Commissioners In Favor of Putting 470 Center Street on the Market,
Senior Center Remaining There for Now
Board of County Commissioners Meeting - May 14, 2026
Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met in Special Session on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 9:30 am for a meeting at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. Meetings can be live streamed through the Geauga ADP Youtube channel and can be accessed here by scrolling down and clicking on the section for YouTube videos. Recordings are available for the public. Because this was a Special Meeting, it was not recorded or livestreamed. An agenda was published and a more detailed agenda was available at the meeting.
Public Comment Policy: Permitted as outlined in the BOCC’s Public Comment Policy that was adopted on January 28, 2025, revised on April 15, 2025, and again modified on September 30, 2025 and February 19, 2026. Since this was a Special Meeting, there was no public comment.
Attendance: Present were Commissioners Carolyn Brakey, James Dvorak and Ralph Spidalieri. Also present were Commissioners’ Clerk Christine Blair, County Administrator Amy Bevan and Deputy County Administrator Mark Jimison.
County Representatives: Rob Weigle, Director, Maintenance; Paul J. Mooney, Chief Public Defender; Law Library Director Krystal Thompson; Kimberly Laurie, Court Administrator, Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court; CASA Supervisor Ada Gillespie; Jessica Boalt, Director, Office on Aging; Melissa Wheeler, Senior Center Coordinator; Max Yost, County Communications/Media Specialist.
Others in Attendance: Bill Young, City Manager, Chardon; Abbey King, Magistrate, Juvenile and Probate Court; Allyson Kobus, Planner II, Planning Department; members of the public, reporters from the Geauga Maple Leaf and the Chagrin Valley Times, and this Observer from the League of Women Voters of Geauga.
Pledge of Allegiance
Public Comment - None was offered due to the fact that this was a Special Meeting.
Minutes - None submitted. Observer Note: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for the BOCC are available online through May 14, 2026 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved minutes. Approved BOCC Minutes are posted online here through November 25, 2025.
Discussion Topics: Observer Note: The following list of topics regarding needs regarding certain departments and services and how facilities might impact where they are situated. The following areas were discussed, mostly in the order presented, but there are overlapping decisions regarding use of certain buildings and timing. All parties to the discussion understood this and commented on it.
Facilities and Property
Law Library - Observer Note: This was the most straightforward of the topics. The Law Library had been moved from the old courthouse and will now move back into the renovated courthouse. Mr. Weigle said that Court IT stored some things at the location for the Law Library in the renovated courthouse and they will need to clean and get the Law Library room prepped, then move things that were stored at 470 Center Street over there. He said that ADP (Automatic Data Processing) will be involved and that the transition should not be a big deal. There was a discussion about painting the room and replacing carpet, but no decisions were made.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) - The first part of the question concerned CASA going into the Opera House. Ms. Laurie said that the area looks very nice and that CASA staff agreed it could work. She said she had also heard that the Chardon Library might be an option, and it would address the questions of ADA access and parking. Ms. Bevan said that to her knowledge the Chardon Library has a letter of intent from an external buyer. She said the asking price is $1.15 Million, with a stipulation for a 2 year rent free option, and they were open to a letter of intent.
Mr. Spidalieri asked about the house across from the renovated courthouse (214 Park St), which had been purchased and was suggested as a location for CASA. Mr. Weigle said they were waiting for a final report on an assessment, which should be sometime this week. He said that it is clear already that there are big issues, including structural things like the roof, foundation, sewer, no ADA accessibility, and only one grounded outlet.
Mr. Dvorak noted that the house is contiguous to the parking lot owned by the County and wondered if they should combine the parking. Mr. Weigle said he recommended joining the parking spaces together, regardless of what happens to the house. Mr. Jimison was also in favor of combining the parking and noted that parking is important. Ms. Bevan agreed that going into the 214 Park house was not an option. Mr. Weigle said that he would hire contractors to do work at the Opera House and that it could be ready in less than 3 months. CASA Supervisor Ada Gillespie said the staff felt that the space at the Opera House was appropriate, but she mentioned issues with parking. She said that since a vast number of volunteers are elderly, the library space is better due to more handicapped accessible parking. She also mentioned that they do training sessions every 30 days and there could be as many as 15-18 cars. Mrs. Braky asked if they could do training at the Library Administrative Building (which the County has just purchased). There were unresolved questions about which entities could be in the same building. It was noted that JFS and CASA cannot be in the same space. Mrs. Bevan said that she felt the priority was to get everyone out of 470 Center St., even if they had to have temporary solutions.
