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ROTTERDAM — Six months after canceling a lease agreement to relocate town offices to the ViaPort shopping mall, lawmakers are again examining the possibility of moving some there.
The Town Board on Wednesday will vote to enter into a $50,000 contract with the Albany-based engineering firm Barton & Loguidice to complete a feasibility study evaluating the town’s court and police programs. The study will examine three options: renovating the existing facility along Princetown Road; relocating the Police Department and court operations to ViaPort; and constructing a new facility at an undetermined location, according to the proposal.
“The town has indicated that the existing town courts and police facility is outdated, undersized, it does not meet current handicapped accessible requirements, and lacks the program needs for the intendent services and functions of these departments,” the proposal reads.
The study is not surprising, but will likely receive backlash from some residents who were critical of the idea of the town relocating its facilities to a portion of the old Kmart facility at ViaPort in 2021. A newly elected slate of Town Board members last year voted to cancel the agreement.
Supervisor Mollie Collins last year said the town was looking at all options when it came to its Police Cepartment and court house, and did not rule out the possibility of moving to ViaPort or another location, so long as the terms to the agreement did not put an undue burden on taxpayers.
The study is simply an evaluation that will help determine the best option for the town. No action to rehab or relocate police and court operations has been made at this time, and any action, including relocating to ViaPort, would require Town Board approval.
The previous Town Board approved the ViaPort move in 2021 and entered into a 10-year lease agreement to move into the 50,000-square-foot space that would house the Town Hall, Police Department and court house. Lawmakers also paid a $1 million security deposit using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
But less than a year after the agreement was finalized, a newly elected slate of lawmakers — including Collins, Jack Dodson and Joseph Mastroianni — last August nullified the deal following weeks of backlash from residents. The 3-0 vote followed a presentation from an engineering firm the town hired that determined the cost to retrofit the Kmart space would cost $9.2 million, nearly double the $5 million originally projected.
The study also determined the move would cost the town $54 million over a 30-year period. Upgrading the current facilities, including doubling the size of the police and court building, would cost $14.4 million and cost the town $34.8 million to operate over a 30-year period.
Board member Samantha Miller-Herrera, who served under the previous administration, abstained from the vote. Evan Christou, also part of the previous administration, was not in attendance for the vote, but faced criticism after admitting he believed the original lease agreement included an option to buy the property. The contract gave the town the first right of refusal should the ViaPort owners move to sell the space.
In October, the lawmakers approved an agreement that saw the $1 million deposit returned in exchange for a $243,750 payment to ViaPort — a fraction of what the town would have been liable for under the canceled lease agreement.
The agreement absolved the town from further legal liability, but continues to face criticism from some residents.
A timeline for the completed study remains unclear.
Last year, Collins said the town would be moving forward with upgrades at its Town Hall at 1100 Sunrise Blvd., with plans to install a new roof and make other upgrades to the aging facility. Some work has already began, including a new boiler after the town approved a $12,950 contract for the repairs.
In addition to work at the Town Hall and an ongoing evaluation of the police and court facility, the town is also looking to make upgrades at the Rotterdam Senior Center.
Lawmakers on Wednesday will vote on a $20,000 contract to replace a portion of the building’s roof that has outdated shingles and is prone to leaks. An overhaul of the center’s parking lot at 2639 Hamburg St. is also in the works.
The Town Board will meet 7 p.m. Wednesday at Town Hall, 1100 Sunrise Blvd.
Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: [email protected] or by calling 518-395-3120.
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