Fairfield County Records Center Dedication

Fairfield County Commissioners to Dedicate Records Center on Chestnut Street

Lancaster, Ohio - On Tuesday, May 28, at 11:00 a.m., the Fairfield County Commissioners will dedicate the new County Records Center at 138 W. Chestnut Street in Lancaster. The County Commissioners will also be holding it review and regular meetings (at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., respectively) at the Records Center. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings and the dedication.

Previously, the County Commissioners contracted with VPL Architects and the R.W. Setterlin Construction Company to design and build the new 15,600 SF facility in the former Eagle Gazette Newspaper building located on West Chestnut Street in Lancaster. Some occupancy and use of the renovated building has already occurred. The Clerk of Courts Office was the first department to move records into the new location.

Some departments have implemented electronic case management processes, which reduces paper. Commissioner Levacy, Board President, stated, “Paper usage and storage continues to be a necessary component of county business processes. We are happy to make those processes more efficient with the Records Center, a project we anticipated completing in 2019.”

Meyer added, “The project was supported by surplus transfers from the Clerk of Courts Certificate of Title Fund. I want to thank my staff for the customer service they provide at the Title Offices, as this project benefited from those efforts.”

The total cost of the project will be about $2.55 M, including furniture, fixtures, and equipment. The construction cost for renovation is expected to be about $1.6 million. The building was purchased for $450,000. Steel mobile shelving and other furniture, fixtures, and equipment of about $500,000 will round out project costs. For comparison, the estimated cost of a newly constructed building is approximately $4.89 M.

The Records Center will provide an efficient, downtown location for archived records under one roof. “The design included specialized HVAC systems with controlled humidity levels (for proper storage of the records), LED lighting, and high density movable shelving system,” said Dennis Keller, Fairfield County Facilities Manager. “It will be more efficient and provide a good return on investment for the County by saving the money spent on other storage locations,” Keller added. About $80,000 is spent now annually for inadequate, rented storage space.

In addition, the Records Center will house human resources offices and a conference room for training. Human resources records will be held in a secure area.

For more information please contact Carri Brown, County Administrator, at carri.brown@fairfieldcountyohio.gov at (740) 652-7096.