Friday, October 19, 2012
Demolition of former Jimmy John's, construction on new courthouse expected to start next week
Some workers in downtown Kent are looking for a new parking place today now that Portage County officials have closed the future courthouse site on East Main Street to cars. Portage County Commissioner Chris Smeiles said the county sent an employee Wednesday to post fliers on cars parked at the empty lot, formerly home to Jimmy John's, advising drivers that the lot would be closed Thursday. The sudden closure, Smeiles said, was due to the commissioners' recent awarding of the contract to demolish the former eatery and prep the site for construction of the new courthouse. "The contractor wants to start next week, which includes fencing off the site for security reasons and the demolition of Jimmy John's," Smeiles said. "In anticipation of …
41.153787
-81.354575
/articles/county-closes-future-courthouse-site-to-parking
/locations/8034118
Friday, March 30, 2012
Site for new courthouse on East Main Street across from several fraternity houses
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Kent City Council approved the land buy Wednesday after an executive session meeting
Popular sub shop Jimmy John's will move to make way for the new Kent branch of the Portage County Municipal Court. And a large chunk of the cost will come at Kent taxpayers' expense. Kent City Council voted Wednesday to spend $1,070,000 to buy a little more than 2 acres at 313 E. Main St. Once the city has ownership, it plans to swap that land with the county for the existing courthouse on South Water Street and an adjacent parking lot at the corner of Franklin Avenue and College Street. County officials plan to build the new Kent courthouse on the East Main Street location. Councilwoman Tracy Wallach cast the only vote against the land buy and swap. Councilman John Kuhar was absent Wednesday. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said the price …
41.15378
-81.35662
Jimmy John's
175 E Main St, Kent, OH
/articles/city-to-buy-jimmy-john-s-site-for-1-million-trade-with-county-for-existing-courthouse
1094734
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Thursday, August 25, 2011
This story is the fourth in a series about Kent's changing landscape
Kent's new courthouse The search for a new courthouse finally came to an end in early August, when Portage County officials agreed to swap land with the city for the new location. The courthouse will eventually occupy the land at 303 E. Main St., where Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop stands. Jimmy John's will stay in Kent, but it will be forced to move elsewhere. Here are some numbers about the new courthouse project: In an early August interview, Portage County Commisioner Tommie Jo Marsilio, who opposed the land swap idea, said the project needed to be in the better interest of the community before she could support it. "Ultimately the taxpayers in the city of Kent and Portage County are not going to lose," Marsilio said. "My keen …
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
County commissioner proposes yet another option for the new courthouse
The saga over where the new Kent courthouse should be built continued this month, when Portage County Commissioner Maureen Frederick suggested yet another location for the new building. In a June 2 letter to city officials, Frederick suggested the city swap land in its downtown redevelopment block at the corner of Haymaker Parkway and South DePeyster Street for land adjacent to the current courthouse downtown. The land Frederick has suggested for the new courthouse is owned by Kent State University and was the initial site for the Kent State hotel. The university obtained that land in a swap with the city for land within the development block at the corner of South Water Street and Haymaker Parkway. The hotel has since been relocated …
41.151955
-81.356402
245 S Depeyster St, Kent, OH
/articles/kent-courthouse-debate-continues
/locations/4558469
Thursday, May 12, 2011
City manager proposed buying property on East Main Street and trading it for the current courthouse
A potential land swap between the city and Portage County could keep the Kent Municipal Courthouse in downtown Kent. City officials talked with county leaders this week about a proposed land swap. The proposal calls for the city to buy about 2 acres on East Main Street — the property most heavily favored for the new courthouse location — and trade that land for the existing courthouse and adjacent parking lot on South Water Street. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller, Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala and other city leaders first mentioned the idea Monday in a meeting with the county's site selection committee. Then Thursday morning, Ruller pitched the idea to the full board of commissioners. Portage County Commissioner Chris Smeiles said the existing …
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-81.358162
Portage County Municipal Court - Kent Branch
214 S Water St, Kent, OH
/articles/land-swap-may-keep-kent-courthouse-downtown
1094716
/locations/4315628
Friday, April 8, 2011
This week's 'You Said It' discusses the Kent courthouse
Ravenna Township resident Jim Hudson talks about one of the county's potential sites for the new Kent courthouse. Hudson talked about the former "mall site" near the intersection of S.R. 43 and S.R. 261 in Kent adjacent to the Mike's Place restaurant property. Hudson said the existing infrastructure near the site could potentially handle the load created by the new courthouse building. Click on this link to see Wednesday's "You Said It" video with Hutch Pet Shop owner Pat Flaningan.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
In our weekly 'You Said It' feature, you answer the question
Today's "You Said It" column features Pat Flaningan, owner of Hutch Pet Shop, talking about the Kent Municipal Courthouse. To see Tuesday's "You Said It," featuring Acorn Alley I & II developer Ron Burbick, click on this link. Look for our next "You Said It" video Thursday on Kent Patch.
Now county officials must choose a site for the new building
The debate over whether or not the Kent Municipal Courthouse should stay in Kent ended Tuesday when Portage County Commissioners voted to find a site for the new building within city limits. Portage County Commissioners Maureen Frederick, Chris Smeiles and Tommie Jo Marsilio agreed the courthouse will stay in Kent with their vote to find a location within the city. The move comes after a contentious few months prompted by Marsilio, who suggested finding a site for the courthouse outside of Kent in order to save money on the project. Kent City Councilman Erik Valenta, who attended the commissioners' meeting, said he was happy with the outcome. He thanked all three commissioners for their support. “Chris was very instrumental, very …
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
About 150 people attended the open meeting Monday night to talk about the Kent courthouse
A roundabout discussion over the Kent municipal courthouse did little Monday other than to further delay answering a question six years in the making: where should the new courthouse be built? The meeting, prompted by Portage County Commissioner Tommie Jo Marsilio, was scheduled after Marsilio suggested the county consider other locations for the new building if it will save money on the project. The meeting opened with retired municipal court judge Joseph Kainrad and former commissioner Titus Jackman explaining why Kent has a municipal court branch and when that decision was made. Kainrad was a local member of the Ohio General Assembly in the 1960s when the law passed establishing Portage County's municipal court. The law mandated the …
Pat
3:13 pm on Friday, November 2, 2012
The frats across the street has always parked over there when it was the Inn of Kent also. I do hope the court house checks out the sewage well as it had serious problems before the former owner sold it to the county. Main Street will have to be dug up to replace the telephone pole too--hopefully someone is going to check that out too. more ›