Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
State senator Theresa Gavarone recently announced $3.7 billion worth of monetary support for local projects across Ohio, which were included in Senate Bill 450, or the Capital Budget bill, which was passed by the Senate on June 3.
One of those projects receiving a portion of those funds is the village of Genoa, which was given $250,000 to help finish replacing the roof on the Historic Town Hall building, which was originally dedicated by Civil War General Patrick Slevin in September 1885.
“We're very fortunate that the state of Ohio has bought into the historical importance of this building,” Genoa’s village administrator Thomas Bergman said. “Not every town of our size has an architecturally significant building from the 1880s that houses a civic theater. Those don't come along every day. I would argue personally that it's probably one of the most historic buildings within a 15-mile radius.”
Gavarone and state representative Josh Williams visited the building on April 28 to discuss the request and tour the building, a photo of which was on the front page of the May 4 edition of The Press. Genoa mayor Brent Huston and Oak Harbor mayor Quinton Babcock also attended that gathering.
Oak Harbor had some money from their riverfront project that got rolled over from previous appropriations, but his village wasn’t impacted by any “new” money this time around. Thus, Babcock was there as a supporter.
“The Genoa Town Hall is probably the most historic building in Ottawa County other than the courthouse, so I am enthusiastic about making sure it gets much needed support,” he said.
With the money, Bergman said the village will be able to replace the historic slate roof, which he said will help preserve its historical appearance from the 19th century, or from 1885 through the 1970s when it featured its last roof renovation.
“It's a building that is synonymous with the village of Genoa and has been since the renovation was completed in the late 1970s,” Bergman said. “I did not want to see a product other than the historic slate that it’s worthy of, which is expensive. Without the state's assistance, we would have to make some very tough choices. We would struggle to afford this.”
The latest renovation nearly 50 years ago also created a modern-day asbestos issue, which Bergman said they’ll have to remove during the process.
“It's not like they're grinding it up so it's not the end of the world.” Bergman said. “But obviously, there's a special process to remove that. Then we'll have to actually go and beef up the wood underneath the roof to give it the increased strength we think is going to be necessary for the weight of the slate shingles. Then we’ll put new plywood down and shingle the thing with slate out of Vermont and Canada, and then copper ridges — the whole nine yards.”
Outside of the asbestos, another challenge for the project is that it’s not easy to estimate as the number of contractors who do this work locally or regionally is low.
Bergman, who expects to put the project bid out either late this summer or in the fall with a project completion in 2027, said council has also discussed installing professional lighting on the building, but that’s something for down the road.
“When you look at a historic building renovation in some place like a downtown Toledo or wherever, it really pops,” Bergman said. “Council has looked at if we could afford that, but that’s on the back burner. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
This is the third round of money the village has received for the building. In 2021, money was awarded to replace the building’s elevator and elements of the bell tower, which came from the state’s capital budget. In 2024, the first round of roof money came from the state, which provided $100,000 from the one-time strategic community investment fund to replace the roof on the bell tower. It also allowed village officials to split the roof’s total replacement into two phases.
“I am thrilled to see the state continuing to invest in our local communities,” Gavarone said. “These capital dollars will help push some of these projects over the finish line, and I look forward to seeing the real impact in my district.”
The state legislature generally passes a capital budget every two years, funding improvements to public services and facilities across the state, including schools, infrastructure and mental health and addiction facilities. Senate Bill 450 includes $645 million for the Public Works Commission, $611 million for the School Facilities Commission, $425 million for higher education institutions, $385 million for the Department of Behavioral Health and $265 million for the Department of Natural Resources.
Outside of this project, money was earmarked in Ottawa County for improvements at Port Clinton’s Waterworks Park and the Ottawa County Fairgrounds Safety and Energy Project. It also helped fund an inclusive playground in Northwood.
