By Matt Freeze, The Morning Times —
OWEGO — The Tioga County Legislature unanimously moved forward on a $1.8 million property purchase Tuesday as the first step toward building a new county office facility.
The county is looking to close on the purchase of four parcels located at 135-147 Main St., 153 Main St., 55-65 Central Ave. and 67 Central Ave.
Legislative Chairwoman Marte Sauerbrey called the move a “strategic investment in Tioga County’s future.”
“By securing this property in the heart of downtown Owego, we are positioning the county government to better serve residents, support our workforce, and strengthen our historic village center as a hub of activity and access,” she said.
County Administrator Jackson Bailey II said the aim is to consolidate administrative county services into a modern, accessible facility that is expected to improve efficiency, upgrade IT infrastructure and cybersecurity equipment, as well as reduce long-term operating and maintenance costs while creating a more user-friendly and accessible experience for residents.
The purchase will be funded by $8.7 million in capital reserve funds that have been built up for exactly this purpose, Bailey said.
Asked about a potential total project cost, Bailey said, “Talking to county staff, people who have been around and seen projects like this, they’re expecting between approximately $25 to $30 million.”
“But until we reach developers and let them do our site assessments and surveys to see what we’re getting for space utilization, we don’t have a final number on that,” he said. “That’s kind of where we’re gauging it right now.”
Legislator Tracy Monell, a typically strict fiscal conservative, said the project is a smart move in the long run.
“This building is atrocious,” he said. “It needs a whole lot of work, and it’s costing us a fortune to keep the thing running. Why do we keep beating our heads against the wall on this?”
Monell compared the situation to the old jail — the reason they got rid of it was that it was “killing” the county financially, so they were able to sell it and get it back on the tax rolls.
“I think in the long term, it’s a good plan,” he said. “First of all, we can consolidate things and get people in one spot. Parking here is a pain in the neck, and we can do better down there.”
Additionally, he said he was apprehensive about the county being in charge of the liquor store, but he said there’s already a plan for the purchase and relocation of it.
“I don’t know that for a fact, but that’s what I’ve heard,” he said. “It makes more sense for us, as a county, to move down there and be in the center of town and have everything in one spot. We can pull people from up at (the health and human services building on State Route) 38 down here; we need to have the Board of Elections down here.”
Monell said there’s also the issue of not being able to actually use all the space in the basement because it is a guaranteed flood risk.
“If we put somebody down there, you know as well as I do, it’s going to flood the next day,” he said. “It won’t wait a couple of weeks — it’ll happen tomorrow.”
The other main draw for moving locations and rebuilding is getting ground-floor accessibility.
“It’s painful for elderly people to come into this building and go to that DMV office, and they do it all day long,” he said, gesturing at the entrance stairs.
Monell said that at first he was really skeptical about the project cost, but after thinking about the long-term view, it’s worth tackling the project.
“It’s gotta happen sooner or later,” he said, and pointed out that when they built the jail for $11 million, County Treasurer Jim McFadden told him that an exact copy of that facility is $58 million.
“So, whatever it’s going to cost us now, it’s going to be a lot more 20 years from now,” he said. “To me, that just makes sense to spend the money now. We have the money to make the (land) purchase, and our bond rating is incredible.”
The county should be able to get the money to build a new building without a problem, he said.
Monell said there may be a short-term impact on property taxes, but in the long run, “we can get that fixed once we get this building back on the tax rolls.”
Monell acknowledged that some people are not going to be happy with the decision.
“I’m sorry to say, we’ve got to do what’s best for the county, what’s best for this little village,” he said. “It’s the same thing if we do something down in Waverly. Local people get upset, but in the end it’s like, ‘okay, that worked out pretty good.’”
Monell credited county officials of years past for doing “a really good job financially,” which has allowed county finances to be really strong.
There isn’t yet a timeline for the project, but the county will be starting the engineering and design phase soon and working with the village planning board.
“As we develop plans for this site, we will continue to communicate with residents, employees, and our partners at the villages and local agencies,” Bailey said. “Our goal is a modern, welcoming facility that reflects the historic aesthetic of downtown Owego and supports the high-quality public service residents can expect from Tioga County for years to come.”
(Matt Freeze is a senior writer at The Morning Times)
Sure, we move everything into a new building you put up to house Social Services and yes, the Board o f elections. We consolidated everyone that needed consolidation uo on Rte 38, erecting a building there with enough parking area to satisfy all workers and clients. Lots of parking. I understand wanting to get out of the old building. But why all that village acreage when we already have spit poor parking for downtown as it is?why canan addition be put on the building on 96? I don’t get this swapping around every so many years . I don’t think it’s a good idea at all!