By Lori Jennings, Clerk of Courts & Bridget Doherty, Hamilton County Commissioners
In an extraordinary effort to repurpose county resources, a 31,000-square-foot warehouse on Winton Road, long used by the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts to store thousands of records, has been transformed since the summer. Court and county agency records, no longer required to be stored on paper, were either relocated or shredded and recycled, clearing the way for a new purpose—serving as a temporary shelter for Cincinnati Animal CARE’s Dane Avenue facility, Hamilton County’s animal shelter.
“We are constantly seeking new ways to boost efficiency in our operations. Since Ohio recognized digital records as the official record for cases in Common Pleas Court in 2023 and Municipal Court in 2024, we have been able to accelerate our plans to downsize this space,” said Clerk of Courts Pavan Parikh, “Our team has dedicated themselves to this project for the last few months, communicating between various agencies to relocate or dispose of their records, tearing down shelving, shredding 640,038 pounds of paper, even donating skids of unused paper to Crayons to Computers for community use.”
The cleared space will soon be the temporary home for Hamilton County’s shelter dogs from the Cincinnati Animal CARE Dane Avenue facility in Northside, while that facility undergoes extensive renovations. The old Records Center will house more than 100 dogs until those renovations are complete in the spring, though the shelter’s cat operations will be maintained at the Dane facility during construction.
“This collaboration shows what we can achieve when working with completely different departments of the County for a common cause: creating safer, more functional spaces while we move toward the completion of a permanent facility,” said Commissioner Denise Driehaus.
“We are thrilled about the future of our operations at Dane Avenue, and are committed to meeting the challenges of transforming Winton Road into a welcoming home for animals,” said Shelter Director Meaghan Colville. “Our goal is to duplicate operations from our Dane Avenue facility by offering dog adoptions, fostering opportunities, day trips, and volunteer programming. We deeply appreciate the enhancements being made at the Dane Avenue facility and look forward to continuing our mission of providing exceptional care and services for Hamilton County’s shelter animals.”
Feature Image: Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Records Center before being cleaned for an animal center. Photos provided