CYS seeking additional office space
A request by the acting director of Fayette County Children and Youth Services to enter into a lease agreement for temporary office space by the end of the year likely will be delayed until January.
During the agenda-setting meeting Tuesday, county Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink said that she would not support a lease agreement for the additional space as recommended by Gina D’Auria, CYS acting director.
The resolution requested that the commission approve a lease agreement at its regular meeting Tuesday so that the newly hired staff could move from a cramped conference room into regular office space by Jan. 1.
D’Auria said she and Robert Carson, public works director, recently visited several properties to consider their suitability for use by the five caseworkers and the cost. CYS also would like the new location to be near the main office on Old New Salem Road.
“It was the best way I knew how to do it,” said D’Auria, adding that the contract would be for three years and at a monthly cost of $1,100.
The office space recommended by D’Auria is located on Mount Vernon Avenue in Uniontown in a building owned and occupied by Costabile Leasing.
D’Auria said other properties in Uniontown and Hopwood were looked at and found to be more expensive, with one needing an upgrade to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The temporary space and time frame would allow the county to also determine whether the current office should be expanded or modular housing added to permanently accommodate the increased staff, she added.
Zimmerlink said that despite the approval of the tentative lease contract by county solicitor John Cupp, the final decision was at the discretion of the commissioners and that proposals should be solicited before any action on leases is taken.
Zimmerlink, along with commissioners Al Ambrosini and Vincent Zapotosky, agreed that instead of approving the lease with Constable, they would instead take action to advertise for proposals at next week’s meeting.
In a related matter, Zimmerlink also questioned a request by the district attorney’s office to enter into a one-year lease agreement with the Fayette County Airport Authority.
The space is used by the Fayette County Drug Task Force.
Zimmerlink said that it is appropriate to include the cost in the request and none was attached to the resolution.
Task force Detective Stephen Cooper said that the rental rate is currently $1,850, but negotiations are continuing between the two parties.
Ambrosini and Zapotosky agreed to add the resolution to the agenda, with Zimmerlink abstaining from casting a vote in the matter, citing ongoing negotiations as her reason for declining to vote.
In other business, the commissioners are expected to take action in the following county matters at Tuesday’s meeting:
n Extend an agreement with Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC of Harrisburg for audit services through 2015.
n Appoint Magisterial District Judge Ronald Haggerty Jr., county Controller Sean Lally and state Constable Claude Saynes to the Constable Review Board and appoint state Constable Phillip Varndell as an alternate member of the board.
n Renew a lease with Soberdash Brothers Venture II of Dunbar for office space of Magisterial District 14-01-02. The six-year lease adds a 2 percent increase each year to the rental fee.