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Health board not keen to share space with parks

SALEM

City health board members on Wednesday discussed some of the pros and cons of moving into a former doctor’s office on Oak Street with the city parks department, with space, parking and a secure area for records among the concerns.

“I think there’s a lot more to discuss on this, I see a lot of cons on this,” board member Judy Sicilia said.

Mayor John Berlin, who serves as president of the health board by virtue of his mayoral position, asked for discussion of the idea during the new business portion of the meeting, noting that he had city Health Commissioner Lynle Hayes tour the building with him. He told city council he would discuss the health department moving there with the health board. The decision rests with the health board.

Hayes had a list of pros and cons put together by employees and noted that she really liked the waiting room area because it would provide better security for the vital statistics employees who would be inside the reception area behind a wall and window. The amount of space for the health department would decrease, but there would be better handicapped parking.

She noted that the KSU City Center gives the department a great rate at $450 per month for rent, but the idea of that being less or even down to zero if the city purchased the building as discussed by council Tuesday night, is hard not to consider.

While acknowledging losing some space, she said “I think it would work for us.”

Since it was a former doctor’s office, it’s a great fit for a health department.

One of her main concerns was having a locked cabinet for the death certificates and also the moving process itself. She had been concerned about accessibility for the department’s clientele but found that most drive to the location on North Lincoln Avenue. There wouldn’t be a board room. Currently, the board meets at the health department, giving them access to paperwork and anything needed from Hayes’ office. They didn’t like the idea of meeting at city hall.

Berlin provided them with a drawing he made of the layout of the space and where some of the personnel could be located. He said Parks Director Shane Franks had offered to just have a desk in the reception area, along with the vital statistics personnel from the health department. He said it might be best to just have the parks department move in, then figure it out.

Board member Newt McKnight expressed a concern over the parking, saying the handicapped spots and other parking will be used up by patients of the physical therapy office, which is attached to the building. The physical therapy office is separate from the half of the building the city parks department is purchasing.

Sicilia said the area for vital statistics won’t be secure if the parks director is in there, too. She also said if security in the current location is an issue, “why can’t we just fix it here?” She felt the health department would be giving up a lot by moving. Hayes explained that the current location has no security for the personnel, with no wall or door between them and the public when they come in the office.

There were also questions about the vital statistics personnel having to take calls for the parks department and the amount of time that might require. Hayes suggested some type of arrangement with parks possibly dealing with their pay.

“I don’t like the commingling,” Sicilia said.

Hayes also explained that when personnel from the Ohio Department of Agriculture or Ohio Department of Health visit periodically, they need to have office space.

No decision was made on moving, with more discussion expected and board members asked to mull it over. The mayor also said board members could come and look at the space. Berlin said his personal feeling is that the city should provide the space for departments. The parks commotion had talked about moving out of the Memorial Building since the two entities started separating their operations late last year and early this year. Plans call for the parks department to purchase the building on Oak Street for $95,000, which council gave the commission permission to do, but Councilwoman Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey suggested Tuesday that the cost be taken out of the council contingency fund instead of having the parks pay for it since it will be a city-owned building. Her motion was tabled until council meets again on Nov. 7.

mgreier@salemnews.net

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