Search expands for new coroner’s office
WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners may now be looking at a possible third option to move the county coroner / morgue offices because of an offer by Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency Director John Hickey to move from his current office at 640 North River Road to a former fire station next to Trumbull County Fair property.
The switch could cut the projected cost of moving the morgue from $2.2 million in half if it was moved to a county-owned building on Chestnut Street in Warren or a new building on the county engineer’s property on North River Road.
Hickey noted during Tuesday’s Trumbull County commissioners workshop that allowing him to move to the former fire station and the coroner to move to 640 North River Road would be a win-win for both the Trumbull EMA and the coroner’s office.
The coroner would have available office space that’s basically move-in ready. It would, however, establish a morgue with freezers to place corpses that will be stored for autopsies and a place for surgical examinations.
“We (Trumbull EMA) would move into a much larger space, where we would be able to store vehicles and equipment,” Hickey said.
He expressed confidence that the county would be eligible for at least two federal grants that could be used for the rehabilitation of the former fire station.
“I am happy where I am located, but I’m a problem solver and would be willing to do this for the county,” Hickey said.
Trumbull County is looking for a new home for the coroner because of the morgue being moved from Trumbull Regional Medical Center to a temporary building.
Some initial plans were to move the coroner’s office and morgue into the former Trumbull County Combined Health District, 176 Chestnut Ave., Warren. The county’s health department moved to a new location in Cortland in December.
Shortly afterward, it was projected that moving the coroner’s office into the now empty Chestnut Avenue building would be about $300,000. However, it was recently projected the cost would be closer to $2.2 million because of state mandated regulations that would be required, including:
Adding an elevator to move bodies from the parking lot to the building’s basement where autopsies would be conducted, a complete change of the building’s heating and air conditioning system, electrical systems upgrades and more.
A second option presented is to build a new building on a lot on the Trumbull County Engineer’s North River Road property. It was initially projected that the new building would cost about $1.5 million.
Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa, at the time, suggested that projection was too low and requested a feasibility study should be done to firm up the costs.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Cantalamessa said the commissioners now have another option to consider.
“We want to make sure we do our due diligence,” Cantalamessa said. “We have to weigh the financial considerations. Any choice we make in locating any department has to be long lasting.”
Commissioner Denny Malloy noted he will call the local House representative and senator to see what assistance they can provide.
“Rep. Nick Santucci has been chomping at the bit to find a way to help this area,” Malloy said.
Hickey emphasized that while he likes his current office, it would benefit the county’s EMA to move into the fire station.
“I don’t know how much it would cost to upgrade the fire station, but I know there are grants available for Emergency Management Agencies,” he said.
Hickey, however, said there is no guarantee he would get any of the available grants, but it is worth the effort.
Trumbull County Coroner Lawrence D’Amico noted that a new office, if done correctly, could help the county increase the number of autopsies it does and possibly make the services
a financial benefit for the county.
D’Amico said the county’s pathologist, Dr. George Sterbenz, last year conducted approximately 200 autopsies. A pathologist should be able to do an estimated 275 autopsies a year, according to D’Amico.
By offering autopsy services to counties that do not have a coroner, D’Amico estimated the county could earn up to $2,000 per autopsy, which is charged by larger counties in northeast Ohio.