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Planning begins for new Orange service center
(by Sali McSherry - May 12, 2011)
Planning begins for new Orange service center
By SALI McSHERRY
Orange Village and Bialosky & Associates, of Cleveland, met last week to begin the process of preparing a master plan for the new service center on property adjacent to Village Hall.
The former St. Margaret of Hungary Church property was acquired by the village last year.
Mayor Kathy U. Mulcahy said earlier this week they would be providing time lines and schedules in the next couple of weeks to council.
"The good thing is that we will all know what the goal is, and as finances allow, we can move step by step to achieve the final vision," she said.
"There has never been any consideration of any sort of levy, not by me," Ms. Mulcahy said. The outcome of the state budget, especially as it pertains to the estate tax, will need to be determined before the village can make a dependable financial plan, she said, and that will dictate the speed of the project.
In March, council approved a contract on a 6-1 vote last week with the architects. Total compensation is $150,000 with the first phase of $59,000, which will take the renovation and building project through design development but ends before creation of construction documents.
Councilman Edward Bonk, who opposed the contract, said the issue is that inheritance taxes could be eliminated by Ohio legislators and that the project depends on revenue from those taxes. The village should not be paying an architect to design a building it doesn't know if it will be able to construct, he said.
The village has been saving money for the project for many years, and they all agree it must be done in a fiscally responsible way, Councilwoman Lisa Perry said in March.
Council also approved additional design and construction work on the renovation of the amphitheater or "performance pavilion," for events like "Music at the Muni," at a cost not to exceed $8,760. Service department employees are doing most or all of the construction and renovation and there is some structural and electrical work that is required to meet building codes, Ms. Mulcahy said.
The demolition of the rectory at the former church, a building which has no value because of its deterioration, was approved by council and is scheduled to take place later this month, Ms. Mulcahy said.
After the purchase of the former church property, there's about $125,000 left in the account in addition to about $243,000 the village currently is expecting to receive from inheritance taxes, Ms. Mulcahy had told council.
The money entering that fund is designated for service center project, Mr. Bram said in March. The $59,000 is a small portion of it and should be used for design purposes, he said. If inheritance taxes are cut, the village will regroup, he said.
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