Seneca County Juvenile and Probate Judge Jay Meyer performed a dedication ceremony Thursday which included placement of a time capsule at the new Seneca County Youth Center.
County Commissioners were among those in attendance.
"I would like to thank my father (Gerald Meyer), who envisioned this project, (former) Judge Paul Kutcher, who put forth the effort, and commissioners, who had the courage to follow through with this at a time the economy is not that great," Meyer said.
Article Photos
PHOTO BY AARON POST
Seneca County Commissioners (from left) Jeff Wagner, Ben Nutter and Dave Sauber and Seneca County Juvenile and Probate Judge Jay Meyer place a time capsule into the new Youth Center building Thursday morning.
The time capsule box and a granite cornerstone plaque which was donated by Hoffman-Gottfried-Mack Funeral Home was placed within the structure of the new youth center, located just south of the sheriff's office.
Meyer said the facility could be complete as soon as this fall.
Inside the capsule were letters from Meyer, former Judge Gerald Meyer, Kutcher, county commissioners, Youth Center Director Ben Yourkvitch and youth staying at the center, as
well as photos of projects youth contributed to while at the center, including a garden, crocheting and knitting.
Yourkvitch said the old building did not meet Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
"The original youth center was built in 1955, operating as an orphanage," Yourkvitch said. "It was converted to a youth center in the '70s."
He said the new building was long overdue and will provide more individual attention.
"This new building will be ADA compliant, have individual restrooms and individual showers," Yourkvitch said. "It will have a gymnasium inside and a rec center. There will be two classrooms that are ADA compliant.
He said maintenance issues will be lessened with the new youth center.
"In the old building if we had a plumbing issue, we would have to have to tear up the concrete to fix it," he said.
Meyer talked about the benefits of the new youth center.
"This new facility will allow for enhanced programming for kids," Meyer said.
He said the new structure will provide increased safety and individual cells versus a dorm style.
Immediately following the ceremony, the Seneca County Board of Commissioners discussed the ceremony during their board meeting.
Board President Ben Nutter said the $3 million investment was funded with $1.3 million in local taxpayer money and the remaining provided by the state.
A $1.8 million grant came from the Ohio Department of Youth Services earlier in the year.
"Taxpayers should be proud of the youth center," Nutter said.
In a separate matter, the board heard from Clerk of Courts Mary Ward about a recent Alchemy bundle update within the legal department for licensing.
Ward said a software update will allow for area departments to view information pertaining to common pleas cases.
"The cost is $600 per department," Ward said. "The sheriff and the prosecutor both purchased licenses."
This Alchemy program being integrated was acquired from Perry Corp. in Lima for $18,150, Ward said.
County commissioners approved $14,750 to be transferred from the title administration fund to the general fund to go towards the software.
Ward said included in this amount was $9,750 in surplus from Ward's office title fund.
"It will help keep the sheriff and prosecutors connected," she said.
In other business, by a 2-1 vote, commissioners approved $6,518 to be spent on contract services for Mohawk Nursery to landscape the courthouse lawn. Commissioners Nutter and Jeff Wagner voted for the contract and Commissioner Dave Sauber voted against it.
