Geauga County Courthouse Groundbreaking Ceremony

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Geauga County Courthouse Groundbreaking Ceremony
The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the historic Geauga County Courthouse brought together local government officials, members of the Geauga Bar Association, and residents. The current courthouse, built over 150 years ago, is the iconic anchor of downtown Chardon. This crucial update and expansion of the notable landmark will further enhance the presence of Chardon Square.

Geauga County Courthouse Groundbreaking Ceremony

Geauga County celebrated its much-anticipated Groundbreaking Ceremony for the expansion and renovation of the Geauga County Courthouse. On December 12th, local community members and government officials gathered on a brisk afternoon in Chardon Square to recognize this unique occasion.

The three-story, nearly 22,000 sf addition and improvement project will retain the stature and viability of the courthouse to ensure that it continues to provide essential services to the residents of Geauga County.

Those in attendance included Geauga County Commissioner Jim Dvorak, County Administrator Gerry Morgan, Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke, and representatives of ThenDesign Architecture (TDA), NV5, and Infinity Construction.

Opening comments by Commissioner Dvorak set the tone, “I’m from the building trades. After high school, I followed in my dad’s footsteps. I went from building buildings to building relationships.” He added, “This project will incorporate the latest in sustainability, operational excellence, state-of-the-art security, and communication technology. This courthouse will continue to be a lasting treasure.”

A Groundbreaking Ceremony in Chardon Square
“Our courthouse is an icon of Geauga County in the State of Ohio and is devoted to the pursuit of justice.”
Jim Dvorak
Geauga County Commissioner

Gathered In Solidarity

“With this new expansion, Geauga County Common Pleas Courts and associated services will be secure, better serve local citizens, and continue to provide the iconic centerpiece for the county,” remarked Geauga County Administrator Gerry Morgan.

Since becoming incorporated in 1812, Chardon has enjoyed a distinct identity and vibrant history, which is a source of pride for the community. Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Pashcke commented, “I love this beautiful, historic building. It serves as a reminder of our longstanding, rich history of administering justice and legal services here in Geauga County. The project will provide necessary, functional, well-designed space for the courts to continue to serve our community.”

The need to update the courthouse grew as the community expanded and technology evolved. Respect for the traditional was blended with the requirements of advancing modernization.

Geauga County Courthouse Artist Renderings
"The new addition will provide efficient operations and a safe experience that will bring our Geauga County courthouse into the 21st century."
Gerry Morgan
Geauga County Administrator

A Design Respectful of the Local Heritage

Communities can be brought together through good architectural design.

TDA Project Manager Brad Gellert understands that the Geauga County Courthouse is a beloved architectural landmark, and the renovation needed to be approached with a deep respect for its cherished legacy and cultural significance. “Creating a compatible expansion that matched the Italianate Architecture of downtown Chardon was important to the community, and we were determined to honor that.”

He continued, “While meeting the growing operational needs of the courthouse staff, we incorporated more traditional architectural elements into the design to preserve the understanding that this building belongs in Chardon.”

As a helpful communication tool to convey the approved design, a 1/16” = 1’ scale 3D-printed model of the completed building was unveiled at the groundbreaking ceremony. It took TDA Emerging Professional Archie Liptow over 100 hours to print the ten separate building segments and four site pieces.

Geauga County Courthouse 3D-Printed Model

The expanded and renovated Geauga County Courthouse will remain a vital part of Chardon Township’s heritage and will serve the Geauga County community into the next century.

"We look forward to continuing to provide excellent service to the citizens of Geauga County and the legal community and administering justice in this building for years to come."
Judge Carolyn Paschke
Court of Common Pleas
Marc Cebrian

Marc Cebrian

Communications

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Marc has over thirty years of media production experience with a wide variety of storytelling projects that include commercials, documentaries, and live events. He began his career in the feature film and television industry in Los Angeles, California. Naturally driven by a passion for the creative and analytical, he believes that people should be kind to one another, and strives to live by example.
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Groundbreaking on a New Geauga County Office Building

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Groundbreaking on a New Geauga County Office Building
ThenDesign Architecture gathered with over 30 people in Claridon township to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new Geauga County office building to house city services.

