County Administrator's Corner: July '09

By Timothy O'Hearn

In the interest of providing ongoing information and updates concerning the state of Schuyler County, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the exciting things that are happening in Schuyler County Government. In this issue I will focus on the capital improvements to County facilities both on-going and recently completed. Future columns will cover economic development, tourism initiatives, performance budgeting/fiscal outlook 2010, Council of Government initiatives, and federal stimulus opportunities, to name a few. From capital investment to economic development to government collaboration, this is certainly a great time to be in Schuyler County!

Capital Projects

It could be argued that the Schuyler County Legislature was ahead of the national curve concerning economic stimulus funding with their decision three years ago to move forward with investing in the infrastructure enhancements that include County office space. To the greatest extent possible, local contractors and suppliers were utilized in all of the following examples of efforts to stimulate the local economy through construction/renovation of County facilities. Through a creative use of funding and revenue sources and consolidations where possible, the Legislature has contributed to the local economy -- but not at the expense of our local taxpayers, as the following will illustrate:

If you have driven by or visited county offices, you are no doubt aware that Schuyler County has undertaken a number of significant renovations to our facilities. These efforts have included the development of new consolidated office space both in the Human Services Complex and the soon to be complete Shared Public Works Facility. Additionally, work has just been completed on upgrades to the Courthouse Complex on Franklin Street in Watkins Glen. The following is an overview of recent and ongoing capital projects undertaken by the County.
Human Services Complex (HSC).

Human Services Complex

Currently in its second full year of operation, the HSC has been deemed a resounding success both by staff occupying the building and the public whom it serves. In November of 2007, Schuyler County Human Service Agencies began occupying modern and efficient new quarters in the former Jamesway shopping center. Now at full occupancy, the building continues to pay dividends beyond what was originally anticipated.

The completion of this project fulfilled the desire of the County to develop a Human Services Complex to house both County and Not for Profit Agencies. Agencies occupying this facility include Department of Social Services, Office for the Aging, Youth Bureau, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Head Start, Workforce NY, and other community service agencies. By utilizing this strategy of tenant mix, the County, in addition to centralizing the delivery of services, is also able to maximize revenues to offset expenses, resulting in a much lower cost to the taxpayer than was previously estimated. As an example, the total project cost was $5.7 million, an amount that has been bonded with a thirty-year amortization schedule. While 2008 revenues actually exceeded expenses for this building, it is projected that approximately 75% of the annual debt service will be covered by tenant rents and state and federal reimbursements.

Beyond the cost factor, and perhaps more importantly, the level of service to our constituents has been dramatically enhanced by this consolidation of agencies under one roof. As an example, since its move to the new facility, the Schuyler Career Center experienced a jump in usage of over 50% in its first year of operation.  That number continues to grow, unfortunately fueled in part by a depressed economy; but not only are there more customers overall, the number of repeat visits has increased as well, as have job placements. The Office for Aging has more than doubled its number of people served by its nutrition program and has been able to expand its scope of service to clients without increasing operating expenditures.

In completing this project, the County has consolidated the existing separate locations of the Rural Urban Center and Office for the Aging into the new location, while also moving the Public Defender's Office to the Courthouse facility. The Rural Urban Center, as it becomes vacant in the fall, is proposed to be converted to market-rate housing and has been submitted for the next round of the Restore NY grant program. We are confident that we will be successful in securing these funds and that this project will be completed in 2010. More on that subject in the next column…

Beyond the obvious benefit of increased effectiveness is the reduction of associated overhead by consolidating three separate locations into one. Additionally, the Human Services Complex has greatly expanded conference and meeting space and is literally utilized by the public seven days a week. We continue to receive compliments both on the design and efficacy of this state-of-the-art building.

Shared Records Management Facility

Also in its second year of operation, this building project was the County’s first successful grant application ($100,000) under the Shared Municipal Services Incentive program developed by New York State. This former transportation garage of the Watkins Glen School District has been converted to a document retention center shared by the school district, County, Village of Watkins Glen, and Towns of Hector and Dix.

Initially undertaken out of necessity on the County’s part due to a lack of space available to safely and securely store mandated records, the project became significant by involving partners facing similar problems. This project has been hailed by New York State as a model for other governments and is included in presentations around the state as an example of a successful Shared Services story. Total project cost was $400,000 and the use of this strategy saved the County over a half million dollars in costs that would have been necessary to build and maintain a suitable facility had it done so on its own.

Shared Public Works Facility

If you have driven on South Decatur Street in Watkins Glen, you have no doubt been witness to our current building project, that being a shared public works facility. In partnership with the Village of Watkins Glen primarily, and the Watkins Glen School District and Town of Dix on a secondary basis, we were again fortunate to receive a grant of nearly half a million dollars from the State of New York to construct a modern public works complex. This building will be home to the County Highway Department, the Village of Watkins Glen Street, Electric, and Code Enforcement departments, Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Watershed Protection Agency. Construction of a shared facility will provide a safe, efficient and modern environment for staff and the public we serve.

