NORWICH – Some new ideas bounced around Tuesday at a meeting of the county’s Buildings and Grounds Committee included converting the old jail on West Park Place into a central intake facility for public services or subdividing it into both public and private use office space.
The standing committee met with representatives of John Snyder Architects of Ithaca to discuss the possibilities. The firm was hired last month at a $7,475 fee to complete design concepts and drawings for four possible uses and to provide cost estimates for two of them.
Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown outlined the committee’s options, including selling the building, giving it away, converting it into office and/or storage space or tearing it down. He said he would prefer not to demolish it due to its historic significance. The old jail and Sheriff’s Office are within an historical district in the City of Norwich, but are not listed on the historic register.
Demolishing the building would be an option, according to Lawrence N. Wilcox, R-Oxford, if the cost for refurbishing it was too great. “It will be a business decision. If it’s too expensive to keep, and no one wants it, we may have to tear it down.”
Architect John Snyder asked whether storage of records and/or documents would require air conditioning. Because the building is very compartmentalized, there would be a “tremendous cost savings” in not having to put heating and air conditioning systems in all of it.
“You could subdivide the building... make it two separate buildings. Maybe some private office space and some public office space,” the architect said.
Brown suggested converting an area into an open office arrangement that would handle intake procedures for the mental health, social services and public health departments.