County planning for parking woes

Lorain County officials currently are working to address temporary parking issues while crews are repairing the parking garage at the Lorain County Administration Building.

Beginning in March, the garage located at 226 Middle Ave., will undergo more than $3.18 million in repairs, shutting out county employees until around July.

On Feb. 12, Lorain County commissioners approved a $2,100 contract with the Elyria Women’s Club, 218 East Ave., to lease 35 parking spots in monthly payments of $525.

The renovation will begin March 16 requiring the county to find 150 to 200 parking spaces in the interim. The current plan is to use the Lorain County Port Authority complex on Abbe Road and the county Transportation and Community Center on East Broad Street.

County Administrator Jim Cordes said he is working with departments to coordinate a ride-sharing plan and establishing closer parking options.

Cordes is hopeful there will be buses passing by every 15 to 20 minutes and is working with employees to allow for a smooth transition and ensure that not everyone is arriving or departing at the same time.

“Hopefully, we’ll be done by July 17,” he said. “But as we talked about when we read the contracts, there may be some unforeseen condition once we really start digging into the work.”

Cordes said his biggest concern at this point is how to address situations when employees need to leave during an emergency, in addition to working with some people who have special needs.

The county is hoping to extend the life of the taxpayer-funded garage by another six to seven years, a prospect Cordes says is much more cost-effective.

“It’s still a vastly less costly decision than to try to put a new garage in right now ... we’d have to talk everybody over for two and a half years,” Cordes said. “Because from beginning to planning, design, contract to tear down and going through the winter and then back into the next season, it’s maybe 18 months, maybe no less than 18 months, to completely replace.”