Painesville OKs Lake County safety center project design, demolition requests - The News-Herald
Lake County officials plan to build a new public safety center to replace its existing jail and sheriff’s office, and Painesville’s Planning Commission recently gave its approval to multiple project design and demolition requests.
All requests were approved 3-0 by commission members John Brad Deane, Jim Fialko and Mark Wainwright at a July 11 meeting.
The commission approved a permit to allow the safety center to be built on two parcels of land. One is located on East Erie Street across from the existing jail, while the other is immediately behind it and borders East Jackson Street.
Painesville Planning Director Sarah Sitterle told the planning commission that the existing juvenile justice center and another county facility would not be affected. Other buildings would be targeted for demolition.
Both parcels are owned by the Lake County commissioners, according to county records.
Sitterle said that the proposed facility would “have a more prominent location” than the current jail and “keep an appropriate separation between the houses on East Jackson Street and the building.” Entrances would be located on both Erie and Jackson streets.
“There will be additional safety designs included with this updated facility that don’t exist in the current jail that will be associated with this location,” she added.
The planning commission also gave its approval to a number of demolition requests on neighboring properties associated with the safety center project. All of the properties are owned by the county commissioners. The properties proposed for demolition include the former Burger King, former apartments at 201-209 N. St. Clair St. and properties at 216 E. Jackson St., 215 N. St. Clair St., 197 N. St. Clair St. and 99 and 125 E. Erie St. Sitterle said that properties also include offices, commercial space and a duplex.
“The county has been acquiring these properties for quite some time, beginning in at least the ’70s as far as our records show,” she said.
City Manager Doug Lewis said that a Mexican restaurant in the area would be moving to the Tower student residences on Painesville Square, while a barber shop in the area was looking for a new downtown location.
County Administrator Jason Boyd told the commission that the properties would be used for “future-proofing,” with possible uses as parking spaces or additions to the safety center.
The planning commission also approved a request to allow temporary parking for the construction project at 168 N. St. Clair St., another county-owned property that Sitterle said was demolished this year.
Sitterle said that the current jail would be demolished after the new safety center is completed.
Boyd added that the county envisions keeping the current jail property for public parking. The county would be open to talking with city officials after the completion of the safety center and when they know about the employee count and parking needs.
The current jail was built in 1990. Boyd said it was built with “poor design, poor construction, cost-cutting measures.”
“It was a combination of errors,” he added.
The jail was built to hold 353 inmates. County Sheriff Frank Leonbruno previously said that facility has at times held as many as 410 inmates.
Boyd said that proportion of felony offenders as opposed to misdemeanor offenders and the number of female inmates have also increased.
He added that the planned safety center will be designed with an “at least 50-year build.”
When asked why the county plans to build the jail on Erie Street, Boyd said that the county has “always been committed to downtown.” He added that it is important for the facility to be near the county courts and that the county has “a significant employee base.”
“A lot of counties are dispersing county functions beyond the municipal borders, beyond the traditional civic core, and we have made a decision to invest our long-term future right in the heart of the civic district as traditional county seats have been throughout the state,” he added.
Boyd said that cost estimates range from $200 million to $213 million and described the project as “about a three-year build.”