NORWICH – Potholes and standing water could soon become a thing of the past for those who visit and work at the Chenango County Office Building on Court Street in Norwich.
Public Works Director Randy Gibbon said the three parking areas out in front of the building, a rear lot and a side delivery area could be partially cut out and paved back by as early as next week.
An approximate 4 inch deep, 20 foot wide center strip would be ground down at each location and refilled with asphalt, he told members of the Chenango County Agriculture, Buildings & Grounds Committee Tuesday. The cost is estimated at $50,000 with materials.
Gibbon acknowledged that the work would be “a quick fix” rather than a complete overhaul of the areas.
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Richard B. Decker, R-N. Norwich, recommended the highway department’s plan to committee. A motion was passed to move forward with the work.
In other committee news, Public Facilities Director Julie Gates said her budget wouldn’t cover the $90,000 estimate she recently received for painting the Chenango County Courthouse exterior and gold leaf-painted dome.
Gates said she didn’t know whether gold leaf was necessary in order to maintain the building’s historic standing, but she solicited a quote for it upon the committee’s request.
“I know that the committee members would like to keep it that way,” she said.
Gates’ said her $20,000 repair budget plus a 25 percent cost sharing agreement with the New York State Office of Court Administration would afford the exterior painting portion only, estimated at $30,000 of the total.
“Maybe we should just do the front columns only,” she said, suggesting pressure washing and painting. “They are really peeling.”
“I hate to see us constantly do projects that we didn’t think about a year ago,” said Finance Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford. “We should do the columns this year and think about painting the rest in next year’s budget.”
Other maintenance needs include masonry work, replacing heating valves on the HVAC system and repairing window sills and frames.
The committee referred the department’s budget constraints and need for courthouse repairs to the Finance Committee.
The committee also discussed the possibility of purchasing a generator for keeping vaccinations cooled in case of a power outage at the County Office Building. Public Health Director Marcas Flindt said federal stimulus money has been made available to purchase large quantities of adult immunizations that would be distributed free to patients.
The county has the opportunity to purchase $650,000 worth of standard adult immunizations that come with $20,000 in administration funds, he said.
“If we have that much in storage, we would need generator to make sure nothing happened to them in the event of a power outage. It used to be the New York State Department Health would replace ruined vaccines, but not now,” he said.
The shots, such as for shingles and the flu, would also be distributed to local hospitals and health clinics, where an administration fee would be applied. A typical shingles vaccine delivered by a private practice physician costs, on average, about $350, Flindt said.
The committee discussed other needs for a generator, including data security.
“I think we are negligent if we don’t look at some kind of generator for this building,” said Town of Coventry Supervisor Janice O’Shea.
Town of Preston Supervisor Peter Flanagan said the county could see more frequent power outages with the electrical grid “stretched thin now.”
Town Clerk RC Woodford announced that the county’s Central Services and Print Shop has been closed for three weeks and will remain so indefinitely due to an employee’s extended leave of absence. Departments are currently purchasing office supplies and copying documents via private, outside vendors.