As local officials solidify plans for a new $570 to $575 million hospital in Utica, N.Y., the community is preparing for the possible need to relocate police services from a near-century old building, according to a report from UticaOD.com.
At a news conference Wednesday, New Hartford, N.Y.-based Mohawk Valley Health System President and CEO Scott Perra indicated a concept draft of the downtown Utica hospital currently shows the police station and its maintenance garage remaining in place. However, Mr. Perra also cautioned the future of the police building, which was build in 1928, is not something that has been considered yet.
The Utica City Court building will not be impacted, according to the report.
"This is not an architectural rendering," said Mr. Perra, according to the report. "This is an artistic rendering. We've got to sit down with the city, the county and everyone else to see where this needs to go. Once we get architects on board — who we hope to have hired by the end of the year and start designing it — it could slide a little bit to the north, south, east or west, and that would change whether certain buildings need to be removed or not removed."
Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said, based on previous conversations with the mayor, if the maintenance garage needs to be relocated to accommodate the hospital, the police building will have to move too.