NORWICH – Hoping to settle contention over a proposed $35 million building project, Chenango County officials hosted an open house event on Tuesday to unveil plans for a brand new office headquarters in downtown Norwich.

The event, held inside the board room of the Chenango County Office Building, was a chance for taxpayers to see detailed information on the proposed project and get answers to questions by speaking directly with representatives, architects, and project engineers. The objective, said Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey Blanchard, was to justify reasoning behind the project and quell misinformation.

“Our purpose for this event is to educate the public on what our building project is going to be, why we’ve made the decisions we did, why we’re here now, and where it’s going,” Blanchard said. “We want people to know what to expect if we get to a construction phase, as far as public access and employee access. It’s all being talked about.”

The open house event comes one day after the Chenango County Board of Supervisors approved a $29,000 contract with ECS Engineering, a Virginia-based engineering firm with offices in New York, for soil investigation on the proposed building site. The deal with ECS comes at the recommendation of project managers.

A formal presentation has been demanded by county taxpayers since the county signed a $1.7 million agreement with Hunt Engineers, Architects, and Surveyors for project engineering and design in May 2025.

County supervisors followed up in June 2025 with a $1.5 million contract with LeChase Construction, a Binghamton-based construction management and consultation company. Board members approved $1.5 million in bonds in June 2025 to cover costs of planning and laying out specifications of the project.

Blanchard said the proposal is currently on track with the county’s $35 million budget which also allows for an overage between 5% and 8%. I

nformation presented at Tuesday’s open house will be made available on the designated building project page of the county website, he added.

The discussion over an office building overhaul has been in the works for nearly eight years, although plans to demolish the county’s current office building and construct a new facility have only recently been entertained by county legislators.

According to county officials, the 1960s-era office building may be structurally sound, but it simply isn’t conducive to modern business and technology demands.

Among their concerns, the building has dated electrical systems and windows, a failing roof and airflow system, and a partial floor below ground level with limited space, making it nearly impossible to install an elevator for easier access to public offices.

More alarming, officials say, the building contains asbestos in the ceiling that covers ductwork and wiring, making necessary upgrades impossible without presenting a health risk to county employees. Engineering reports suggest any future large-scale roofing project would likely shake that asbestos loose.

The county says the cost of renovating the 1960s wing of the office building is 70% to 75% of the cost of building new. Consequently, a proposal was put in motion to raze the 1960s wing and build a new facility that will connect to the 1991 wing on the north side of the building.

The plan is to construct the new building in front of the old one, move departments to the new building when it’s finished, and then demolish the old facility.

County officials aim to put the project to bid in the fall with hopes of starting construction in 2027 and having the project completed within two years.