New home for Newcomerstown: Village Hall offers more space on one floor

NEWCOMERSTOWN ‒ In 2020, Mayor Patrick Cadle surveyed residents to determine village needs.

Three of the top four problems identified were eyesores and hazards: the ruins of the Heller/Simonds file company, the dilapidated Cooley Hotel and deteriorated houses.

One by one, the administration surmounted the challenges. The Heller/Simonds property is now a park. The Cooley Hotel has been demolished. And there have been 19 residential homes removed over the past eight years.

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But it was not until December that Cadle was able to eliminate the fourth source of consternation for his constituents: the 21 steep steps leading up to his second floor office in the former Village Hall.

"Most of the people who come to see you during the day are retired, so they're the ones that are going to have those infirmities," Cadle said.

Although there was, and is, a sign telling visitors that someone will meet them downstairs if they are handicapped or cannot climb stairs, visitors who had business with him, Fiscal Officer Lisa Stiteler or administrative assistant Shannon Kincaid routinely trudged upward in the 2,500-square-foot structure built in 1947 as a fire station, police department, street department and administrative office.

Cadle figures pride may have interfered with some people asking for assistance. That meant staff sometimes had to help visitors descend the stairs to prevent falls.

Newcomerstown Village Hall's new features

No one needs to make that climb anymore. On Dec. 16, administrative offices moved into new Village Hall inside a remodeled 1985 building at 308 S. College St. that originally housed Morgan's Pharmacy.

All 4,500 square feet of usable space in the new facility is on a single floor, including a council chamber that will eventually be available to rent for reunions and other activities. Cadle said the room could hold 70 to 80 people. It is outfitted with a sink and cabinets.

The on-site council chamber gives the legislative body its own home for the first time in 20 years. Due to accessibility issues with the old Village Hall, council meetings had been held in the David Barber Civic Center, Newcomerstown Public Library annex and Newcomerstown Senior Center.

The new space will accommodate a crowd better. It also allows officials and employees to easily access any materials in their offices.

A conference room provides council a place to go for executive sessions that are closed to the public. Previously, the public was asked to go outside when council had to discuss confidential matters, such as litigation or the purchase of property.

The cost for the project was $310,000 for property acquisition and about $400,000 for construction, Cadle said. The village used federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and a loan, which is projected to be paid off in 10 years.

Benchmark Construction of New Philadelphia was the general contractor, and Zach Van Wey of Cambridge, the architect.

Newcomerstown to host Village Hall open house

Along the way to the new site, village officials abandoned their original plan to put offices in a former beauty salon at 207 S. Bridge St.

Cadle said the proposal was scratched because it would have yielded less space for about the same cost as the conversion of the former drugstore. The village bought the salon property for $57,500 and sold it for $60,000, according to online records of the Tuscarawas County Auditor's Office. Another business is preparing to use the site.

Early on, the option of adding an elevator to the old building was dismissed because it would have cost $200,000.

Stiteler said the new offices are larger and more professional. Certain amenities help the staff run the office better. A window between the fiscal officer's office and the administrative assistant's office allows Stiteler to see if Kincaid is away from her work station. If so, Stiteler can handle any visitors, who can be seen through the windows in Kincaid's office.

There are offices for park director John Resh and zoning officer Jim Johnson. Storage space allows Christmas decorations to be kept in the building instead of the street department garage, where they collected dirt that had to be removed every year. Cadle said he hopes the decorations will last longer as a result of being spared the annual cleaning. Community festival organizers can also keep their supplies inside.

One plus for the staff is a dedicated lunchroom. Cadle noted that all the outlets work. In his old office, Cadle said, only about half the outlets worked, and plugging in too many devices could overload a circuit.

A few details remain to be completed in the new site. The facility does not have an exterior sign yet. Indoors, the walls await decoration with art representing local historical figures.

The police department remains in the old building, which has fresh paint and other updates. Cadle said he and Stiteler painted the interior during a relative lull in activity, when the village had fewer projects in the works.

An open house is planned at the new hall from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 9.

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Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Newcomerstown village administration moves to one-story village hall