The steps at the Cortland County Courthouse are close to completion. (Photo via Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
Cortland County Administrator Rob Corpora provided updates on the county’s three major capital projects, the last of which he said should be completed before the start of 2025.
The three projects discussed — the County Courthouse renovations, the Emergency Response and Communications Center at 22 W. Court St., and the County Mental Health Building proposed at 111 Port Watson St. — are all partially funded through state and federal grants, Corpora said.
“One that stands out is the courthouse steps,” he said. “Hopefully, it'll be done within the next two weeks before (the Cortland County) Pumpkinfest. But we did receive grants for courthouse renovation.”
Corpora said the county has $5.1 million in grants.
“That'll do the steps and (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). We're moving right along with getting some of that done,” he said.
The county’s 911 center on West Court Street is nearing completion, he added. The project received about $5.25 million in grants from New York state. Currently, the emergency dispatch crew operates out of the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office at 54 Greenbush St. The construction work at the 22 W. Court St. building for this phase of the project will focus on the interior of the building.
“That's nearing completion,” he said. “We've received grants to do 98% of that work and the department is hoping to occupy that by the end of the year. It is going to be close.”
The proposed County Mental Health building, Corpora said, received $3 million in grants. The county has also put in $2 million from its American Rescue Plan allocation.
“We want to create a state of the art mental health building,” he said. “That should be done, if we are still on schedule, by the end of next year.”
The new center is set to expand the county mental health department’s physical space as well as improve services and treatment, officials say.
Sharon MacDougall, the director of community services at the county mental health department, has said the new center would provide almost twice the physical space in the new building than the current building.
