Cayuga County officials are one step closer to examining the possibility of constructing a new county office building.
The county Legislature Public Works Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to bid a contract to conduct a feasibility study for a new office building.
The proposal will now move to the Ways and Means Committee and then onto the Legislature floor for the next meeting at 6 p.m. July 22, where it must be approved by a majority vote.
The study will likely scrutinize each of the county buildings - there are several buildings through Cayuga County, mainly in Auburn, that house county departments, though many have offices in the administrative building at 160 Genesee St. - and provide legislators with options that are both efficient and cost-effective.
According to Legislative Chairman Roger Mills, R-Owasco, such options could include renovating all of the buildings or building a brand new one.
A capital plan estimates it will cost $25 million to restore and refurbish all of the buildings, which includes the administrative building, the Historic Post Office, county courthouse, the mental health center, among others, Public Works Committee Chairman David Axton, R-Mentz, said.
The county is contending with structural issues in
buildings, difficulties with heating and cooling systems and the prospect of replacing many windows.
Add on top of that increases in construction costs and a new report laying out another $8 million in correcting building code deficiencies, Axton said, which pushes the total cost near $40 million.
But he thinks there is a cheaper and more efficient option than that. Instead of maintaining the current multi-building structure, Axton is a strong proponent of constructing a new building at either the county-owned property on County House Road in Sennett or a property somewhere else that would house nearly every county department.
The Department of Motor Vehicles is required to stay in Auburn, and will not move with the rest of the offices if the new location is out of the city, he said.
“This is one of those things that are certainly painful to go through, but it will be much cheaper now and for the next 30 years than to keep our multi-building system,” he said.
He said maintenance costs would diminish and county government would shrink since everything is under one roof. The county could also save on the skyrocketing cost of energy by following the Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services' lead in building its Regional Education Center.
“I think we have an opportunity to do it now and do it right,” he said. “We can build it green and energy efficient.”
Axton said the county would likely provide shuttle service to the Sennett property for easy access.
County departments began devising wish lists for capital needs, Mills said, which will be included in a revised capital plan for future years and likely form the basis for any building project. He is hoping to include the findings of the study, if approved, into the 2009-10 budget.
“It may be premature to do something that quickly,” he said, “but it's important to have that in mind for future budgets.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The proposal will now move to the Ways and Means Committee and then onto the Legislature floor for the next meeting at 6 p.m. July 22, where it must be approved by a majority vote.
The study will likely scrutinize each of the county buildings - there are several buildings through Cayuga County, mainly in Auburn, that house county departments, though many have offices in the administrative building at 160 Genesee St. - and provide legislators with options that are both efficient and cost-effective.
According to Legislative Chairman Roger Mills, R-Owasco, such options could include renovating all of the buildings or building a brand new one.
A capital plan estimates it will cost $25 million to restore and refurbish all of the buildings, which includes the administrative building, the Historic Post Office, county courthouse, the mental health center, among others, Public Works Committee Chairman David Axton, R-Mentz, said.
The county is contending with structural issues in
buildings, difficulties with heating and cooling systems and the prospect of replacing many windows.
Add on top of that increases in construction costs and a new report laying out another $8 million in correcting building code deficiencies, Axton said, which pushes the total cost near $40 million.
But he thinks there is a cheaper and more efficient option than that. Instead of maintaining the current multi-building structure, Axton is a strong proponent of constructing a new building at either the county-owned property on County House Road in Sennett or a property somewhere else that would house nearly every county department.
The Department of Motor Vehicles is required to stay in Auburn, and will not move with the rest of the offices if the new location is out of the city, he said.
“This is one of those things that are certainly painful to go through, but it will be much cheaper now and for the next 30 years than to keep our multi-building system,” he said.
He said maintenance costs would diminish and county government would shrink since everything is under one roof. The county could also save on the skyrocketing cost of energy by following the Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services' lead in building its Regional Education Center.
“I think we have an opportunity to do it now and do it right,” he said. “We can build it green and energy efficient.”
Axton said the county would likely provide shuttle service to the Sennett property for easy access.
County departments began devising wish lists for capital needs, Mills said, which will be included in a revised capital plan for future years and likely form the basis for any building project. He is hoping to include the findings of the study, if approved, into the 2009-10 budget.
“It may be premature to do something that quickly,” he said, “but it's important to have that in mind for future budgets.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
