Last week representatives of the Orange County Legislature, the County Executive’s office, and the design team for the Orange County Government Center met on the site of the Government Center in Goshen to discuss the project in what was expected to be a routine meeting. At that time, concerns were expressed by state and federal officials regarding the impact of the compromise chosen last year by the county Legislature to renovate the Government Center.
In February 2013 the Legislature voted to renovate the current Government Center rather than build new. In December 2013 the Legislature endorsed what has become known as “Option BB+,” which calls for a partial renovation along with some new construction at the Government Center. The Orange County Government Center was shuttered in 2011.
In February 2014 county representatives met with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in order to discuss the design as part of a required review process. SHPO officials reported concerns to project designer Clark Patterson Lee at a subsequent meeting held on May 27.
On June 3 Phillip Clark of Clark Patterson Lee met with senior level staff at SHPO to see if the concerns expressed on May 27 could be overcome. Clark reported in a subsequent memorandum to Neuhaus that the project concerns expressed by SHPO came at the behest of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Neuhaus met today with members of the Legislature to present the findings in the Clark memo.
Federal historic preservation law, which is coordinated through SHPO, will require extensive consultation with multiple agencies and interest groups prior to implementing the design changes ultimately approved by the Legislature. In his memo, Clark reported that such extensive review would substantially delay the project, the review “taking at least 6 months and more likely upwards of 12 months,” with no guarantee of ultimate approval.
“Adversity can leave us stricken or we can rise to the challenge. I choose the latter; I believe the county Legislature will as well. These are our options as I immediately see them: Negotiate with SHPO and the federal government, prolonging this issue without reasonable likelihood of success; build a new Government Center in Goshen; or continue to lease government office space,” said County Executive Neuhaus.
Neuhaus has had numerous discussions with both Republican and Democratic legislators on the Government Center. “In my preliminary discussions with legislators from all parties, it appears there is interest in selling the building while also advancing a Government Center plan. I know most if not all members of the Legislature have a desire to bring government back, largely under one roof, to our county seat. The news from Albany and Washington is bad news for local government. However, we cannot allow government to be paralyzed. We must find common ground, and I believe we can,” he said.
Neuhaus also announced he would ask leading Orange County citizens to form an advisory panel under the county charter to offer their views on the options he laid out, come up with any additional recommendations, and report back within 30 days. Members of the advisory panel are:
· James Smith, owner, Advanced Testing Company, Inc.
· Maureen Halahan, President and CEO, Orange County Partnership
· John D’Ambrosio, President, Orange County Chamber of Commerce
· Todd Diorio, President, Hudson Valley Building and Construction Trades Council
· Kyle Roddey, Mayor, Village of Goshen
· Douglas Bloomfield, Supervisor, Town of Goshen
· Shannon Wong, Orange County Legislature
· Barry Cheney, Orange County Legislature
“These distinguished citizens can help ensure that a setback does not become a roadblock. I want to thank them for taking the time to serve their community and review the options available to the county. An outside perspective can often be helpful, particularly after news this disappointing,” said Neuhaus.