Senior Center - Ms. Boalt and Ms. Wheeler talked about viable options if they have to vacate 470 Center Street before the Library Administration building will be available to them. Observer Note: It was mentioned later in the meeting that the turnover from the Library to the Commissioners won’t occur until June 30, 2027, and then renovations will be needed. She said they reached out to 8 potential locations for renting and there was one viable option. She said that the most important thing is that they need a commercial kitchen. So, the question was whether it made sense to move somewhere for 12 months. One other option discussed was to suspend services in Chardon, but Ms. Boalt said that participation has gone up 22% in the last year, with a further increase of 11% for January - April. she also noted that there has been an increase in congregate meals of 19% in 2025 and further increases January - April, 2026. She said she was open to the senior center remaining in place at 470 Center St. for now, although there are issues there.
Mr. Spidalieri said that “we don’t owe a dime on that building… we would be foolish to renovate another building.” He thought the County should wait for the full transition to the Library Administrative Building and not interrupt services. He suggested putting 470 Center St. on the market with a contingency for use by the senior center. Ms. Bevan said that now that the Library Administrative building has been acquired, they need to go out to bid for an architect. The formal turnover date is June 30, 2027, and she said the Library is not extending their lease. Mrs. Boalt said they could get prepared during that time to get everything ready quickly. Another question was whether the Office on Aging staff would go into the new space. Ms. Boalt said that they have 22 staff and there are only 98 parking spots at the Library Administrative Center. No decision was made on this, and Mrs. Brakey reiterated that they would have to work out the parking situation.
470 Center Street Plaza, including gear and remaining furniture - Mr. Weigle said that 95% of the furniture at 470 Center St. got moved to the County Barn. Observer Note: In further discussions it appeared that this was the barn adjacent to the County Engineer’s building. He did say that they wash all their vehicles there and store snow removal equipment there as well. He said they would like to build a salt structure at the County Barn. There was discussion of the need for a building to store salt (bagged) and some equipment needed for the Courthouse closer to the Courthouse area.
Mr. Weigle said they could join the two lots together (parking area and 214 Park) and put equipment in back. Other areas for parking and storage were discussed, including maybe another building in Chardon. Ms. Bevan said she would look into how or if the 214 Park Place can be moved since it is a historical building.
Furniture Auction - Mr. Weigle explained that for auction they would go on GovDeals.com 3 times but then he said that some departments and county boards are interested in acquiring some of it. He mentioned the Fair Board, Mental Health (for use in their Recovery Home) and the Geauga Airport. Mrs. Brakey mentioned that CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) might be interested. Mr. Weigle said that EMA (Emergency Management Agency) also might want a table. It was agreed that any offices under County hiring authority had first preference, then other county departments and then separate boards.
The Pit - The parking area (this is the area behind the parking area owned by the County) that has been used for structural equipment during the renovation of the old Courthouse.. Mr. Weigle said that paving this area was supposed to be done before construction of the new Courthouse but they held off at the time.
Ms. Bevan said that they are working with Chardon on a parking study. Mr. Young has been walking the parking areas as he said to do the math; how many employees working up town; how many spots are there; how many ADA spots needed and where are they being used. Mr. Young said that it seems that there is plenty of parking, just not aligned with where it is needed. His recommendation was to not pave the pit area and leave this area for development. There are 52 spaces at the Library and 2 lots adjacent to the library. Ms. Bevan said she understood that those two lots are not being offered to the private entity as part of the purchase of the library building and could be available to the Commissioners to purchase.
Mr. Spidalieri said he favored paving the pit and putting in a garage.
