YONKERS, N.Y. County officials have scrapped a plan to merge branches of the Westchester Family Court in Yonkers and New Rochelle, opting instead to keep each in their respective city.
Westchester County is now expected to move the Yonkers court from its South Broadway space to Warburton Avenue. A new location for the New Rochelle court has yet to be determined but it will remain in that city, according to county spokeswoman Donna Greene.
We figured this would be the best solution to make sure that we have adequate facilities, she said.
County officials began considering the idea of consolidating the two branches of the Westchester Family Court system after a 2010 study by the state Office of Court Administration found the two facilities to be among the worst in the state. In its report, the group found the buildings to be overcrowded and in a state of disrepair, Greene said.
The 53 S. Broadway building in Yonkers. which houses the court, has also had a history of problems, including a leaky roof, and had to be shut down for a day in April after water spilled into the building. Initially, officials proposed consolidating the Yonkers and New Rochelle branches into a Warburton Avenue space, a plan that was met with resistance in New Rochelle.
Instead, the Yonkers branch will be moved into the space at 131 Warburton Ave., where the county already leases offices for its Department of Social Services, Greene said. She added the move could save the county more than $350,000 a year.
We think this should save some money but it should definitely meet the needs of Family Court, she said.
Greene said there is no timetable on the move but final approval is required by the Court Capital Facilities Review Board. Westchesters Board of Legislators will also have to approve the lease.
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