By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

Some residents have voiced concern at the Ellis County Commission's plans of possibly moving to the Hadley Center, questioning the projected costs and the need for so much space.

"It's very expensive," said Bob Schibi, owner of Field Abstract & Title Co., 1201 Fort. "It triples the footage that the offices to be relocated now occupy. It's just overkill. They're spending a whole lot of money on something that isn't needed."

Because there is not adequate space in the courthouse, the county leases office space in the same building, also owned by Schibi.

Abstractors and other county employees walk to the courthouse several times daily, which is another inconvenience to consider, he said.

Schibi initiated a petition drive a few months ago, which would be solely to express public sentiment and not have any legally binding effect. More than 200 signatures were collected, but efforts have been delayed until the time that a legally binding petition could be required to protest bond issuance, he said.

"The point I'm trying to make is that the Hadley project is expensive," Schibi said. "My involvement is that I think the Eddy building would more than meet the needs of what they're trying to do. I'm not denying that they need more room in the courthouse."

Schibi and Dave Schmidt, owner of Realty Executives, have suggested commissioners explore acquisition of the Eddy Clinic, located at 105 W. 13th.

"Our focus has become the Eddy building, and that's right across the street and that would provide twice the square footage ... at substantially less expense and a more convenient location," Schibi said.

Schmidt proposed this alternative location at the March 17 county commission meeting. The asking price for the property, which consists of about 23,000 square feet, is $850,000.

It is not known how much potential remodel costs could be, as this has not been explored by the county, Schmidt said.

The clinic, which has been on the market for about two years, also would provide about 38 parking stalls.

"I'd be the first one on the bandwagon if I thought Hays was going to require 35,000 square feet of space in the county courthouse down the road, plus the existing one," Schmidt said. "I just don't see it happening."

The clinic, which includes two floors and a basement, also is constructed in such a way that another floor could be constructed on top, he said.

Another concern expressed is the fact other associated costs, such as relocating the senior center and potential remodel of the current facilities, have not yet been determined.

"Someone's going to have to replace the senior center for those people," Schmidt said. "What's the cost of that going to be? That all needs to be looked at, the whole package."

The goal of establishing this commission is to pursue a bond issuance that will help the county fund the potential move to the Hadley Center. The opportunity to protest, however, will present itself before anything is finalized.

If commissioners vote in favor of a bond issuance for any project, a 30-day protest period will follow, County Counselor Bill Jeter said.

If a petition is endorsed by 5 percent of Ellis County electors during this time, the issue will then be put to public vote.

"If a sufficient and valid protest petition is filed, then that issue is submitted to voters for determination as to whether bonds can be issued," Jeter said.

If a majority of voters oppose the bond issuance, the potential move would then be a dead issue. To continue, commissioners would have to re-group and begin the entire process again, he said.

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Commissioners have been facing the growing issue of space needs for at least a decade.

In 2001, a space needs analysis was completed for all county buildings and departments. Several possible options for relocating administrative offices were evaluated, including the Hadley proposal.

According to the original study, cost estimates for this project were between about $4.8 million and $6.3 million.

The study also states the current courthouse facility consists of almost 33,500 square feet, with about 18,600 feet occupied by administrative offices. This discrepancy partly is because much of the space is unusable, such as the large stairwells and corridors, County Clerk Alberta Klaus said.

The county also has been budgeting for improvement for the past several years, with $400,000 budgeted for this year and about $1 million allocated to space needs issues.

At this point, all three commissioners have expressed the belief the Hadley Center proposal is the best option.

"I think right now, to me that's the best option that we have, because we're going to be gaining about 70 parking stalls, more square footage than the Eddy Clinic building is," Chairman Dennis Pfannenstiel said.

Pfannenstiel expressed concern at the fewer number of available parking stalls at the clinic, the number of windows and the fact the building is bordered by other buildings, which could make future expansion difficult, he said.

Pfannenstiel and Berens toured the clinic several years ago as a commission, he said.

Pfannenstiel said space needs are a pressing issue right now, particularly for the county's court systems.

Other advantages of relocating to a facility with increased space are the fact the county could stop paying rent to use space across the street, and gain much-needed storage space, he said.

Other commissioners also voiced concern at the current space situation. Berens said he believes the Hadley Center is the best option.

Another significant concern is security issues -- with the increased load of court cases, it's imperative the courthouse increase security levels, Berens said.

"We just need to, before something really happens, we need to lock up our courthouse for security purposes," he said. "That's almost impossible right now with our total administration there."

As far as the potential move is concerned, it's important to work with department heads to determine their needs and wishes, Berens said.

While the department heads have been involved in the Hadley plans and considerations, and have expressed their support, they have not expressed enthusiasm about the Eddy Clinic option, he said.

"The department heads don't want to go there, and I'd hate to place people into a situation they don't want to go. If they were all wanting to go there, I would not have a problem," Berens said. "I guess why I'm mostly for (the Hadley option) is because the department heads and workers agree to that."

Commissioner Perry Henman also cited security and court growth as main factors, and said he expects the administrative needs to grow as well, particularly the treasurer's office.

"If you look at the courts, they need another district courtroom plus all the other stuff they do," he said. "When we show up Monday mornings, we've got to wait because they're using the (commission) room. Besides the courts, the county attorney's office has just grown exponentially."

Henman also expressed support for the Hadley proposal and said this option would provide more space for the county's dollars.

"This one's available now. As far as square footage and what you're getting ... not only is the building bigger, but you're going to have a huge parking lot and space across the street," he said. "And it's still pretty much downtown, where a new facility might not be possible to have downtown."

If the move is approved, the current facility would be dedicated to court systems, law enforcement and emergency management. Commissioners have secured the services of Woods & Starr, which is working to draft schematic plans of how the existing facility's space could be used.