Opinion: Shared Services Building

Dear Editor,

As a town resident, taxpayer, and highway superintendent, I feel it’s my responsibility to weigh in on some issues that we face as town residents.

The first and foremost issue that will ultimately affect the taxpayers of our town is the skyrocketing cost of the proposed shared services building. The building is slated to go behind the Town Hall. The building will house the Parks and Highway Departments. 

The price is $10 million-plus, and climbing. Engineering alone is over $1 million and climbing. To have water and sewer provided, they will have to bore under 434, 17 East and West, and the river, to hook into services available at Hickories Park. This hookup, at this point, is only for the proposed building and not for the possibility of future development in that area. 

The town received a grant a few years ago for $3 million, plus or minus, to be used for construction of the complex, leaving the rest of the project requiring the town to obtain a bond for completion. The bond has to be paid on and the only place it can come from is cuts in department budgets and/or a tax increase.

Since the highway budget is the biggest, inevitably it will take a hit. The proposed building project is shrouded in secrecy, from the cost to the design. Two years ago department heads gave their input to the engineers. It was a basic no frills recommendation. A year later, the supervisor and deputy supervisor have made numerous changes to the design without any input from department heads. 

This cost, as it stands, does not include highway storage areas used for salt, aggregate, pipe, etc. The Town Board (minus two dissenting votes), agreed to sell 30 acres where these were stored. 

In closing, as it stands the proposed building plans are not conducive to the operations of these departments. It needs to be simplified, practical and affordable. 

Mark Clark

Owego resident

Town of Owego Highway Superintendent