Legislators Request Details About Sain Building Conditions

BY VICTORIA TANNER

County legislators continued to discuss aspects of the Sain Building, particularly a bond for renovating facilities at the health complex to move county employees, during Tuesday night’s Planning and Public Works committee meeting.

The final item on the committee’s agenda was to pass a bond resolution amending a previous one that was adopted in June 2015 for financing the costs of “partial reconstruction of various buildings at the Robert L. Yeager Health Center as required in relation to relocation of county departments.”

Legislator Ilan Schoenberger wanted more details. He wanted to know a detailed plan of where county departments were going to in the center. County Executive Ed Day’s Chief of Staff J. Guillermo Rosa was at the meeting and said he would provide the legislature with answers.

Legislator Aron Wieder claimed, “The problem is with Ed Day.”

Wieder said the legislature was told Building A at the Health Center could not be sold because it housed the medical examiner’s office. He then said now they are being told that office is moving to Building H. Chairman Alden Wofle brought the conversation back to the Sain Building and wanted to know if the employees are in eminent harm by working there.

“If the county employees are truly at risk…working in the building, what is the County Executive to protect them?” Wolfe asked.

Guillermo said the building is old and he has heard stories of ceiling tiles falling.

“Is it a place for optimal performance? No,” Guillermo said.