The OBSERVER’s View
Legislature needs more information before voting on office proposal
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An artist's rendering of the former Third Street post office features a big Chautauqua County logo on the building's wall facing Jamestown City Hall instead of the Lucille Ball mural that was also used as a U.S. postage stamp.
We're sure it's artistic license as part of a sales pitch rather than a serious proposal to actually remove the mural, but the artist's rendering raises a question that we hope Chautauqua County legislators keep in mind before they vote on a proposal to consolidate the county's Jamestown offices into the post office building – what else looks funny about this proposal?
It's no secret that the county is looking to upgrade its office space downtown. Last year the county considered a proposal to move the county's offices into the former Sears store in the Chautauqua Mall. That proposal was roundly criticized and never moved forward. And, compared to the mall proposal, moving the county offices into the former post office building checks a lot of boxes. It would keep the offices in Jamestown, in one location that is close to city hall and the county's CARTS hub that is under construction on Third Street.
It's better. But it's also possible the county could do better.
We're not sure legislators have all the information they need to vote Wednesday. We know the cost of rent – $23.50 per square foot per year, equaling $105,750 per month for the first year, with annual 3 percent increases after the first year. That's more than the existing space the county is renting, and we don't know the renovation costs the county will have to pay to turn the post office space into what the county needs. There has been no talk so far about how expensive those costs may be - at least, not publicly.
Since the county is clearly signaling its unhappiness with its current offices, why not open a public request for proposals and see what rolls in while accounting for renovation costs before the legislature votes on a move. Could the Furniture Mart be a good partner - the county would be moving into newly renovated space configured to its needs while a new developer would have a guaranteed tenant that may make the project more economically feasible. Are there other sites that make sense?
If moving the county offices is a good move on Wednesday, it will be a good move at the legislature's August or September voting session too. The county's leases are up in 2027, not the end of 2026. That means there is no real time pressure on legislators to vote Wednesday. Legislators should take their time and make sure they have all the information they need.
The artist's rendering not including the Lucille Ball postage stamp mural may not be the only thing about this proposal that doesn't look quite right.