Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department Director Eric Walker and Health Department Director Patty Hardy met with the Wood County Commission on Monday to discuss the final details of a proposed lease that would relocate the health department to St. Joseph's Landing. The agency is scheduled to finalize the lease at its regular commission meeting on Thursday. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
PARKERSBURG — The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department is one step closer to securing part of St. Joseph's Landing as its new headquarters after Wood County officials reviewed items of a proposed lease with representatives from the health department and St. Joseph's Landing.
The Wood County Commission met Monday with Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department Director Eric Walker, Health Department Board Member Patty Hardy, Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure and St. Joseph Landing Building Manager John Defibeau to review the lease terms.
The MOVHD office has been closed since Memorial Day after a burst water main caused extensive damage to the building at 211 Sixth Ave. in Parkersburg. Since then, health department operations have been conducted in various locations around town.
The health department will take over the former St. Joseph Hospital emergency department and the fourth floor of the medical office building on the site. The health department will take over the space for women's and children's services that PARS operated there for several years, so there will be exam rooms and other amenities that won't have to be built anew for the health department when it moves in.
Some of Monday's discussion took place behind closed doors during executive sessions. No decisions or votes were taken after the meeting.
“It was a good deal,” said European Commission President Blair Couch.
The county plans to lease 32,400 square feet of the facility, and according to figures provided to county officials, the county will pay $6.17 per square foot.
Base rent will be about $13,950 a month, or about $167,400 in the first year.
County Administrator Marty Sufer said the health department has spent about $100,000 over the past year maintaining the current building on Sixth Avenue. Walker said it spends about $5,000 a month on utilities and parking.
“We'll be on the same playing field,” Couch said.
Under the proposed lease, St. Joseph Landing would pay for utilities except for internet, which would be provided by the state through offices for the Department of Health and Human Services and other state agencies already located in the building.
“It's already there,” Couch said, “we just have to get it to us.”
Couch said he plans to send representatives from the insurance company to the area to tour the new Wood County 911 Center, the new Wood County Resilience Center and the space at St. Joseph's Hospital where the health department will be located.
“We'll be inspecting all the properties to make sure they're covered by our insurance,” Couch said.
Commissioner Jimmy Colombo felt the Health Department's move to St. Joseph's Landing was like moving from the 18th century to the 21st century.
Hardy, the former CEO of St. Joseph's Hospital, said some parts of the facility are older than others.
“It will be an enhancement,” she said.
Colombo said it would take a lot of effort and expense to move the other buildings under consideration to their current locations at St. Joseph Landing.
Officials said the year-to-year lease is necessary because the health department is funded by the state, and that funding can change at any time depending on the political situation. Officials also discussed the possibility of the state taking over operations of health departments in the state, which they said could impact long-term leases.
“We don't know what kind of restructuring the government will do,” Hardy said.
Lefebure said the county must show St. Joseph Landing officials that the situation is so dire that the business would not be able to continue if it decided to evict them.
Couch said he didn't want to financially obligate prospective contractors to long-term leases that could last 20 to 30 years. After the closed-door meeting, he said they set up a 30-year lease that automatically renews every 10 years. They can get out of the contract for 180 days at any time if they need to. They also discussed parking, generators, plumbing and other matters related to the building.
Defibaugh said the company has a 30-year lease with other government agencies — state and federal — to which it leases space, and there are clauses in place that allow it to be modified, adjusted or canceled based on available funding.
“Everything is fixed for a year,” he said.
After that, they can change the agreement at any time within 180 days, Defibaugh said, adding that the proposed lease includes that.
“This is based on funding, and funding changes uncontrollably,” he said.
He offered the option of limiting the lease to a specific time period and then renegotiating it to address changes in funding or other concerns. He left it up to county officials to decide how they felt most comfortable.
“What I'm trying to do is make this as favorable as possible because I think this is a good move for the community and everybody involved in this process,” Defibaugh said. “It gives the health department a good, solid space and makes good use of a building that should be a community building.”
“For me, this translates to work.”
Commissioners are confident they will be able to finalize the lease and hold a vote during Thursday's committee meeting.
Brett Dunlap can be reached at [email protected].
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