Reflections on Rye – The Other Shoe Drops

– By Warren Ross –

When the A&P next door to City Hall closed, I suggested to the City Council that we acquire the property. I can still hear the exhalations of disagreement and contempt from some of the opposition members.

I felt that if we were to move Police Headquarters and City Court into the building, it would not only be more convenient, but solve several other problems. For one thing, the present building is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and while we might get away with that for some time, sooner or later we would be forced to bring it into compliance at considerable expense (which, in fact, has happened). The fact that Police Commissioner Anthony Schembri had painted the holding pens pink, because he had heard that pink was a calming color that would tame even violent criminals, would not be likely to cut much ice with the Feds.

For another, if we tore down the building and sold the lot it could help to solve the perennial parking problem at the Metro-North station, and help to pay for the conversion.   Year after year commuters line up to get a permit at the City Clerk’s office at the beginning of the year, but those not in front of the line are apt to be out of luck, and even if you’re one of the lucky ones, you might find when you got to the station that there are no spaces left. Because the number of commuters on any given day can’t be predicted, we routinely sell more than 100 percent of the available permits. City Clerk Dawn Nodarse tells me that even this year, 2008, there are hundreds of applicants on the waiting list. When the City eventually bought the property, I wondered what we planned to do with it when the lease of the present tenant — a clothing store — expires.

Now the other shoe has dropped. At the end of October it was announced — guess what? —  that the City Council is considering moving the City Court and Police Headquarters into the building. The Council issued an RFP (a request for proposals) and chose an architectural firm to review the options.

We are now waiting for the firm’s report, which will include a review of the pros and cons of remaining and expanding at the current police headquarters/courthouse location, or moving to the old A&P (later CVS) building. This review will include a cost analysis and a functional comparison of space based upon requirements of police and court standards. Other options will be considered as well, so that the Council will have a basis of comparison not only of the two primary sites but of other alternatives.
So the shoe has not yet hit the ground.