Life on the Board - IV

I thought it might be important to talk about some of the issues that are front and center at this time. There are dozens and dozens of things that are in progress at any given time. There are over 25 Departments, depending on how you want to define the term, and every department is constantly acting, responding, planning, collaborating, etc.

Most of this is taken care of at the Department level, and perhaps discussed at Parent Committee. But there are some big things that we, the Board, really need to be working on at this point, things that I just listed in a previous communication.

HIGHWAY GARAGE – The main highway garage has not been used for a couple of years because it is so structurally unsound that it must be torn down (which means that vehicles have been outside, year-round, for a long time). Funds for this demolition project – in the six figure range – were budgeted for last year, but it wasn't done, and they're in the budget this year. No word on any preliminary plans for starting the project.

Part of the problem is long-term planning: should we stay on Linden Avenue in Cooperstown? There are a lot of problems with keeping the site, including the fact that it's cramped and is adjacent to the Cooperstown CS campus. The land is probably worth a lot. Moving, on the other hand, is a monumental undertaking, and there's always the possibility of a brownfield issue. A year ago there was some talk of buying some land adjacent to OAOC in Milford, and creating a common transportation facility for BOCES, Milford CS, and the County (and any other entity that was interested). This may still be included in our shared services grant proposal.

242 MAIN ST., ONEONTA - The County maintains an office building in downtown Oneonta (right next to Autumn Cafe) which is used primarily by the Mental Health Clinic (which also includes addiction services). Its probably been three or more years since there were conversations about selling the building and moving to a more efficient space. The chief motivator for this initiative was (and still is) the need for security in the building. Given the clientele, there are occasional incidents which may become dangerous without some kind of security services.

Security is problematic in this building because there are three entrances, and estimates ranged up to $200,000 a year for access security focused on all three. In the frustrating way that large organizations operate, we have talked and worried and problem-solved for these three years, and still there is no security at all in the building.

Complicating the issue is the fact that the City showed a good deal of interest in buying the building and including it in the DRI. Also, there are other County Departments who would like an Oneonta presence and are looking at space in the building (for instance, DSS, Probation, Public Defender,etc.).

After some pressure from Oneonta Reps to make a decision, the Public Works Committee recommended that we keep the building and provide appropriate security. At the present, we are still talking about what kind of security would be best (contract with a private company? Hire retired DA investigators? Etc.).

PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING - The “Old Jail” is next to the Cooperstown County Office Building and the Courthouse. The current Public Safety Building was built (I think) around 25 years ago, and needs some major renovations, due partly to age, and partly to new technology and requirements. After a couple of years of talking, the money for the renovations is in the budget this year. It's a $1.5M project; we've borrowed $1M, and budgeted $0.5M in the 2019 budget. It should be done by the end of this year.

This is only a start on renovations that the Sheriff has asked for. New “pod” architecture (requiring rebuilding much of the jail) would reduce the number of Correction Officers needed. However, recent changes in State law (most prominently, cashless bail) may reduce the number of inmates coming through our facility. On the other hand, we could “board out” extra beds, providing them for other counties' overflow, for a fee.

EMERGENCY SERVICES TRAINING CENTER - I know very little about this project – just that it needs to be replaced. The current facility is off Hemlock Road in Oneonta, next to Medicoaches. There are lots of people and groups county-wide who are involved in planning for this, and it is taking a long time to come to the set of conclusions that would lead to the next step.

COUNTY MANAGER - As you know, this has been going on for ten years or more. It really deserves an essay of its own, so I'll put that on the list. We may have a decision by the end of this year.

Again, just scratching the surface on all of these.

By the way, feel free to contact any of the Board Reps for more details on subjects that are handled in their Committee. Committee assignments can be found here.