On a windy day in late October, over 30 people gathered in Claridon township to celebrate the groundbreaking on a new Geauga County office building that will house city services. Beginning construction marks another milestone in the 4-plus year process for this project. In attendance were several county commissioners, such as the Board of Commissioners President, Tim Lennon, along with other county commissioners, Ralph Spidalieri, James Dvorak and others. The ceremony was led by County Administrator, Gerry Morgan, who gave remarks and it also included an appearance from Jerry Cirino, a county commissioner in neighboring Lake County. Those involved in the construction process, NV5’s Mark Seifried, ThenDesign Architecture’s Robert Fiala and Don Dreier of Donley’s Independence Construction spoke to support the project.

With a planned building occupancy in 2022, the 3-story office building is over 115,000 square feet and consolidates over a dozen Geauga County services in one building. With an exterior designed to complement the wooded site, this completed building will streamline the communication process between departments, encourage greater collaboration and provide an improved working environment to serve Geauga County for years to come. Those who spoke recognized the efforts of past commissioners, who purchased the land in the 1970’s, and dedicated it in the 1980’s.

Gerry Morgan, County Administrator praised the county leadership and their partners for guiding the project through ups and downs, addressing various roadblocks but pressing forward with development, ensuring a new building was feasible. A continual theme throughout the ceremony was praise for the dynamic team that made this large scale project possible. It was only through this collaboration that a successful design was created and that the team could move forward together with construction.

 

Tim Lennon praised the project, along with the collaborative efforts of University Hospitals and Geauga County: “There is much synergy between the hospital [University Hospitals] and County Services. You have the department of Aging, Job and Family Services, Veteran Services, just to name a few. The future potential for where we are standing today is huge…this can be a destination for residents of Geauga County and beyond, providing not only Health and County Services, but potentially business opportunities as well.”

"This is a big day, an historic day. A milestone of brick and mortar. This building will be a building of service to the people, and it will show a sense of community, a sense of pride, and it will help produce the Geauga way of life."
James Dvorak
Geauga County Commissioner

NV5, an architectural and engineering firm which serves as an owner’s representative will continue to work with ThenDesign Architecture (TDA) and Donley’s Independence Construction to see the project through completion. Representatives from all the respective firms attended, looking forward to what the new Geauga County office will mean for the county.

 

Lake County recently completed a 5-story office building in Painesville, Ohio that consolidated many county services under one roof. Jerry Cirino described the benefits of this approach. “What’s most important, and I think it’ll be the same for you, is it has allowed us to provide better services, more efficient services to the taxpayers of our county. I’m sure your residents are going to find the same thing here. The flow of information, the flow of paying fees and getting documentation done is going to be much improved by having more under one roof. So, you’ll enjoy that, the taxpayers will enjoy it and I’m looking forward to seeing the progress of this project, until its completion.”

 

The architect’s renderings show open interiors, views to the exterior and a variety of common areas and meeting spaces for office workers. Many of those in attendance looked forward to relocating and enjoying the updated interior of the facility.

Project Renderings:

In a testament to the fiscal responsibility of the administrators involved in this project, it is being funded out of the current general fund budget, so there will no new taxes as a result of the new facility. Tim Lennon states: “I have to mention that I am very proud of that from the very beginning discussions four years ago, the commissioners made it criteria “number one” that we do this project within current general fund budget. That means no new taxes. No new taxes! That’s a heck of a statement to make in today’s day and age in government and with the scope and size of this project. That is unheard of.”

An overall tone of cooperation was present among the commissioners in attendance. Ralph Spidalieri, a Geauga County Commissioner, commented: “It is pretty humbling to see all of the people that are here representing Geauga County from our different departments and residents of this community. Everybody that seems to be a part of this community, wants to see us continue to move forward.” James Dvorak, another commissioner stated: “I look forward to watching this building being constructed, and for the future, when this building will provide a great space for the County employees to work to provide the necessary services to the citizens of this great county. Yes, this is a big day, an historic day. A milestone of brick and mortar. This building will be a building of service to the people, and it will show a sense of community, a sense of pride, and it will help produce the Geauga way of life.”

The new Geauga County office building, located at Ravenswood and Merritt Roads, is slated to be completed in 2022. For additional information, visit the Geauga Maple Leaf’s article. 

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.