New Hartford court might move

Feb 11, 2008 @ 08:32 PM

By CHINKI SINHA

Observer-Dispatch

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. 

* More than 20 locations have been under consideration for new courtrooms, including 19 Campion Road in the village.

* Town officials said it is too premature to talk about the funding of the project.

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Among locations being considered for the courts is a 10,000-square-foot building at 19 Campion Road, which is owned by Joe Papandreas. 

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 Kellogg Road facility in the town. Court officials say that building has now outlived its useful life and is overcrowded. 

“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 Oxford Crossing to house the police department and some other town offices for $1 million, plus additional money to fund renovations and improvements. 

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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