Supervisors waded back into the Warnerville warming center debate Tuesday, asking why it couldn’t remain open while alleged codes issues are resolved.
It’s a complicated situation, said Department of Social Services Commissioner Donna Becker.
The church was told zoning doesn’t permit the warming center, but because the state mandates Code Blue facilities, she believes those laws don’t apply.
They were also told it doesn’t meet code, she said—but the congregation still hasn’t received anything explaining what those issues are and how they need to be resolved.
Today, there are 54 homeless residents living in hotels, 14 of them in Richmondville, she said.
“And they’re unsupervised,” she told supervisors. “Our argument was that the warming center would provide supervision.”
“What if the church just didn’t comply?” asked Blenheim Supervisor Don Airey.
It’s been discussed, Ms. Becker said—in part because of the “heavy-handed” way it was closed, traumatizing people who were staying there, including one young man who fled, spent the night sleeping outside at the Cobleskill Library, “and came to us absolutely soaked and sobbing the next day.”
Ms. Becker said they looked at three or four other churches in Cobleskill and Middleburgh for the warming center, but none were a good fit.
Some didn’t have a good set-up, some had other activities going on in the evening, or some needed too much work.
When Warnerville “came to us, they had an almost perfect layout,” she said.
The renovations needed in the church annex cost just $3,200.
Code Enforcement Officer Jay Belifore has been accused of “making a scene,” when he went in to close the warming center.
“Isn’t that workplace violence, Bill?” Supervisor Phil Skowfoe asked supervisors’ chair Bill Federice.
“He preached that pretty hard when he came in for us;” Mr. Belifore is the county’s safety officer.
“Yes, it might be,” answered Mr. Federice.
“What I don’t understand is, if you’re violating zoning, why call the police?” something Mr. Belifore allegedly threatened to do.
And if maybe it’s codes, Mr. Federice said, “I think you can go to any of our houses and there may be code.”
Normally, with codes issues, Ms. Becker said, people are given 30 days to address them; Warnerville still hasn’t gotten anything in writing.
In the audience, Cobleskill Mayor Becky Stanton-Terk asked about a longterm solution; a shelter at the old jail is something DSS and supervisors have been working on, Ms. Becker said—but they’d have to find a non-profit to run it.
Mr. Airey is one who’s argued for that solution, “but the immediate need is today,” he said.
“I don’t know what the board can do to mediate this…If you were ever going to make an exception. I don’t know what we can do to motivate progress.”
Supervisors’ regular monthly meeting is Friday.