NORWICH – Satisfying federal mandates to make its building more handicap accessible, the Cornell Cooperative Extension is giving a facelift of sorts to the 1960s addition of its Norwich home.
The Cornell Co-op has undertaken a major renovation project in the 50-year-old cinder block part of its building which extends from the rear of the original Victorian style building on North Broad Street.
The 60s wing will receive upgrades that bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and, to the benefit of the Cooperative Extension, make the building more energy efficient.
The Cooperative Extension currently leases the 60s wing to the Chenango County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Farm Service Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation District – all of which operate under the auspices of the USDA. And since renovations are in order to meet federal requirements for federal offices, the nearly $600,000 project is being paid entirely by federal dollars.
“Chenango County taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill in the sense that it’s not coming out of county funds,” said Ken Smith, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County. “If we had not been able to make these upgrades, USDA would have needed to go elsewhere; and without them, Cornel Co-op would not be able to keep the building.”
Smith said the renovation project will also allow the Cooperative Extension offices and USDA offices to reconfigure, giving each organization more space. Whereas space between the two entities had previously been split between the Victorian building and the 60s wing, the USDA will now be located entirely in the newly renovated wing while the Cooperative Extension takes the upstairs and downstairs offices in the orignal part of the building.
“It’s something that’s going to give us and them more space,” said Smith, noting that there was “wasted space” in the previous configuration.
The scope of the building project entails a number of extensive renovations – from the floor tiles to the ceiling tiles, and everything in between, Smith said. This includes electric upgrades, new windows, a new boiler system, updates to the air conditioning unit, upgraded electric, new bathrooms, and of course new offices.
The ultimate goal is to bring the building up to par with federal standards while also making it more budget friendly.
“Some people wonder why there should be an investment in the looks of the building. Well, it is a lot about cosmetics; but it’s also about making the building operate more efficiently,” said Smith.
The renovation project comes at the heels of last year’s undertaking to paint the exterior of the building. A few years prior, a new roof was installed. Both of those projects were paid on the Cooperative Extension’s dime.
“The building was largely untouched for almost 40 years,” said Smith. “A lot of these projects have been necessary upgrades.”
Plans are to have construction to the 1960s wing completed by mid September. When work’s finished, hopes are to revamp the parking lot outback of the building by the fall or spring.