MOUNT VERNON — Shopping season continues for county officials hoping to find a suitable future site for the combined Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Auto Title Department and Highway Patrol Driver’s License Exam operations. The three currently operate out of an office at 671 N. Sandusky St. and have expressed an interest in either leaving the aging office space where they are currently housed, or having it renovated.
Deputy Registrar Sam Barone and Clerk of Courts Mary Jo Hawkins were joined by Donald Burris and Sue Kohler of the Ohio Department of Public Safety as they met Thursday morning with the Knox County Commissioners at the Public Service Building, 117 E. High St., to review the possible options pending.
Burris, chief of the Office of Field Services for ODPS, explained how the location of the facility could influence how much business it receives, as Ohio residents are allowed to register, take exams and process titles at any authorized facilities, not just the ones in their own counties. Burris said that the state’s main concern was that the agencies end up in a facility with road frontage in, preferably, a prominent location.
The site of the jail just off Coshocton Road, known as East Campus, has some open land. This was discussed as possible site for a new building. Burris said that the corner of the site, bordered by Upper Gilchrist Road and U.S. 36, would be a prime location. As this site may figure in future plans for other county projects, however, Barone suggested a site to the right, or south, of the driveway to the jail.
Discussion was then held on what sort of building would be erected. Commissioner Allen Stockberger said that the Licking County facility was a brick building with a lobby leading into three self-contained offices. When cost estimates of a building like that were discussed, it became clear that such a facility could not be justified in this situation.
“None of us have a lot of flexibility in terms of revenue streams,” Barone said. The combined offices are currently paying about $1,500 in rent, according to Hawkins.
They compared this with renovation figures supplied to Barone and Hawkins by Tom Sutton, owner of the current North Sandusky Street facility. According to Hawkins, Sutton submitted a cost of $69,000 to improve the current space, with a monthly rental rate of $3,100 on a five-year lease.
“I can’t afford that,” Barone said. He turned to Hawkins. “Can you?”
“No,” Hawkins said. She cited statistics showing that Knox County has grown at a rate of 14.8 percent in the last decade, over 10 percent higher than the state average, but that increase in numbers is not enough to support a doubled rent.
Hawkins then proposed a different potential site, a strip mall located at the intersection of Harcourt and Columbus roads. Barone said that the location would be great. Commissioners’ President Robert Wise said that it would be preferable to build there instead of adding to the congestion on the east side of town. He additionally suggested a metal building as opposed to masonry, to save on costs.
Stockberger pointed out that the county doesn’t own that land, which might make it cost prohibitive. Wise said that as new facilities are also being discussed for the county engineer, perhaps the engineer’s office could be placed adjacent to the other three offices, making it economically viable.
Though nothing has been finalized at this point, each side agreed on the next steps. The commissioners will inquire into whether the landowner of the proposed site at Harcourt and Columbus Roads would have any interest in selling, and Barone said that he and Hawkins would inform Sutton that they were not intending to pursue a renovation of the North Sandusky Street. location. The commissioners agreed with Barone that a six-month lease extension would be needed for the current site, as it would take time to reach final plans and embark upon a course of action.
