June, 12, 1998
County comissioners to buy NCB building
By Jodi Billerman
Staff Writer
The Seneca County Commissioners confirmed Thursday morning that the county is to purchase the National City Bank building at 109 S. Washington St.
That purchase also may coincide with the loss of some jobs within the NCB organization.
Representative Jodi Greulich, of NCB's Norwalk marketing office, confirmed that a tentative agreement has been reached.
''We are totally dedicated to the Tiffin community,'' Greulich said. ''Our plans are simply that we'll be consolidating our Washington Street and East Market Street offices.''
Asked if that consolidation would necessitate a loss of jobs, Greulich said, ''We have no comment on that at this time.''
Nor did Greulich say when the downtown branch might be closed for the move to East Market Street.
The commissioners said the county prosecutor's office is working on details of the final written purchase agreement, which is expected to be completed and signed within two weeks.
Reportedly, the county is to pay $450,000 for the property, which is to be used as office space for county departments and agencies. The projected closing date for the deal is Sept. 1.
However, the commissioners have no set plan for which agencies would move and when.
''We don't know yet,'' said Commissioner Janet Dell. ''We've got to consult with an architect. Eventually, we will have a big press release about what we're going to do with all our buildings, but right now, we're not prepared.''
The purchase is part of a larger county initiative to combine offices and ensure handicapped-accessibility to all county departments. But that effort is a long way from complete, since no architect has been chosen to tackle the planning.