NEW CASTLE Agency seeks more office space

The building lease expires in October 2002.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Officials from the Lawrence County Public Assistance Office say they don't expect to leave downtown, but they do want some new office space.
However, Mayor Timothy Fulkerson said he is worried that the department will move to an outlying township and the city will lose tax dollars from the department's 84 workers.
"I've been to Harrisburg on this issue. I'm trying to get them to stay. I'm trying to protect jobs," Fulkerson said Tuesday night after council caucus.
Louis Palumbo, executive director of the county public assistance office, said there is nothing to be concerned about.
"We would only accept proposals with sites in the city. Our specs say an area [between the Neshannock and Shenango rivers] and south of Grant street. That's downtown. Again, I'm puzzled why the mayor would be saying we want to move out when we restricted our bids to downtown," he said.
Cramped quarters: Palumbo said the office has been located in the Central Building on Mercer Street for nearly 50 years and has simply outgrown the space. It spans over three floors and has three reception areas.
"I felt at this point we should get a new layout drawn by General Services and put it up for bid, which would include the current landlord," he said.
Palumbo said employees have complained about having to pay for parking when other offices in surrounding counties relocate to the outskirts where there is more parking such as in malls or plazas, but he rejected that idea.
From the outset, he "personally recommended staying in the city of New Castle," Palumbo said.
The Pennsylvania Department of General Services will decide where the office will locate, likely within the next six months, Palumbo said. The state's lease in the Central Building expires in October 2002, he said.
Palumbo said they are also considering a proposal from the current landlord to renovate the Central Building.
"At this point, unless there is a bidder that would meet our specs, and that's highly unlikely, we won't leave downtown. There's a lot of nice sites, including the Towne Mall [now called Cascade Galleria]," he said.