Potter County officials are looking to obtain the school
building on Main Street in Coudersport from Time Warner Cable, with
the goal of turning it into a courthouse annex.

The announcement was made Monday by the county commissioners,
who said if a deal is reached, it could represent “a dramatic
savings” to county taxpayers for future generations to come.

As it stands, the community – and county – is still trying to
regain its balance following Time Warner’s decision to shut down
its Coudersport call center and eliminate 500 jobs last December.
Employees’ last day on the job is slated for Feb. 5.

“If the terms and conditions of this acquisition are as
favorable as we have reason to believe they will be, this will very
likely minimize dramatically or possibly even eliminate future tax
increases to support a long-term debt which would very well be
necessary if the county were to build a new facility of equivalent
value and capacity,” a press release from the commissioners
said.

Last month, the commissioners approved a $6.2 million budget,
which calls for a 14 percent increase in real estate taxes.

According to Commissioner Chairman Ken Wingo, officials have
thought about obtaining the building “for a while,” adding “it
seems like a logical choice if it wasn’t going to be used (in its
current capacity).

“We have been looking at building an annex for several years,”
Wingo said, noting the county had purchased a lot to build an annex
– an investment of between $12 and $15 million. Wingo said if a new
annex was to be built, it would likely require the county taking
out a 30-year bond issue.

Adelphia Communications had purchased the 57,000-square-foot
building years ago from the Coudersport Area School District and
refurbished it. Officials said the building currently houses
numerous offices and state-of-the-art equipment.

“Everything is in excellent condition,” Wingo said. “Adelphia
did everything in a first class manner. It’s an excellent structure
and has parking around it or available close by.”

Wingo said if the building is secured, plans call for several
county offices to move from various storefronts in Coudersport to
the centralized location, making it easier for residents to use
them.

Among the offices currently scattered about include the
probation, public defender, district attorney and domestic
relations offices, as well as Magisterial District Judge Annette
Easton.

“The building would also give us the capability of centralizing
Potter County human services,” Wingo said. “We would move them up
from Roulette and use that building (in Roulette) for other county
purposes.”

If the county would have built its own annex, Wingo said human
services would have been forced to remain in Roulette.

Meanwhile, Wingo said the court-related offices would remain at
the courthouse, including the prothonotary and clerk of courts
areas. The courthouse is located a block away from the three-story
school building, which also contains a trio of elevators and two
backup generators.

Officials said before the new operations building was developed,
the school building served as the corporate headquarters for
Adelphia and then as a staff office building.

Wingo said he could not give an exact time frame on when a deal
could be completed or when the building could be turned over to the
county.

“We have charged our solicitor (D. Bruce Cahilly) with working
out the details,” Wingo said. “There will be a transition period
(from when Time Warner leaves to the county taking over). By early
or late spring, hopefully we will be able to work something out by
that timeframe. It would not only benefit the immediate Coudersport
area, but all of Potter County.”

Officials said if a deal is hammered out between both sides, it
will then be submitted for review, and if found acceptable,
approved by the commissioners.

Meanwhile, county officials believe obtaining the building could
free up what limited resources the county has to support a more
concerted effort to improve the job climate and economic stability
of the county, including enhancing the reputation of the area as a
business start-up destination in the state.

“We have our economic development folks in housing and the
redevelopment authority working on trying to backfill the call
center and the associated smaller buildings in that area,” Wingo
said, adding the operations center still rests in Adelphia’s
hands.

“We are looking at marketing those assets,” Wingo said, noting
several groups are working on the situation, including county
officials, the Governor’s Action Team and local civic
organizations.

Wingo said Time Warner’s move not only affected Coudersport and
Potter County, but the entire region.

“All the jobs didn’t rest in Potter County,” Wingo said, adding
about 250 jobs were from that immediate area, with others coming
from McKean, Cameron, Tioga, Allegany, N.Y., and Cattaraugus, N.Y.,
counties.

Commissioners John Torok and Catherine Bowers were not
immediately available for comment.