Warren County weighs pausing local morgue plan to join Albany County regional effort

Warren County officials recommended March 25 that the county pause its standalone regional morgue project and instead enter discussions with Albany County to support a larger regional facility, citing New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) efforts and intercounty coordination for potential state funding.

County Administrator John (identified in the meeting as the administrator) summarized meetings with Albany and NYSAC, saying Albany County plans to pursue funding for a Capital District regional morgue and that several neighboring counties, including Saratoga and Washington, have indicated support for the Albany-led effort. He said Albany County’s effort may have a better chance of securing state funds and that Warren County should join the regional effort and help influence siting rather than proceed alone. He recommended placing Warren County’s separate project “on hold” while exploring collaboration.

Coroner Connie Getter and forensic pathologist Dr. Sikoric addressed the committee during public comment and urged a different approach. Getter said counties could rehabilitate an existing building at far lower cost than constructing a new facility, cited transport-time and cost burdens if counties relied on Albany (including higher transporter fees and longer drives), and urged the county to continue pursuing a local facility option. She said funeral homes currently receive $725 for transfers to Glens Falls Hospital and a private transporter quoted $1,400 for transports to Albany, which would increase costs.

Dr. Sikoric provided technical context and cautioned against relying solely on Albany Med; he described the range of services a regional facility must provide (forensic pathologists, mass-fatality capacity, sally port and secure drop-off, refrigerated storage), recommended a fee-for-service model (he estimated a possible $4,000–$5,000 per case), and said a northern hub for the North Country could be justified. He criticized earlier conceptual plans as generalized and suggested a targeted architect-led redesign and staged, expandable build or retrofit to reduce cost. He also said a larger regional facility would improve grant eligibility and case-management data sharing across counties.

Committee members asked whether neighboring counties that had previously indicated support for Warren County’s project were now shifting to the Albany proposal; staff said initial support had been informal and that no binding commitments had been made. Several committee members said it makes sense to join a larger regional effort in concept but emphasized that negotiations should recognize Warren County’s prior investment in feasibility work and that any future discussions should address compensation or credit for design and feasibility studies already produced.

No formal vote was taken. The committee’s chair said staff will continue to monitor Albany’s progress and that the county will convene stakeholders, including coroners and the forensic pathologist, to revisit needs and proposals as Albany’s plan develops.