Lease for DMV extended

LOWVILLE — Lewis County legislators on Tuesday approved a two-year lease extension on its Department of Motor Vehicles office, despite some space issues.

"I guess you could say it's the only show in town right now," Legislature Chairman Jack T. Bush, R-Brantingham, said afterward.

Legislators voted 8-0 to continue to rent the former Cream of the Crop Ice Cream Shoppe, 7049 Route 12, from March 6 through March 5, 2012, with monthly lease payments set at $1,500.

Legislators Michael A. Tabolt, R-Croghan, and Patrick F. Wallace, R-Lowville, both were excused from the meeting for medical reasons. Mr. Tabolt is recovering from recent heart surgery, while Mr. Wallace is in New York City undergoing treatment for cancer.

County officials in May 2008 moved the DMV office from the County Courthouse on North State Street to its location just south of the village. The move was intended to provide easier customer access and better parking.

While the space in the building is not really adequate, county leaders have yet to find a more favorable location, and DMV workers are "doing a great job working with what they've got," Mr. Bush said.

Revenues at the local DMV office have increased since the move, likely because of the easier access, he said.

Bernier, Carr & Associates, Watertown, recently completed a $37,000 space study that includes plans for a new county office building on outer Stowe Street. The proposed building would eliminate the need to lease office space for the DMV, Board of Elections and Mental Health Department and provide more room for those offices.

"It's interesting and something to think about," said Legislator William J. Burke, R-West Lowville, chairman of the legislative Buildings and Grounds Committee.

However, the other two committee members — Jerry H. King, R-West Leyden, and Richard C. Lucas, R- Barnes Corners — reiterated that there are no plans to construct a new building unless funding becomes available, possibly through federal stimulus money.