1/26/07 Health center gets ‘no’ vote

Bob Ellis/ staff photo

(As published by Cortland Standard, Corey Preston reporting)

Very frustrated county legislator Kay Breed tries to clarify the wording of a resolution during a legislature meeting concerning the proposed mental health center.

A disgruntled and persistent group of city residents won the day on the legislative floor Thursday, as county legislators voted to back out of agreements to buy property on south Main Street for a proposed public health facility.
After much heated discussion and some fervent public comment, a revote on the property acquisition — which was originally passed by the Legislature at its Dec. 21 meeting — failed to receive the two-thirds majority needed to proceed.
The vote essentially scrapped plans to purchase approximately 2.5-acres of property, spread out over nine separate parcels, for $894,000 on south Main, Randall and William streets.
The county had moved to acquire the property as part of a $5.5 million project to build an approximately 30,000-square-foot facility that would have housed the county’s public health and mental health departments on the lot currently occupied by the vacant Moose Lodge.
A boisterous group of residents who opposed the project — primarily because of the negative impact they felt it would have on the neighborhood — overflowed the legislative chambers, and afterward they were pleased by the county’s decision.
“I just don’t think this plan was well thought out at all, I think it was the result of laziness during the preparation process by the Legislature,” said Vincent Minnella of 64 Church St., who noted that the proposed facility would have been placed “in our backyard.” “It’s only because the people in the neighborhood raised these issues that they even took another look at it, and I’m glad we did, and I’m happy that they changed their minds.”
Ultimately the revote to purchase was split, 9-9, with legislators from both parties on both sides of the vote, and many on both sides agreeing that better communication initially could have alleviated the concerns of the residents.
“It’s kind of sad that it had to get this far, but I understand these people’s concerns and I’m happy for them,” said Legislator Ron Van Dee (D-5th Ward), who brought the motion to reconsider to the floor, and voted against the acquisitions. “If we had had a little more communication from the beginning, those neighbors would’ve gotten their chance to speak and we might have been able to work with them on it.”
Legislator Merwin Armstrong (R-Cuyler, Solon and Truxton) essentially agreed with Van Dee, but ultimately voted in favor of acquiring the properties.
“I’m concerned because I think we’re going to have trouble wherever we try to build because the city is getting so developed, and you’re always going to have neighbors who aren’t happy with the idea,” Armstrong said. “Plus a number of us really felt that this was a great way to revitalize south Main Street.”
County Attorney Ric Van Donsel said this morning that he was in the process of contacting involved property owners, and didn’t want to speculate on the cost to the county of opting out of the contracts.
Van Donsel has said in the past that backing out of the agreements at this point could make the county liable for some costs.
Prior to the ultimate vote against the project, the Legislature considered tabling the vote until February to allow for further discussion, and to allow a better estimate of the cost of backing out of the project, but that measure failed, also 9-9.
A handful of residents spoke during the meeting against the proposal, citing the effects the facility would have on the environment in their neighborhood, on public safety and questioned whether the proposed site would be enough space for such a project.
The residents also questioned the way the county rolled out the proposal — “back-room, closed door politics,” said Barry Batzing, of 70 Church St.
These claims appeared to spill over on to the legislative floor, as Legislators Kay Breed (R-Cortlandville) and Tom Williams (R-Homer), peppered Legislature Chairman Marilyn Brown (D-8th Ward) and County Administrator Scott Schrader for details on how the purchase offers were secured and the cost of securing them.
Breed repeatedly made the point that the resolution to purchase the property also instructed the county treasurer to establish a $6 million capital account in anticipation of the project.
“How does that mean we’re just voting on buying the property — how are we not voting on the project as a whole?” Breed asked after the meeting. Brown responded by saying that the Legislature would be voting on any and all contracts associated with the project, and thus would have the authority to stop the project at any time.
Meanwhile, in response to a line of questioning from Williams, Schrader said that Cinquanti Real Estate, because it was already brokering the sale of the Moose Lodge property, had handled the rest of the acquisitions at a cost to the county of 6 percent of the total acquisition cost, or $38,000.
That the county has already paid Cinquanti for its work upset Breed and Kathy Wilcox, one of the residents most vocally opposed to the project and a real estate agent for Yaman Real Estate, who claimed that the company should not have been paid until the deal was closed.
Schrader said during the meeting that this was standard procedure, and he declined comment afterward.
Wilcox, who played a large role in organizing her neighborhood against the project, was pleased with the outcome of the meeting. “We feel that the revitalization of south Main Street is a very positive thing, and maybe having a health building somewhere down there is a good idea, but it doesn’t belong in that neighborhood,” Wilcox said, noting that the oft-mentioned former Wickwire building property would be a good alternative. “I’m just so glad they’re going back to the drawing board.”
What the county does next remains unclear.
Schrader said during the meeting that he had obtained asking prices for properties on the opposite side of south Main Street, and Van Dee has said he’s looked at various other possibilities.
Many legislators stressed after the meeting that the county is badly in need of a new jail, as well as a new location for the county motor vehicle office.