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Courthouse bond slated for vote next week

Mar 07, 2012 4:32 pm
Nathan May reports in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Finance Committee approved a resolution Tues., Mar. 6, moving forward a $12 million bonding proposal needed to fund the court-ordered renovation of the Columbia County Courthouse. The full Board of Supervisors will vote on the resolution, Wed., Mar. 14. The county estimates the project will cost up to $10 million to bring the historic early 20th-century building into compliance with the federal American with Disabilities Act. The project includes new elevators, ramps, bathrooms and aid for the hearing impaired. Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan, R-Kinderhook, said after a decade of work, 90 percent of the plans are complete and approved by the New York State Office of Court Administration. The board expects to use $2 million to "pay itself back" for a new security system at the county jail, for capital improvements at Columbia-Greene Community College and a new software program for the county’s financial administration. If approved by the full board, $6.2 million will be bonded in 2012, and $5.8 million in 2013. Read the full story in the Register Star.