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DEVELOPER DONATING PROPERTY TO CORTLAND COUNTY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX CORTLAND – The Cortland County Legislature voted unanimously on February 25th to accept the donation of an over 73 acre parcel from a Michigan based developer for the sole purpose of developing a new Public Safety Complex. The Committee who worked on the initial plans began with 11 sites. In August of 2015, the Legislature agreed to hire SMRT Architects and Engineers to conduct pre-architectural planning and site assessment in connection with phase 1 on the Public Safety project. The firm was tasked with identifying six sites that could support the project. The final three sites were identified and approved by NYS Commission of Corrections for consideration of a Public Safety Complex. The DMK property was one of the sites identified as a usable site. The donation follows negotiations with the property owner DMK Development, LLC. The property is located along Route 13 South in Cortlandville and adjoins the recently constructed Tractor Supply store on the East side of the highway. In the last five years the cost of housing out inmates to other correctional facilities due to overcrowding has exceeded $2,000,000.00. In 2014, the county completed a $70,000 expansion project to convert the gymnasium at the facility into a dormitory to house an additional 30 inmates. The expansion is viewed by the State as a temporary fix with the understanding that the County would pursue a new facility. The Cortland County Legislature was extremely pleased with this negotiation which resulted in the donation of the property, saving the county a potential $2 million in land acquisition and basic development costs for a Public Safety facility. The County Legislature’s next consideration is for the preparation and release of the Architectural documents to prepare for the Construction RFP.