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As the weather gets colder, the question becomes more urgent for the Mariettans who worry where homeless people are going to be able to stay for the night.
"Right now there are people living on the front porch of the Lock House," Councilman Harley Noland told colleagues at a committee meeting Tuesday night, a reference to the Marietta Rowing and Cycling Club on Front Street next to the Armory.
"I don't want people to freeze," he said.
Noland spoke at the Lands, Parks and Buildings Committee meeting called to discuss a grassroots community initiative to get the city to allow an overnight shelter to operate in the city-owned building at 308 Putnam St.
The idea of a public-private partnership proposal was put forward at the committee meeting by Robin Bozian of the Washington County Homeless Project. The Homeless Project oversees a daytime drop-in warming center at 274 Front St. that is a source for food, laundry and shower needs.
But that area is too small to add overnight stays to what's being done there now, Bozian said.
Bozian was initially approached by Patricia Peoples and David Archer, both Rotary Club of Marietta members. "They asked: 'If we can fix up the place, could the Homeless Project people staff it?' And I said 'Sure," Bozian recalled.
Numerous city records and other items are stored at 308 Putnam, but extensive repairs would be needed to enable it to house office or department functions again. The building is across from City Hall and next to the city-owned 304 Putnam building used by the Marietta/Belpre health department and a number of other city services.
Bozian's proposal didn't get a definite yes and it didn't get a definite no. Councilman Bret Allphin summarized much of the group's hesitancy to act quickly. "I get that 'It's cold now. Can we use the building or not?' But there's way more involved." Although Bozian had answers to a number of questions and comments, council members present cited the need for more details and a very specific plan.
Some of council members' logistical concerns:
The long-term plan for that building, if there is one. If there is a plan, substantial changes to accommodate the overnight shelter could be a problem.
The building-use classification would need to change from business to residential to accommodate overnight transient lodging.
What will be done with the massive amount of files stored on the second floor there.
The building needs many repairs. One estimate is almost $200,000 to do the entire building. The issue is lead and asbestos?
In addition to needing bathrooms, there's no heating and cooling past the basement level.
The city wouldn't be able to provide temporary staffing if an emergency arose.
Other council concerns include safety, liability and the partnership between the shelter operation and the city:
¯ What staffing, access, hours and rules would be in place?
¯ Who would have responsibilities for ongoing maintenance and repairs?
¯ What are the specific things the city would be asked to do?
¯ What's the "business plan" for paying for the staffing, the largest part of costs once the operation starts?
¯ The building has passed a fire inspection, but what about when there's overnight occupancy? No sprinklers or fire alarm system is in the building.
Among Bozian's points:
The shelter is proposed for the first floor, not the second floor where all the files are stored. That floor's condition and storage capacity would not be a factor.
The facility is meant to be a seasonal warming shelter, not a year-round facility.
The staffing and supervision will be easier than at the Front Street drop-in center because there's not going to be any cooking of food, showering or laundry done.
There would be a condition that if an overnight shelter occupant left after a certain time, such as 9:30 or 10 p.m., there would be no re-entry that night. The Homeless Project is quite specific that there will be two supervisors on site each night, not just one. The Front Street drop-in center has had very few problems or bad incidents, largely because of adequate supervision. "We have good people, we train them well, and we rely on treating people with respect and keeping things very clean," Bozian said. The location is across from the Marietta Police Department, if an emergency would arise. The $200,000 estimate of repairs would be for the whole building. The cost to make the repairs on just the first floor are estimated at $36,000. Bozian said the people wanting to see the overnight shelter happen were willing to provide paint, labor and a bathroom.
A couple of other factors are:
Noland said there was heat available in the building, it's just turned off at the moment. And since it's a winter shelter, air conditioning wouldn't be relevant. Southeast Ohio Building Authority's Chief Building Official Rick Dostal has said he thinks enough changes could be made to make things work. If they can determine that the fire department and the building department think it's permissible, Bozian said, then the next step could be determining what the city administration would want in terms of more information, in order to arrive at legislation or a memorandum of understanding.
"We think it would be a great plus for our community," she said. "And I don't know where else it could go."