NORWICH – The Chenango County Office of Emergency Services (OES) is pondering an option to relocate its headquarters from the Chenango County Correctional Facility to a new location just outside Norwich city limits.

OES Coordinator Matthew Beckwith laid out a proposal for members of the county’s agriculture, buildings and grounds committee Tuesday, making the case that with the inclusion of ambulance services over the last year, his department has outgrown its current location on County Road 46 in the Town of Norwich.

The agency’s now considering a lease agreement for space on County Road 32, between East Main Street and State Route 23 in Norwich. Beckwith said the deal would provide enough space for offices, classrooms, equipment, and extra room for storage. It would also allow the department to concurrently run EMS and fire classes – something it’s not able to do in its current location.

“Those are our biggest needs,” Beckwith told the committee. “Location-wise, this is really good because we’re out of the city and we’re centrally located where everyone can get to us for classes. And we would be a mile from the training center … This is exactly what we need right now, and it would be nice to have space for growth.”

County officials are now considering a five-year lease with the proprietors, with an option of a two-year extension and a subsequent three-year extension, making for a total of ten years in the new location.