CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners have continued to defend their decision to relocate county offices from the Multi-Service Center and the Courthouse Annex to its newly opened Clearfield County Administrative Office Building on East Locust Street.
According to Commissioner Chairperson Joan Robinson-McMillen, the board wants to keep the public involved and informed of the reasons behind its decisions. In June 2000, the county learned it would have cost $5 million to renovate the Multi-Service Center, she said.
Further, she said it would have been over $1 million for the county to bring the Leonard Street facility up to code before winter. She also said it would have been approximately $2.450 million to construct an entirely new building, which would have been $500,000 more than the county invested in the former Gray Building.
“We did borrow $1.9 million (for the renovations), but we are currently under budget,” Robinson-McMillen said.
She noted that the Clearfield County Children, Youth and Family Services office reimburses the county with Act 48 monies for its refurbished office space. According to her, the CYFS will pay $43,000 annually for 22 years, which comes out to a grand total of $946,000.
In addition, she said the county’s electric totaled $1,951.93 last month. However, it was $8,582.88 at the Multi-Service Center, which due to a glitch will house the Conservation District and the Penn State Cooperative Extension until March 1.
According to prior GantDaily reports, Robinson-McMillen said that the Conservation District will be vacating its office at the Multi-Service Center and moving into the first floor offices at the Courthouse Annex. She said it will be housed in the former human resources room, part of the commissioners’ office and conference room.
She said that the Penn State Cooperative Extension will move into Suite 1 of the former FCI building. Although it doesn’t fall under the county’s umbrella of offices, she said the county code still mandates that they provide the space.
At the present time, she said that Magisterial District Judge Richard Ireland’s office is in the process of moving into the CP Realty LLC building, which is located across the parking lot at 900 Leonard Street, Clearfield.
The commissioners had previously planned to empty the Multi-Service Center by the end of January due to the cost of electrical utilities there. In January, Robinson-McMillen reported that the Multi-Service Center’s bill was approaching $6,000, while it was only $1,154 at the new administrative offices downtown.
While the county has shuffled its office locations, it also hopes to complete renovations at the Courthouse Annex by the end of March. The county had budgeted $250,000 for these renovations both last and this year but is currently $10,000 under, Robinson-McMillen said.
She said that the Victim/Witness Offices will relocate to the first floor, where the Election Office was formerly housed. The Election’s Office was among those that vacated the annex to move into the new administrative building.
On the second floor, Robinson-McMillen said the Public Defender’s Office has already moved into the old Controller’s Office, which, too, moved out of the annex. She also said the District Attorney’s Office would be “expanding and spreading out” into the Victim/Witness Offices.
Further, she said Clearfield County Judge Paul E. Cherry requested for additional space, including a conference area, which will expand his office into the right portion of the former Public Defender’s Office. She described his current office as “cramped,” making it difficult for him to effectively meet with attorneys to review court paperwork.
She said that the Clearfield County Adult and Juvenile Probation Offices moved into a portion of the space, which was left vacant by the Public Defender’s Office.
She said the county will need three quotes for the Courthouse Annex renovation project. Local contractors can submit quotes through Feb. 18 to the commissioners’ office.