board has seen an increase in requests for services for children, which Hurst attributes to autism diagnoses and birth defects children face from the effects of drug addiction. "Our plan is to evacuate the adults (from the Opportunity Center to the new buildings) and expand the school to make room for additional kids." The hope is to have the new facilities opened by the summer so work can begin on the school to accommodate more children. Hurst said the Opportunity Center will need to be renovated to expand the rooms of the adult wing to classroom size. That will be the next phase of the project. "The biggest challenge we've had is that we're busting at the seams. Over the last five years we've had a 25% increase in the number of people we're serving. We're trying to make sure that we have the space to serve people." The board, keeping taxpayers in mind, has focused on making the project as cost effective as possible. Hurst said the board was in a good financial position when it began the project and let a .5-mill levy lapse, the same amount that was calculated back in the 1980s. "At this point, we're projecting things can change, (we'll) probably need to go on for additional funds in two years. The projection is that if we continue to grow at the rate we're growing, we may have to do it (ask for additional funds) sooner." The board receives state, local and federal funding to support those who have developmental disabilities. However, most funding comes from local tax levies. Other business In other action, the commissioners approved the following supplemental appropriations: $142,804 to the general fund for transfers out $64,622 returned from the FY20 COSSAP fund for salaries $1,145.50 returned from the FY20 COSSAP fund for Medicare $2,172.50 returned from the FY20 COSSAP fund for workers' compensation $11,060 returned from the FY20 COSSAP fund for PERS The commissioners also approved the following resolutions: Appointing Mircea Handru as the representative for Seneca County to the OneOhio Region 17 board Authorizing fund transfers to be made to the Soil and Water fund Authorizing fund transfers to be made to the Soil and Water fund Authorizing fund transfers to be made to the Soil and Water fund Authorizing the Seneca County Board of Commissioners to accept the bid Lake Erie Construction Company for the 2024 Guardrail project; LPA-2024 Authorizing the disposal of unneeded, obsolete or unfit county owned property Authorizing a memorandum of understanding for child abuse and neglect and developmental disabilities between local agencies and the Seneca County Department of Jobs and Family Services The next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 22 at the commissioners' office, 111 Madison St., Tiffin.