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Justice Center of Seneca County dedicated and opened

You might say collaboration won out over controversy.

TIFFIN, OH (WTOL) - You might say collaboration won out over controversy.

Thursday, the Justice Center of Seneca County was dedicated and officially open for business. It's a $14 million four story courthouse unlike any other in Ohio.

That's because every Tiffin and Seneca County legal service is available under one roof.

By having a joint facility the city and county expect to save up to $180,000 annually in costs such as utilities and security.

No turf wars either.

"We talked to other communities and they talk about how cites cannot get along with the county. We all get along here in Seneca County. We're working together to better improve the community," said Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz.

But there was controversy ten years ago when preservationists tried to save the old, worn out previous courthouse on the site.

They lost their battle. It was leveled to make way for the modern justice center.

"Being in the old courthouse during the winter I had to drain the radiators twice a day to keep heat on the third floor. We had window air conditioners we would have to shut off to hear witness testimony," according to Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Kelbley.

Dozens came to the dedication ceremony. It ended with the unveiling of a time capsule. Items placed in it represent current life in Seneca County.

"Such as yearbooks, newspapers, community guides, church bulletins, video from our Patriots Day celebration in the county," said County Commissioner Holly Stacy.

The time capsule will be opened in fifty years.

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