County buys downtown parking
Cindy Leise | The Chronicle-Telegram
ELYRIA — Lorain County government picked up an extra 97 parking spaces downtown at a sheriff’s sale for properties owned by Jay G. Tokar’s JGT Enterprises Inc.
But the county also became a landlord, too, as it had to buy the Main Street Elyria offices and two apartments in the packaged sale Wednesday.
Assistant County Administrator Ronald Twining bid $232,100 — just $100 more than the minimum bid of $232,000.
Even with a tight budget, County Commissioner Betty Blair said the county thought the purchase was appropriate given the county’s need for downtown parking. The sale included 49 spaces at a parking lot on Broad Street, which was the site of the former Style Center, and another 48 spaces along Depot Street between East and Washington avenues.
“I think it was a good price,” Blair said. The three properties had been appraised at $348,000.
County Commissioner Lori Kokoski said she voted against bidding on the land at a special meeting Tuesday, even though she believes the parking is needed in downtown Elyria. The county’s budget is simply too tight to make such a purchase now, she said, although she was pleased with what the county paid for the land.
“Getting it for that price, I’m going to say, yes, it was a good deal,” she said.
But Kokoski said she hopes that if future opportunities to purchase parking come up that the city — not the county — will be the ones that foot the bill.
As part of the deal, the county had to buy 104 Middle Ave., which is the headquarters of Main Street Elyria, as well as two loft apartments overhead. The properties were lumped together for the sale.
County Administrator James Cordes said the Main Street building, which has the apartments, likely will be advertised and sold as soon as the county takes possession.
“It’s a good building and has recently been renovated,” Cordes said.
Cordes said the 49 spaces on Broad Street were the big attraction in the sale. He said the 48 spaces on Depot Street could be sold or used when the city opens the nearby historic train station as the county’s transportation hub. The county is getting ready to seek bids on the next phase of renovation, which will cost about $2 million, he said.
“I anticipate occupancy on that building by next spring,” Cordes said.
Tamela Grubb of Main Street Elyria, who attended Wednesday’s sale, said she hopes the organization, which promotes downtown, won’t have to move.
“It’s a perfect location,” Grubb said. “We’re open to the public — I have an open-door policy.”
She said the two empty apartments upstairs also are very nice.
Tokar, once referred to as “the king of downtown,” did not return calls to Tokar & Co. and JGT Enterprises. On Feb. 28, 2007, Tokar filed for bankruptcy in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, contending he was $7.34 million in debt.
Several more sheriff’s sales are on the horizon for JGT properties.
Auctions are set for 10:15 a.m. Oct. 15 for the JGT Annex at 374 Broad St., which includes two law firms, offices for a security company, the Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Services and headquarters of the Ohio Elks. The property was appraised at $450,000.
Also to be auctioned that day are his buildings at 140 and 146 Middle Ave., which include Minute Men Staffing, Pulse Cafe and several residential units. Lumped together for sale, the appraisal for both totals $375,000.
It’s too early to say if the county will bid on the other Tokar properties if they include more parking, County Commissioner Ted Kalo said.
“The 97 spaces help with the needs we have right now,” Kalo said.
Karen Davis, the county’s special projects manager, said the county now pays $3,600 a year to lease 20 spaces at the YWCA and about $7,200 a year to lease 40 spaces on Barres Lane. She was unsure whether the county would continue those leases.
Staff writer Brad Dicken contributed to this report.
Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Cindy Leise | The Chronicle-Telegram September 18th, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 5% |
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Comments
Comment from
chickenbone
September 18, 2008, 2:17 am
okay i am confused,
the 49 parking spaces on broad st must be the pay as you park jgt parking lot on broad street. what 48 parking spaces did he own on depot street?
Comment from
chickenbone
September 18, 2008, 3:46 am
i am a resident of one of the tokar buildings.
it was renovated in 10/99. it was aBeautiful remodel job!
then within 6 years my building looks like a crack house inside do to lack of maintenance.
the fire alarm goes off every week or so. and now is inactive far as i can tell … when i look at the panel for it.
i feel unsafe here and would love to have a decent landlord!
140 & 146 middle ave apartments where rented out to young people with no credit checks and no kind of research on the tenants.
in other words they are torn up.
for example…
the flood on the pulse cafe could of been ovoided with common sense.
it is very apparent they cashed in the insurense from that and put in takars pocket!
Comment from
BEN DOVER
September 18, 2008, 3:48 am
OK, here we go again county TAX payers! Complete irresponsibilty for your hard earned $$!! What a bunch of crap AGAIN by our Commissioners!! Saying how were hurting for $$ in the county. Yeah , try to pass a TAX increase! I suppose we’ll have their pictures and names plasterd all over the parking and buildings. Didn’t they just say they had to make all these cuts to transit, and other programs a week or two ago? They don’t have $$ for the Sheriff s Dept. Etc.? Guess we know their priorities aren’t with the people, its their own wish list. Here, we’ll blow all this Hard earned tax $$ on parking places. The heck with the Sherriff or transit, WE NEED PARKING!!
Comment from
Lovinglife4me
September 18, 2008, 7:14 am
Those must be the parking spaces on the north side of Depot, which USED to be public parking. I said once before that I had no idea how Tokar ended up owning that side of the street. (how does someone go about buying parking on a city street) The city must have owned that parking before because they used to hand out parking tickets there. Now the city has to BUY them back. I sure would like to know the answer as to how he did that.
Comment from
spidey
September 18, 2008, 7:59 am
Wow what a surprise, and all the crybabies form the city of Elyria who said Elyria was bidding and how they werent, ah nvere mind the crybabies are not worth it.
Congrats to the county for getting some much needed parking at a GREAT price.
Comment from
FallonNv.
September 18, 2008, 9:34 am
Just a thought, maybe you hicks should go back to school and learn how to read and write before you make you’s reply to a newspaper about parking spaces that were bought for the right price. Oba-k-ba. 
10-4 good buddy
Comment from
KenB
September 19, 2008, 12:32 pm
The County is hurting too and they buy more buildings isn’t that GREAT. No Spidey your little buddy didn’t buy it at the sale but I am sure he will end up with the building it’s self in the long run. So now the Commissioners are going to ask for more money from us to help their spending spree. Times are rough and they just spend-spend-spend like Mayor Grace does and wants more from us.
Your turn Spidey spread your web of lies on all of us. You know Spidey might just be a meaning she is a Black widow…..I bet folks are juts waiting for more of your ranting and misspelling and what ever else you do.
Comment from
KenB
September 22, 2008, 8:09 am
County Administrator James Cordes said the Main Street building, which has the apartments, likely will be advertised and sold as soon as the county takes possession
Can anyone else think of who could buy these buildings in a short amount of time if Mr. Cordes statement above would come true?
Comment from
BEN DOVER
September 22, 2008, 2:24 pm
Just LOVED the Comic drawing on the editorial page. Glad to see the editors share in my thinking of ALL the commissioners ridiculous signs posted on everything in the county. with the use of OUR tax money! Trust me we all know your names and what you look like, how bout saving that $$.
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