Wood County officials review proposed Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department lease

PARKERSBURG -- The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department is another step closer to securing part of St. Joseph's Landing as its new home as Wood County officials went over items in the proposed lease with the health department and a representative from St. Joseph's Landing.

The Wood County Commission met Monday with Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department Executive Director Eric Walker, Health Department Board Member Patsy Hardy, Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure and St. Joseph's Landing Building Manager Jon Defibaugh to go over items in the lease.

The MOVHD offices were closed after Memorial Day when a break in a water line caused a lot of damage to the building at 211 Sixth St. in Parkersburg. Since that time, the health department's operations have been conducted at different sites around town.

The health department is planning to take over the former St. Joseph's Hospital Emergency Department and the fourth floor in the medical office building on the grounds. They are planning to take over space for their Women and Children's Services where PARS had set up operations for a couple of years so there were exam rooms in place and other things that won't have to be built to accommodate the health department when they move in.

Part of the discussions Monday took place behind closed doors during an executive session. No decisions or votes were taken after it concluded.

"It was a good deal," Commission President Blair Couch said.

The county is planning on leasing 32,400-square-feet at the facility and the numbers presented to county officials indicate the county will be paying $6.17 a square-foot.

Base rent cost is coming out to around $13,950 a month and around $167.400 for the first year.

County Administrator Marty Seufer said over the past year the health department spent around $100,000 on maintenance on their current building on Sixth Street. Walker said they spent around $5,000 a month on utilities and parking.

"We are going to be in the same ballpark," Couch said.

Under the proposed lease agreement, St. Joseph's Landing pays for the utilities, with the exception of the internet. The Internet is provided by the state which already exists in that building through offices for the Department of Health and Human Resources and some other state agencies.

"It is already in there," Couch said. "We have to get it over to us."

Couch said he will have their insurance representatives in the area to look over the new Wood County 911 Center, the new Wood County Resiliency Center and the space at St. Joseph's where the health department is planning to locate.

"We will do a tour of all of the properties and make sure they are on our insurance coverage," Couch said.

Commissioner Jimmy Colombo felt the health department moving to St. Joseph's Landing is like going from the 18th Century into the 21st Century.

Hardy, who was the CEO at the former St. Joseph's Hospital, said there are some areas of the facility that are older than others.

"It will be an enhancement," she said.

Colombo said it would require a lot of work and money to get any of the other buildings they considered up to where St. Joseph's Landing was now.

Officials talked about the need to have a year-to-year lease as the health department received funding from the state and those funds could be subject to change at any time depending on what might be happening politically. Officials also talked about the possibility the state could take over the operations of the health departments around the state which could impact a long-term lease.

"You don't know what reorganizations governments will do," Hardy said.

Lefebure said they would have to show the officials at St. Joseph's Landing the county was in such dire straits that they could not continue if they decided they would have to move out.

Couch said they did not want to obligate future commissions financially on a long-term lease that could last 20-30 years. After the closed session, he said they set it up for a 30-year lease with automatic renewals every 10 years. They will have 180 days to get out at any time if needed. They also talked about parking, generators, plumbing and other things about the building.

Defibaugh said they have structured a 30-year lease. There are clauses in place they use with other governmental entities (state and federal) they lease space to that allow them to be modified, adjusted or canceled based on available funding.

"Everything is locked in for one year," he said.

After that it is open to any point within 180 days where they can make changes to the arrangement, Defibaugh said, adding that is also included in the proposed lease.

"It is based on funding and funding changes without control," he said.

He offered the option of limiting the lease to a specific time frame and renegotiating afterwards to keep up with changes in funding and other concerns. He left it to county officials to decide what they were the most comfortable with doing.

"What I am trying to do is make it as favorable as possible, because I think this is a good move for the community and everyone in this process," Defibaugh said. "It gives the health department a solid good space and it makes good use for a building that should be a community building.

"For me, it is about making this work."

Commissioners believe they will be able to finalize the lease and be able to vote on it during Thursday's commission meeting.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com