Newton Falls City Council held a special Saturday meeting to address concerns about the safety of its Community Center and whether to terminate its lease with Heritage Accord. Councilman Gideon "Bud" Fetterolf reported that the county building department and fire chief deemed the building unsafe for human habitation.

Two years ago, temporary floor jacks were installed to support the lobby floor, which had sunk about 8 inches. However, the floor continues to sink, and the building inspector has determined that the temporary jacks are pushing through the floor joists, posing a danger to human life. As a result, only inspectors and contractors hired for repairs are permitted inside the building.

Heritage Accord, a non-profit organization aiming to declare the building a historical site and renovate the USO built in 1941, requested 90 days to address the issues. They cited COVID-19 as a hindrance to their progress and assured council members that they possessed all the required insurance despite not holding the title to the community center.

A representative for Heritage Accord stated, "Heritage Accord preserves its right to cure any and all deficiencies asserted by the demand." However, some council members expressed doubts about the organization's ability to resolve the problems and questioned their financial resources.

The council voted 3-2 in favor of terminating the lease with Heritage Accord. While some residents supported this decision, others had concerns and suspected ulterior motives. One resident described the center's deplorable condition, mentioning non-functioning bathrooms, lack of clean drinking water, problematic electrical systems, and an 8-inch floor drop.

The individual who created the temporary jacks emphasized to the council that a permanent solution was urgently needed, as the jacks were only a temporary fix. Another resident thanked the council for prioritizing the well-being of Newton Falls residents, but some believed that terminating the lease had been the plan all along.

In response to the council's decision, Julie Lemon expressed her disagreement and threatened legal action, offering support to anyone willing to sue the council members. Lemon planned to sell T-shirts to fundraise for legal expenses. Mayor Kline expressed concerns about potential legal costs that may burden taxpayers and suggested that a cooperative approach could have been more effective.

City manager Pamela Priddy lacked trust in Heritage Accord, believing that they would not inform the city about damages. She saw terminating the lease as a means to safeguard lives and reduce Newton Falls' liability. Councilmen John Baryak and Gideon Fetterolf shared similar sentiments, expressing doubts about Heritage Accord's capability to carry out structural repairs and concerns about their transparency regarding building issues.

City Manager Priddy shared that the building inspector had warned that the structure could give way at any time, although certainty was lacking. She also revealed that Heritage Accord had allowed public access to the building after receiving rulings from the building and fire inspectors. This included an event in November and children being inside the community center on a rainy Easter, which officials discovered just the previous Friday could pose a danger to human life.