Additionally, the new building will support the administrative functions of the Town of Dix Highway office and we will share space and resources with the existing Watkins Glen School District Transportation Garage. The total cost for this project is just under $3 million, of which $1.5 million is being bonded, with debt service and operating costs being shared by the County and Village. At this writing the steel has been delivered and the building is starting to take shape. We anticipate a mid-October completion date.

Courthouse Complex

This project is actually the culmination of the capital expansion plans concerning the development of the Human Services Complex. As departments were moved out of the Franklin Street location, this created a tremendous opportunity to renovate the vacated space before reoccupying it. In addition to updating nearly sixty-year-old office space to incorporate newer technology and ergonomic functionality, this also gave us the opportunity to review the configuration of the facility relative to customer service. As a result, the Department of Motor Vehicles was moved and expanded to accommodate the large number of customers who visit daily. Many of you will remember that in the previous space, it was not uncommon to have a line stretching down most of the hallway outside of the office. In their new location, adjacent to the Legislative chambers, DMV staff now has modern state-of-the-art facilities coupled with twice the floor space of the previous office to better serve our clients.

As an aside, it is worth mentioning that we serve a great number of residents from neighboring counties who travel to this location because of the high level of service they receive from our staff, who are to be commended for their commitment to customer service. We are grateful that we now have accommodations that complement our great human resources.

Also in the area of improving functionality, the offices of Treasurer, County Clerk, and Real Property Services will now be located in the same area on the first floor of this building. In that these offices serve much of the same population, this will make it much more convenient for those people while allowing for sharing physical resources of those offices.

The Public Defender will also occupy space on the first floor, providing easier access for clients and to the court system. This move additionally saves over $24,000 a year in expenses previously incurred by having to rent space for this office off-site.

Beyond improving public access and service, the other significant aspect of this Franklin Street project was the investment by the County in energy-saving initiatives to the building infrastructure. These improvements, estimated to result in a 40% reduction in utility costs, include a new HVAC system, new insulated windows, and the addition of insulation to exterior and interior walls (where previously none existed).

Beyond the savings in energy and operational costs, the County has also maximized opportunities, leasing to other government or not-for-profit agencies space that has been freed up by department moves. The State of New York is a current tenant, operating an intensive case management program in space previously occupied by the Department of Social Services, and we have tentatively agreed to lease the remaining vacant space in the building to a local not-for-profit agency.

The total project cost for the aforementioned renovations was $1.8 million, of which $1.6 million was applied from Tobacco Securitization funds, with the remaining $200,000 funded by an existing building capital reserve fund. While this project has no local cost impact on taxpayers, conversely it creates a new revenue stream of approximately $70,000 annually in rents received or avoided. When coupled with the anticipated energy savings, the net impact will be more than a $100,000 gain per year for our taxpayers.

Renovations are complete and departments began moving into their new space the week of June 22nd. The building should be fully reoccupied by the end of this month, and a ribbon cutting / open house is being planned to celebrate the conclusion of this successful project.

Communications/911 Dispatch Center

Also located on Franklin Street in the Sheriff’s office, the 911 dispatch center has recently been upgraded to include new consoles and furniture and a separate ventilation system. This project was fully funded by the 911 reserve fund generated by telephone surcharges. While this part of the operation is most often outside the view of the public, it is certainly a critical function of county government relative to public safety. Our dispatchers are highly trained professionals who fulfill a vital role in ensuring a timely and appropriate response to all emergencies within the county. While the job can be extremely stressful given its nature, there is no excuse to having outdated and sometimes unreliable equipment as well as an uncomfortable working environment adding to that stress. The consoles that were replaced were done so out of necessity in that replacement parts and service were no longer available due to the advanced age of the equipment. Our dispatchers now work in a modern, clean and comfortable environment, and we believe that they and the public deserve nothing less.

Conclusion

As you can see from the aforementioned, it has been a busy time in the facilities maintenance business for the County. To that end, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the significant contribution of Mr. David Lisk, Building Maintenance Supervisor for the county. While we have undertaken an ambitious and aggressive capital projects plan, through Mr. Lisk’s efforts all projects have been completed either on time or ahead of schedule and under budget. Mr. Lisk has managed all of the aforementioned projects while carrying out the normal day-to-day responsibilities of his position. This has required a tremendous commitment on his part both in terms of time and additional responsibility. The good news is that with the completion of the Public Works Facility, all County facilities will have been brought up to current-day standards and Mr. Lisk’s workload should return to a more manageable level.

In summary, through creative and sometimes non-conventional (for the public sector) methods, the end result is facilities and services that are greatly enhanced at minimal impact to the taxpayer in the short term, and reduced costs in the long term. The citizens of Schuyler County can rest assured that the Legislature and administration continue to be good fiscal stewards while taking pride in facilities and staff that are responsive to the needs of our constituents.

Stay tuned for the next CA Corner. August’s topic will be economic development and revitalization of our communities.

Photo in text: Schuyler County Administrator Timothy O'Hearn