The Canton office of the U.S.Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio relocated to the Ralph Regula Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on June 1, 2010. The relocation to 401 McKinley Avenue, SW, from the Frank T. Bow Federal Building in downtown Canton, Ohio, was monumental compared to the short two-block distance between the two buildings.
 |
| Entrance to the new bankruptcy court house. |
The stage was set in 2001 when a resolution by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives asked the General Services Administration (GSA) to investigate the feasibility to construct a new facility to house the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and other federal agencies in Canton, Ohio. The other agencies located at the Bow Building at the time included the U.S. Marshal Service, the U.S. Trustee and the Internal Revenue Service. The building was reported as 54 percent vacant. There were several problems with the Bow Building, including the courtroom being undersized per the requirements of the U.S. Court Design Guide standards, the building shell being in need of costly repairs, and the building infrastructure not meeting current standards for quality, efficiency, size and security. The building failed to provide secured parking, stairwells or corridors. It lacked a comprehensive security system, closed circuit television, intercoms and other security devices. A complete infrastructure replacement for the building was needed, including replacement of the boiler and chiller; complete upgrade to the electrical system; upgrade of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning; elevator enhancement and modernization to extend the elevator to the second floor of the building; and design and renovation of all entrances, exits, corridors, and restrooms for ADA compliance. The exterior conditions of the building were considered poor due to severe spalling of the sandstone façade, and the motor joints were badly deteriorated in many areas. This 1933 building was considered outdated in so many respects that the cost of renovation outweighed the useful value of the building. GSA, the government’s landlord, later declared the Frank T. Bow Federal Building as a Tier 3 building, a nonperforming asset, in which the operations and maintenance of the building costs, estimated at more than $6 million, outweighed the rent paid to GSA. GSA accordingly decided to abandon the building and relocate the existing federal agencies.
By 2003, GSA began to work with the City of Canton to secure the 4.5 acres that became known as the Canton Federal Center. The site is bordered by Third Street to the north, Fifth Street to the south, High Street to the west and McKinley Avenue to the east. GSA, using its Design Excellence Program and Source Selection Process in connection with the lease procurement process, issued a Solicitation for Offers (SFO) and invited developers, architects, and builders to bid for the project to build the Canton Federal Center to house federal agencies from the Bow Building, in addition to the Social Security Administration.
Carnegie Management and Development Corporation, doing business as Fedcar Company, Ltd., of Westlake, Ohio, was the successful bidder for the Canton Federal Center project. Groundbreaking took place on Dec. 11, 2008, in a ceremony recognizing Congressman Ralph Regula’s long commitment to this project and his assistance to the City of Canton and GSA. Other speakers at this ceremony included Canton Mayor William J. Healy II; GSA Regional Administrator James C. Handley; Judge Russ Kendig of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court; Dennis P. Saunier, President and CEO of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Stephen Perry, former director of GSA. This event was the first time the developer’s design was shared with the public.
The new Federal Center opened on June 1, 2010, and is named in honor of former Congressman Ralph Regula, who served the people of the 16th District for the state of Ohio for 36 years and was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. The facility features two, two-story buildings connected with a 30-foot high, glass enclosed lobby. The large plaza of approximately 15,000 square feet designates the public entrance to the lobby at the corner of McKinley Avenue and Third Street. The buildings include a brick and cast stone façade accented with metal panels. The Bankruptcy Court, U.S. Marshal Service, and U.S. Trustee meeting rooms are contained in one building of approximately 20,000 square feet. The second building, housing the Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service, contains approximately 25,000 square feet, for a total of 45,000 square feet of building space and 129 parking spaces, at a cost of approximately $14 million. Public parking is available off the Third Street entrance.
 |
| View of the bench in the new court room. |
The building is designed in a clean, transitional style. The exterior beige brick was produced locally through Belden Brick, which has been making brick products in Canton for more than 125 years. The site is beautifully landscaped by Rice’s Nursery, another local business. Along with the use of numerous local manufacturers and skilled workers, the Ralph Regula Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is targeted to be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver facility. This is a reflection of the commitment by the federal government to create energy efficient workspaces for the federal workforce.
The interior of the facility continues in the transitional style. The glass lobby becomes an extension of the exterior through the inclusion of the beige Belden brick. The lobby floor and walls are finished in granite and contain etched glass seals of the primary federal tenants in each facility. The bankruptcy court building interior continues the use of granite in the interior lobby, complemented with the use of cherry wood throughout. The bankruptcy court courtroom is a design-guide standard 1,800 square feet, finished in cherry and anigre wood with a feature wall of granite and blue quartz. The courtroom is also complemented with a court seal of etched glass behind the judge’s bench. It features two counsel tables, a height-adjustable podium, and state-of-the-art technology to assist attorneys in the presentation of their cases before Judge Russ Kendig. The audio-visual system will allow digital recording of all proceedings, audio and video conferencing, and video evidence presentation.
The staff office spaces provide natural light to be enjoyed by all employees as well as work areas, meeting rooms, and training facilities. The Canton office of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court is the digital heart of the Northern District of Ohio. Virtually all bankruptcy filings are accomplished electronically and the Canton office maintains this critical digital record. The new facility includes a server room, which houses all of the necessary computer servers, to maintain this digital information. It is housed in a properly maintained climate in a secure facility with appropriate redundancy for this important infrastructure that is critical to the court’s mission.
By the time of the publication of this article, the scheduled July 16, 2010 dedication ceremony will have taken place for the Ralph Regula Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. Scheduled speakers include former Congressman Regula, Judge Kendig, Dr. Rustom Khouri, President and CEO of Carnegie Management and Development Corporation, and Canton Mayor Healey. GSA Region 5 Acting Regional Administrator David Hood will serve as the emcee for the program.
