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Portage courthouse parking lot improvements to cost less than expected

Diane Smith, Record-Courier
·2 min read
A proposed design of the parking lot that serves the Portage County Courthouse, Commissioners learned Thursday that the improvements are estimated to cost hundreds of thousands less than once expected.
A proposed design of the parking lot that serves the Portage County Courthouse, Commissioners learned Thursday that the improvements are estimated to cost hundreds of thousands less than once expected.

A parking lot that serves the Portage County Courthouse in Ravenna will cost thousands less than once estimated, Portage County commissioners learned Thursday.

JoAnn Townend, director of internal services, updated commissioners on the status of the county owned lot behind the courthouse, which is used by jurors and visitors to the courthouse.

More: Landscaping, improvements eyed for county-owned parking lot in downtown Ravenna

Last year, Main Street Ravenna approached commissioners, asking them to incorporate landscaping improvements and brick walkways into the parking lot improvement to make the lot more inviting to visitors. Commissioners, however, didn't like the fact that the proposed design would include fewer spaces in the parking lot, which could become a problem should the courthouse ever expand

A page from the Ravenna Downtown District Plan, as seen in a presentation from Implement Studios, shows how a parking lot for the Ravenna courthouse could be more inviting.
A page from the Ravenna Downtown District Plan, as seen in a presentation from Implement Studios, shows how a parking lot for the Ravenna courthouse could be more inviting.

Townend then worked with Ravenna City Engineer Bob Finney and an architect to come up with a new design for the parking lot. The architect has estimated construction costs at $688,632. Previously, the parking lot repaving had been estimated at $1 million.

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Townend said the architect is working on bid specifications and documents have been submitted to Ravenna's Planning Commission for approval, with a goal of finishing the work by the end of the year.

Ravenna's Design Review Commission also is considering improvements to Riddle Block 1, where roof replacement and HVAC upgrades are estimated to cost a combined total of about $1 million. Masonary restoration and window replacement at the building are on hold, she said.

Other projects with new cost estimates include renovations and modernization at the Portage County Juvenile Court, which is expected to cost just over $800,000; windows at the Portage County Prosecutor's Office, expected to cost $300,000; and improvements at the county's emergency operations center expected to cost more than $4.5 million.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com. 

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage courthouse parking upgrade to cost less than expected