Improvements continue at Tower building
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STEUBENVILLE -- The Jefferson County Tower building has landed another high-profile tenant, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, but it's the building's long-dry decorative fountain that's getting all the attention.
Maintenance Supervisor Patrick Boyles said people who have been passing by the building at 500 Market St. have been stopping to take pictures and motorists have been honking their horns since the water started flowing again and people have been sitting on benches outside so they can listen to the water.
He had the water cascading at its ideal height, around 6 feet, a week ago but discovered the fountain was losing water so he shut it down until they could figure out what was causing it. He turned it back on, though at a much lower level, earlier in the week.
"We did some testing on it, I was kind of' worried we were losing it from the supply lines underground, it hadn't run in so long we didn't know (what was wrong)," Boyles said. "But by doing some testing (we realized) there's a concrete base poured around the concrete of the fountain itself, there's a seam there and some cracks. It was obvious someone tried to seal it at some point. I figure they've had problems with it before. As water is cascading up and over, the higher it goes ...the more that's going to splash."
He said "sometime" next week or the week after, crews will "shut it back down, clean the cracks out, run some concrete caulking in and pressure wash" the fountain.
"For the minimal cost of caulking, some pressure washing and time, we'll have it running again," he said. County commissioners gave the go-ahead to rehab the fountain a year ago. A Pennsylvania company removed the old equipment and installed two high-pressure efficiency pumps and a sand filter, along with new interior piping.
Boyles said they had to wait eight months for the equipment to come in, but once it was installed in April "our maintenance crew completely drained and cleaned" the fountain.
"Here is the value," Commissioner Dave Maple said. "We're trying to market that building -- there are private entities we're trying to entice to come there. And you've got the tourism, beautification aspect--the positivity for the county and bring people in. Those alone greatly outweigh the cost of running the pumps."
Adding legal services to the Tower tenant list puts building occupancy at around 95 percent.
"When we were considering the purchase, not many people remember, but we put a committee together and spent about six months evaluating the purchase," Maple recalled. "It was nowhere near the occupancy rate, things were wrong with it, like the elevators and the roof, it had all kinds of issues. We bought that building very conservatively ... and I think it's really turned into an asset for the county, an asset for downtown.
In 2013, Maple and then-commissioners Tom Gentile and Tom Graham, decided to purchase the building for $750,000, plus another $100,000 for four parking lots
"My goal was always to get a public-private mix in the building, so we have some revenue-generating tenants," Maple said. "If you think about it, before we made that decision, we had offices in there we were paying rent on. From a rent avoidance standpoint, that's a big plus for us. And we added parking lots -- there was a lot going on at the time, a lot of employee parking cost -- now we don't have that, our employees have a place to park. So, from a cost-avoidance and revenue side of it, we've done what we wanted it to do."
Commissioner Tony Morelli said the Tower building "is a huge asset for the county, and we do have plans to make it even nicer."
"It is a great example of public-private partnership," Morelli added. "We have multiple county departments in it, including the board of elections and health department, and the building is about 95 percent occupied."
They're currently in discussion with a management company.
"We're also very close to bidding the demolition of two vacant buildings on Market Street that have been empty for quite a while and are an eyesore," Morelli added. " After they're demolished we will fix and repave the parking lots, which desperately needs done, and we want to use part of the demolition area as a grassy area or possibly a small park--a place where the public and tenants can go at lunch time and sit outside."
Repairing the fountain "adds to the aesthetics," he said.
Morelli said they're currently looking into the feasibility of turning the old bank drive-through into a drive-through title office for the clerk of courts "if it's possible without inconveniencing current tenants." "Personally, I would like to see if there is room in the building to have a coffee and sandwich shop in the future," he added.
Commissioner Eric Timmons said the Tower building acquisition and rehabilitation "shows the commissioners' and the county's commitment to the county seat."
"It also shows our commitment to business," Timmons added. "We have bigger plans for that area with regards to (demolishing two dilapidated structures across the street and developing a green space). We will continue to invest in all areas of the county."
Maple agreed, saying there's value to "making the downtown area attractive to people, making the building attractive to people."