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The Legislature’s Government Operations Committee today took a careful look at a proposal that would relocate the County Office for the Aging to soon-to-be-vacated space at the County Health Department, and the Community Justice Center from the Old County Library to the Human Services Annex (formerly the Carpet Bazaar Building) downtown.  The committee, however, failed to recommend the proposal to the full Legislature by a tie vote of 2-2 (Chair Mike Lane and Legislator Pat Pryor voting in favor, and Legislators Dooley Kiefer and Dave McKenna voting no).  Legislator Peter Stein, who had to leave before the vote, had also expressed concern about the proposal.

The proposal was first presented to the Capital Plan Review Committee last week to address space needs for the two human services programs, achieving projected 20-year savings of more than a half-million dollars in capital and operating costs.  Aging Office Director Lisa Holmes told the committee that, while she appreciates the County’s fiscal constraints, the office needs to meet seniors’ needs from a central, visible, and accessible location, attributes present for the Human Services Annex (where the office had planned to relocate), but lacking in the Health Department facility.  And while the Health Department space has been mentioned by some as a temporary location, Holmes said she fears that space could easily become permanent.

Acknowledged the Aging Office concerns, Legislator Chair Martha Robertson told the committee that the County, in the current fiscal environment, cannot ignore the potential savings and that the proposal represents “the right thing for the County overall.”  Addressing the committee, Downtown Ithaca Alliance Director Gary Ferguson  called the issue a difficult and complex problem, but said that returning the Old Library to productive use and putting it back on the tax rolls is important to downtown, and that the building has “tremendous potential for housing.”

Committee Chair Lane and Legislator Pryor, who both voted in favor, said they felt the facility arrangement, while not ideal, is still necessary. Legislator Kiefer, who voted no, maintained more study is needed before any recommendation—including further examination of another potential location for COFA, the former Fall Creek Studios in Ithaca’s Fall Creek neighborhood.  Legislator McKenna, who also voted no, said he believes there is no immediate need for the Justice Center to move from the Old Library, that COFA should remain downtown, noting that the proposed move would double the travel time for his Enfield and Newfield constituents.  Despite the committee’s failure to recommend, Legislator Jim Dennis indicated he is prepared to advance a member-filed resolution, if necessary, to get the issue before the Legislature.

In other action, the committee joined the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee in recommending a proposed county road preservation law to regulate “extraordinary, high-intensity (truck) traffic to and from development sites, causing significant and measurable damage to County roads”—a measure which has been under study since early this year.  The committee, without dissent, supported both the proposed law and scheduling a required public hearing August 16.
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