The Bedford City Council unanimously voted Monday against the approval of a permit to allow the State of Ohio Department of Youth Services to use the land at 17500 Rockside Road for a juvenile correctional facility.

If approved, the special use permit would have allowed the state to utilize the land, which is zoned as an I-2 Industrial District, for administrative offices, a high school, and housing units for 96-120 youth.

The new campus would have replaced the aging facility currently located in Highland Heights. State representatives had presented their plans for the property during a meeting at city hall on April 25 that was attended by many. (See video here.)

The Planning Commission had earlier made the decision to grant the permit, along with an amendment which stated, among other things, that the location would not exceed the limit of 120 youth. This amendment would have restricted the state’s ability to enlarge the facility to house more people in the future.

“Our decision tonight was based on our restrictions and the state’s concerns with those restrictions, in addition to the best use in this zoning district,” said Mayor Stan Koci following the vote.

While the state does not pay property taxes on facilities it runs, the hundreds of potential workers at the facility could have brought in close to $400,000 in income taxes a year according to some estimates.

Some residents have voiced their concerns on social media about having a correctional facility located in Bedford, and at that particular location. You could hear some attendees at the meeting voice their “thank yous” to the council members as they announced their “no” votes one-by-one.

Ward 2 Representative Wally Genutis went on to explain the reason for his “no” vote during the time for his report to the council. He stated that it was the state requirements that were at issue for him, not necessarily the idea of the correctional facility.

He said he is aware that there there can be a stigma attached to having a jail in a community, and that if it was in a prominent, visible place, they probably wouldn’t have considered it. He also stated that if the council truly thought it was something to fear, as far as danger to the residents was concerned, they also would not be considering it.

He said one factor that some people are overlooking is the needs of the youth themselves — youth who have made bad choices, but have also probably been victims of a variety of injustices against them in their short lives.

“The Ohio Department of Youth Services is not meaning to simply operate a prison here,” he said. “It would be prudent to check their website to understand what they mean to accomplish using highly trained, highly educated staffing, programs and initiatives. They have no intention to merely release hardened criminals back onto the streets.”

Genutis said there has been little interest over the years in the property for the proposed facility. He said the land could be put to good use by the state to address a lot needs of the youth they serve.

However, he said, “There are some other matters that need to be addressed in order for me to feel comfortable about (the plan). Some other things that Bedford (we) talked about that needed to have acceptance from the state which hasn’t happened as of yet, but possibly there will be more to this than what happened today.”

In other board news:

  • Ward 1 Representative Sandy Spinks reminded residents about the Strawberry Festival that will be taking place this weekend (June 10-12) which will include a lot of live music and a variety of strawberry concoctions. The event is sponsored by the Bedford Historical Society.
  • Ward 5 Representative Jeff Asbury shared with council that there is a new ice-cream shop called “Krave Cafe” now located in downtown Bedford near the square.
  • Spinks reiterated the need for residents to follow the speed limits in town, particularly on roads that bypass Rockside Road like Willard Avenue and Grand Boulevard. She said the speeds are reaching dangerous levels and stop signs are not being obeyed.
  • Ward 6 Representative Don Saunders reminded residents that the July 4th Parade will be back in its full grandeur this year, after a few years of scaled-back offerings due to the pandemic. He said the parade will follow its traditional path down Columbus Road and into downtown.
  • City Manager Mike Mallis said more than 50 trees have been planted in the city this spring to offset the amount of dead and diseased trees that had been removed in previous years. He said city workers have been making their way around the city with the grinder to dismiss of the leftover stumps. More trees are scheduled to be planted in the fall.