Greene County courthouse project mostly on track but stalled by utility and finish delays

Sherry Drew, chair of the County Services committee, told members the Greene County courthouse project "is rolling along well, but we have a few hiccups," and highlighted problems with gas and electric that are delaying final occupancy.

Drew said Central Hudson found an undersized transformer and primary feed near the courthouse and that the utility will need to install a larger transformer and revise the primary service. "When you get them involved, everything takes quite a bit longer than anticipated," she said, noting the gas connection requires trenching on Main Street and could take "two weeks to six weeks depending on how things go."

The county also faces scope additions requested late in the process by OTAA, including secure entrances, additional doors and camera work that were not in the original plans. "They're going to need to be done," Drew said, and some of those items — particularly secure doors — have long manufacturer lead times (Drew cited 12 weeks as an example).

Despite those setbacks, Drew said the new building's interior is largely at finish stage: "It looks like a finished building with a handful of small exceptions," she said, listing floors, base trim, bathroom tile and doors as largely complete. By contrast, work in the courthouse's older section has revealed unexpected construction conditions. "Every time we cut into a wall there, we find that nothing is quite like we expected," she said, describing non-structural red brick that required rework and an engineer-devised solution to reinforce an old landing.

Committee members discussed whether to seek a temporary certificate of occupancy and move into portions of the building that will be "98%" complete. Drew cautioned that any occupancy requires certified fire exits, sprinkler systems and properly functioning utility systems before people can be moved in. She said the committee will discuss a move strategy at its April meeting.

Drew estimated that interior furnishings and systems should be in place by the end of April, with exterior work such as sidewalks and paving pushed to later dates depending on weather and supplier timelines. "So far, we've been able to do most of the things they've asked for. It's not going to be that big of a change," she said, while urging prudence about completing higher-end woodwork and other finishing touches.

The committee asked for a construction update at its next regular meeting in April and will consider whether to take a temporary CO and occupy finished sections while finishing remaining work.