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Human Services committee authorizes short-term Dunkirk lease, withdraws aging-advisory appointment and approves opioid settlement
Summary
At its January meeting the Chautauqua County Human Services Committee approved a month-to-month lease extension for the Office for the Aging at the Dunkirk Senior Center, withdrew a planned advisory-council appointment, and approved participation in a proposed opioid settlement; details of the settlement were not disclosed.
The Chautauqua County Human Services Committee on a voice vote approved a short-term, month-to-month lease allowing the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging to continue using space at the Dunkirk Senior Center while a new facility is prepared, withdrew a proposed appointment to the Office for the Aging Advisory Council, and voted to authorize participation in a proposed settlement related to opioid litigation.
The lease resolution authorizes a continuation of the Office for the Aging's occupancy at the Dunkirk Senior Center on a month-to-month basis with a 60-day exit provision once the county's new space is ready. Dana Corwin, interim director of the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging, told the committee the county's contract with the Dunkirk Senior Center had expired, the city offered a short-term arrangement and staff recommended moving forward with a monthly lease while renovations on the new site are completed. Diana Songer, deputy director of finance for human services, confirmed the lease rate differs from the prior arrangement and said staff consider the rate reasonable; the transcript does not specify the rental units (for example, per month, per square foot) used to calculate the figure discussed.
Committee members asked whether the lease includes an early-exit option if the new Chautauqua Center space becomes available sooner. Songer said there is a 60-day kick-out provision. Corwin described the planned move as enabling a more private office and expanded services, including co-locating New York Connects functions and hiring a bilingual operator to reach the Hispanic community in North County.
A planned resolution to confirm an appointment to the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging Advisory Council was withdrawn after James Feldman of the County Executive's Office informed the committee the nominee could no longer serve because of personal issues. No vote was taken on that appointment.
The committee also approved a resolution described as authorizing and approving a settlement agreement in litigation related to the opioid crisis involving two defendants referenced in the agenda. Pierre Shagnon, chairman of the legislature, summarized the county's participation with other municipalities and said legal counsel recommended acceptance. Shagnon told the committee, “Not at liberty to say. Nope. It's not settled,” when asked about the settlement amount, and added that the attorney recommended the settlement. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote; no settlement amount or distribution plan was provided at the meeting.
Why it matters: the short-term lease preserves continuity of services while the county readies a dedicated aging-services space; the opioid settlement vote commits the county to a joint resolution whose financial terms and allocation plan will be disclosed later. The withdrawn appointment means the county will return with a different candidate for the Office for the Aging Advisory Council.
Next steps: county staff said they expect contractor numbers for the Chautauqua Center renovations soon and will return with a new advisory-council nomination at a future meeting. The county did not provide details about timing or amounts for the opioid settlement at this session.
