NORWICH – Security has become more a concern among public officials at the Chenango County Office Building in Norwich in recent months, beckoning them to consider building surveillance enhancements for the protection of public employees.
In the hope of improving building safety and security for county employees, members of the Chenango County Agriculture, Buildings and Grounds Committee discussed the likelihood of upgrading the building’s security system at a committee meeting held last week. Although no approval for upgrades has been finalized, the issue has been on the back burner for some time, say officials, and recent events statewide and nationwide have drawn more attention to it.
“This is a sign of the times, unfortunately,” said Julie Gates, County Director of Public Facilities. “There are a lot of people who work in that building and obviously, we want everybody just to be safe.”
There are a total of eight entry points into the building, including maintenance and storage entryways, and several points of access that are more prone to public use. Hopes are to limit access to primary entry points on the north side of the building (the Fair Street entrance) and the east side of the building (from the main parking lot).
In addition, prospective upgrades include more security cameras, keypads or key fob locks on all doors for public employees and a web based security program to help monitor the building - expenses roughly estimated to reach $67,000, according to Gates.
“Department directors have been asking about this issue for a while,” Gates added, noting that the office building houses Chenango County Family Court, mental hygiene services and a mental health outpatient clinic, as well as a few offices for the county Department of Social Services. “For some of the people who have to come here, it may not always be a happy experience,” she said.
Before moving forward with security system updates at the county office building, officials are looking into the associated soft costs such as maintenance and further upgrades. Moreover, committee members determined that it would be best to conduct a security audit in the coming weeks to determine what - and where - changes should be made.
“That seems like a key first step,” said committee member and Smithville Town Supervisor Fred Heisler. “Perhaps a security audit would tell us what the ultimate protective measures should be.”
“This is a safety concern,” Gates added. “It’s a public building ... Most areas where people can go in will still be open to the public, but we want to have better control of access.”