BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON — St. Lawrence County officials unveiled the newly renovated Public Safety Complex, which came in at a cost of $8 million to upgrade the facility. 

County Administrator Ruth Doyle, Sheriff Rick Engle, District Attorney Gary Pasqua and Legislature Chairman David Forsythe were on hand as the county held an open house for over two hours, allowing the public to view the upgraded facility. 

The project took roughly one year to complete after action by the county legislature and Canton Village Board approved the work and closing Pearl Street for the work to be completed. 

Doyle praised county lawmakers for taking the steps necessary to move the project along quickly. 

“This was a process where we had to get creative with our funding options, and we were able to do this with the ARPA funds that were provided to us from the federal government, using Public Safety as our guide. So, this building cost us almost $8 million, $5 million of it came from ARPA funds, and the balance of that came from county reserves,” Doyle said. 

She complimented legislators for their planning in recent years that allowed the county to provide those resources from the reserve fund. 

Doyle also praised Joe Prashaw, director of government services, for his efforts that were ever evolving during the project. Doyle said it was originally thought Prashaw’s role would be a part-time one but quickly turned into a full-time effort as the project expanded. 

District Attorney Gary Pasqua spoke of the integration of his office with police agencies in the county as his office moved across Court Street to be housed with the Sheriff’s Office and State Police. 

Pasqua said he was pleased to see the project come to fruition after lobbying lawmakers for years to integrate the offices for a more fluid workflow. 

“This is a true public safety building,” he said. 

Pasqua continued, “the facility is unbelievable. Our new Grand Jury room, I think, is second to none here in the North Country. We look forward to putting it to use and being close to all of the other agencies,” he said. 

Sheriff Rick Engle said the investment would make it a “healthier work environment” that has improved in the last year-and-a-half as the Sheriff’s Office has worked closely with county administrators and lawmakers. 

“It’s nice to be back here, working side by side with state police. It’s going to be great having Emergency Services and every back under the same roof along with the District Attorney,” Engle said. 

He joked he had dreaded walks across the street to the District Attorney’s Off during rain storms and blizzards but is now able to avoid those issues following the renovations. 

County officials first approved contracts for the project in Dec. 2023 after a comprehensive RFP process that received 14 bidders. 

Local contractors were the recipients of the county contracts.

Northern Tier Contracting, Gouverneur, has been named the general contractor for the project on a contract not to exceed $2,072,200.

Plumbing services will be handled by ENI Mechanical out of Gouverneur with a contract not to exceed $899,500.

The mechanical contractor will be Northern Mechanical, Inc., Norfolk, on a contract not to exceed $1,269,000.

Electrical services will be handled by Colton's S&L Electric, Inc. with a contract not to exceed $676,000.

More than 75% of bidders were from St. Lawrence County, officials said in December 2023.

County Administrator Ruth Doyle previously said the project called for $7.5 million in total investment, though the four primary contractors announced account for "the lion's share of the work."

Among the highlights of the project, new HVAC systems were implemented along with a completely upgraded and renovated dispatch center that will afford dispatchers more space with the newest technology available. The Sheriff’s Office and State Police are now both in the building together as the Sheriff’s Office was moved to a temporary location for the duration of the project. 

Emergency Services, like the police agencies, also has newly renovated office space, which will now also include the District Attorney’s Office in the complex. 

Forsythe called the renovations a “symbol of our investment for the future and in public safety. 

“We are proud to support the mission of our emergency responders and ensure they have the resources they deserve,” Forsythe said.