NEW HARTFORD — Town officials are considering
purchasing a property to house the town court and ease congestion at the
Washington Mills location the court shares with the police department.
For years, officials have talked about safety concerns at the Kellogg Road
building. Now, overcrowding has become a central issue.
WHAT'S NEXT |
* A
committee that includes Town Councilman Dave Reynolds, Planning Board
chairman Hans Arnold and former Planning Board member Joseph Yagey is looking
at various properties to address overcrowding at the New Hartford Town Court
and the police department. |
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Among
locations being considered for the courts is a 10,000-square-foot building at
The asking price for the building is about $850,000, Butterfield Commercial
Property real estate agent Ed LaBarge said. The property is among the cheapest
options available, town officials said.
“We are negotiating,” LaBarge said. “This is a good location for them. It has
got parking. It is adjacent to the village parking lot.”
In 1989, the court moved from Butler Hall in the village to the
“We are the one of the busiest courts,” Judge William Virkler said.
After the state required village and town courts to record all proceedings,
officials have put up dividers so that the recording is not drowned out by
background noise.
But this is a temporary fix, Virkler said. Moving to new and improved space
would be preferable, he said.
Currently, the court uses about 3,000 square foot. It could easily use up to
4,500 square foot, he said.
Last year, residents voted down a $1.5 million bond resolution that included a
proposal to buy 1
Now, town officials might move the court out of its current location and let
the police department and the dispatch office use the 3,000 square feet space
released by the court, officials said.
Dave Reynolds, who is on the committee that is looking into the issue with
planning board Chairman Hans Arnold and former planning board member Joseph
Yagey, said no decisions have been made but such space issues need to be
resolved.
“The issues have not gone away,” he said. “We are still working on it.”
How the town is going to fund such a purchase is something officials have not
yet looked at, he said.
One of the options that town has is lease the space with an option to purchase
it later, Reynolds said.
Officials estimate about $1.5 to $2 million will be needed to relocate offices
and for any upgrades or improvements that need to be done if the 19 Campion
Road property is considered. That property has 60 parking space
available.
“Estimates include what it would cost to build it out,” Arnold said. “Inside,
it is completely empty.”
However, the committee members have not made any recommendations to the Town
Board.
Papandreas, who owns Papandreas Automotive Inc. in Utica, couldn't be reached.
In interviews, some residents said they support purchasing another building to
address overcrowding at the police station, but others were opposed to an
increase in taxes.
Brenda Bashant, a Higby Road resident, said she is concerned about the rising
taxes in New Hartford. The school's $25.7 million capital project that was
recently approved by residents has already put a burden on residents, she
said.
“We pay too many taxes,” she said.
Another resident Martha Gibson, who lives on Woodberry Road, said as a retired
person, her income is not what it used to be.
But Gibson said she understands the space crunch issue and would not mind
supporting the town's efforts to fix things, funded perhaps through a bond
issue.
“I know it is quite small,” she said. “If there is a bond, I don't have a
problem. But … you need more information.”
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