Ms. Bevan said they would put in a crosswalk between the pit and the courthouse. Mrs. Brakey felt they needed to figure out what is happening with the house at 214 Park and should not do this piecemeal. Ms. Bevan agreed. She said there are a lot of ideas out there about downtown Chardon, attracting more small businesses, etc. She advocated working with the City of Chardon.
Mr. Dvorak asked about cost, and Mr. Weigle said that it would cost about $500,000 for a parking lot at the pit, including the regrading of the area as it is on a severe downslope. Mr. Weigle also said that this could not be done until 2027 at this point.
There was a question as to whether Chardon would get another Judge for the Court of Common Pleas. Mrs. Brakey said . . . “there is nothing in the statute that says if the population goes over 100,000 we get another judge.” She said they would have to change the law for Geauga to get another judge. Mr. Weigle said that if they renovate the old courthouse and move people from the annex, those employees will want closer parking.
Ms. Bevan questioned whether during any renovation of the old courthouse, they might want to use the pit as a good staging area.
Courthouse, Including the Original and Expansion
Ms. Bevan said they cannot do much with the old courthouse yet except a walk-through. Mr. Weigle said that this is in his 5 year plan with the roof and the air handler next year.
There was a discussion of the Juvenile and Probate Court going into the old courthouse once renovated. Ms. Laurie said that the Juvenile and Probate Court needs to be secure with secured parking. She said that Judge Grendell needs to be part of the conversation. She was unsure exactly when Judge Grendell would return after his suspension.
It was noted that the Public Defender can’t move into spaces where the Prosecutor is located.
Ms. Bevan said that the Opera House is a building of interest to the city of Chardon. Mr. Young agreed that the Chardon Square Association was interested in the building. Selling that building was discussed briefly, with no decisions made at this time.
There was agreement to put 470 Center St. on the market with a contingency so the senior center could stay there for now.
There was a discussion about who decides where the Juvenile and Probate Court is situated. Mrs. Brakey asked, “who is the decision maker - the Commissioners or the Probate Judge?” Ms. Bevan said that she would check on that. Ms. Bevan said that they want everyone to be on board, but one body is the ultimate decision-maker and she agreed that they needed to figure that out.
Mr. Weigle said he estimated $1.1 million for the roof and air handler for the old courthouse. He said that a rough estimate to renovate the interior space of the old courthouse would be $ 7-10 million.
Mrs. Brakey recommended trying to get state funding; Ms. Bevan agreed and said she would also look into a historic preservation grant.
Options for Swing Space Observer Note: Swing Space would be space needed in the event space is needed for CASA or Senior Center before one of the other options is available
Ms. Bevan mentioned the above possibilities. The Commissioners own 35 acres of now vacant land outside Chardon near Best Sand Corporation on Ravenna Road. The Chase Building and local commercial space were not really discussed, nor was the Chardon municipal building except that Mr. Young agreed that there was surplus space in the municipal building. The Commissioners did discuss the Chardon Library and how it would be useful for CASA and potentially other entities. There were also discussions about two other properties the county owns - the Annex and the Opera House. Both properties need renovation work.
Ms. Bevan said she would come up with a list of pros and cons for each option that was discussed..
Mrs. Brakey said, “Are we in agreement to put the 35 acres on the market?” It appeared to be so, but no definite decision was made at the meeting.
Mrs. Brakey thought that the County should look into purchasing the Chardon Library with the idea of getting rid of the Opera House.
Ms. Bevan said with the acquisition of the library building they could put the Treasurer and CASA in there. She said they need “a long game to get out of the Opera House.” Mr. Young confirmed that the Chardon Square Association could potentially be interested in the Opera House.
Ms. Bevan also said that the following week, there will be a request for interested parties to claim any furniture they want before it goes out to auction. It was agreed that departments under the county hiring authority would have first option, then other county departments and then other Boards.
Ms. Bevan said she would find the appraisal for the 35 acres.
Meeting adjourned at 11:04 am.
Information and Posted Minutes: Available here.
Next Regular Meeting of the BOCC: The next Regular Meeting of the BOCC will be on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at the County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Sarah McGlone
Reviewer: Carol Benton
Date Submitted: May 17, 2026
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