Veterans service office on the move

FINDLAY — The Hancock County Veterans Service Office will have a new home for the New Year. Beginning Dec. 1, the office will officially open at its new location at 401 Olive St., which is now owned by the county. The 25,000-square-foot building is the former headquarters of Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS). The building once was the workplace of 100 workers when Hancor operated its headquarters there. Hancor was purchased by ADS in 2006. The Hancock County Board of Elections and some members of the sheriff's office will also make the move, said Nicole Jenkins, CVSO, interim director/administrative manager of the agency. Jenkins said the office has been located in the Riverside Suites building since the flood of 2007. It has moved into different suites several times but has been in its current location since she started there in August 2019. The move will be bittersweet, she added. "I'm excited though, don't get me wrong," said Jenkins. "There's a lot of good things to come, but this has just been my home." The expanded space will allow the agency to better serve veterans, their families and community members. All current services — including benefits assistance, employment resources, and transportation — will continue without interruption. The office sees about 2,400 veterans, but there's more in the community, according to Jenkins. "There's like over 4,000 in the community so we're not reaching some of them and we want to," she said. "It's definitely the younger population we're not getting." Technology is a major factor, she said. "They're capable of doing things online before seeing us. We see a lot of the older generation like the 60s and older because they're not more familiar with technology so we do it for them, and that's OK. That's what we're here for," she said. Moving the office has been in the works since the flood. The agency is also not near any other county entities. She said there have been other discussions about different properties like the Hochstetler building next to Dietsch Brothers on West Main Cross Street as well as building something new. "And finally, this all came on this past year, hey, we're going to move you guys out here instead. And we're going to combine you with the board of elections and some of the sheriff's department," said Jenkins. The board of elections, which was also displaced during the flood, is now in a small space on East Lincoln Street, she said. "So like with the early voting, they're going to have this huge board room area and then they have a bunch of storage, and the storage is with the board room," Jenkins said. For example, during early voting, they can bring the voting machines out, use them and at the end of the day put them back, she said. Jenkins said they've only known that the move was definitely happening for about two weeks. The new location has a larger, 124-space parking lot and a ramp so people can access the building more easily. The long walk veterans now have to make into the agency will be eliminated with the addition of a door that opens right into the office. "So for all the people who are in wheelchairs who just have difficulty walking, walk in, you're in there. You don't have to go through a maze now," she said. The move will also open up more funding to help veterans, said Jenkins. Rent for the suite comes out of the agency's budget. "So the county will own that building. We don't have to pay rent so that money can go towards veterans," she said. "We can do different programs and things now and just help in different ways. Giving back to the veterans, that's the most important thing." To prepare for the move, the office will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. During this time, the main office phone will be temporarily unavailable. Anyone needing assistance may call the temporary number at 419-348-9330. "It's Thanksgiving week. I'm so glad it landed that way because usually it's pretty slow. And then the following week will be our first official week," said Jenkins. Initially the office will be in a temporary site in the former ADS building. "Our office wanted to get over there so we didn't have to pay rent still. So the county commissioners made a spot that's temporary in the middle and they're going to work on our side first," said Jenkins. "And then once that's done, we can move over there. Then they're going to start working on the other two sections." It will probably be three to six months before they're in their permanent home, she said. For questions or additional information, visit www.hancockveterans.com or call 419-424-7036.