ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Disabilities Board Buys Building For Recycling Service




The Fulton County Board of Developmental Disabilities has agreed to purchase a 36,000 square-foot building in Wauseon for $691,217.

The DD Board, working through the Fulton County commissioners, purchased the American Power Pull building, located at 550 West Linfoot Street, on June 28.

The building will become the new home of Triangular Processing, a non-profit sheltered workshop for people with developmental disabilities. Triangular Processing provides recycling service to Fulton County entities and performs other jobs, such as work for the Swan Creek Candle Company.

Beth Friess, DD Board superintendent, said the Board has been looking for a new facility for about a year.

Triangular Processing currently operates from a county-owned building on Co. Rd. 14, near the Fulton County airport, that has about 20,000 square feet of space. The operation has outgrown the building.

Friess said Triangular Processing has had the opportunities “to do things we couldn’t do in that (countyowned) space.” 100 Buildings

She said DD Board officials looked “at what we felt like were 100 buildings in Archbold, Delta, and Wauseon.

“We were looking at lots of things. We wanted something that was in better shape, something that would meet our needs on the production side, and something we could make work for our clients.

“Then, there’s always price.”

The Board also looked at the possibility of constructing an all-new building, but based on estimated construction costs, the Board would have gotten signifi- cantly fewer square feet for the same amount of money.

Plus, “there are a lot of buildings available. Why not look at a building that’s already out there?” Financing

The DD Board will pay for the building with a combination of grant money and cash on hand.

“Money was budgeted for this purpose, plus some renovations.

About $600,000 is coming from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as economic stimulus money.

The money flowed through the federal Medicaid program to the board.

Money from the ARRA grant can be used for program purposes; the new building qualifies.

“When we finish collecting (grant money) we’ll be just shy of $600,000,” she said.

The remainder comes from cash on hand.

The Power Pull building needs some renovations.

“The lighting will have to be upgraded, and we have to do something with the roof,” she said.

“We need to look at the existing factory portion. It won’t serve our clients with developmental disabilities. For example, we need a large break room, so we can call everyone together.

“We need to do some work to the truck docks to get them in shape.

Friess estimated the renovations will cost another $600,000.

She anticipates Triangular Processing will be in the new building by the end of 2011. Musical Buildings

In addition to Triangular Processing, the DD Board transportation operation will move out of rented space into the Power Pull building. Vehicles will be parked outside, she said.

Also, Triangular Processing will take over the Wauseon Recycling Center operation and move it into the Power Pull building. That will return the recycling center building back to the City of Wauseon.

Freiss said American Power Pull will move to another building.

She said Fulton County has a use for the Co. Rd. 14 building.

“They did not kick us out,” she said.

Vond Hall, Fulton County administrator, said, “When the Board of Elections moved up to its current location west of the sheriff’s office, it dislocated the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) and EMA (Emergency Management Agency) offices.”

EMS and EMA were moved to the front part of the current Triangular Processing location.

“The county has applied for a grant to help us with funding to renovate that building into an Emergency Operations Center for EMA. The EOC would then be centrally located in the county.”

Also, the building will become office space for EMS and the sanitary engineer, Hall said.

In addition to Triangular Processing and EMS-EMA, Hall said the county-owned building is also currently home to the Fulton County Division of Solid Waste Management.

“Upon retirement of our solid waste director later this year, the solid waste division will fall under the sanitary engineer.

The estimated cost of renovations for the Co. Rd. 14 building is $550,000 to $600,000.

“We anticipate renovations to occur later this year, once renovations are complete on the new home for Triangular Processing,” Hall said.

“The plan is to do all of this in the next six months.”–David Pugh



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