County closes administration, public safety buildings due to concerns about virus
All town halls, village offices in Orleans closed until further notice
Photo by Tom Rivers: A crowd gathered on June 11 for a ribbon-cutting at the County Administration Building in Albion.
ALBION – Orleans County officials are closing the Public Safety Building and the County Administration to the public, effective immediately, due to concerns about the coronavirus.
County departments affected by this change from the Public Safety Building include the District Attorney’s Office, Probation and the Sheriff’s Department.
The departments at the County Administration Building include Public Health, Elections, County Legislature and Computer Services which are in the new addition. Other departments in the building include Department of Motor Vehicles, Office for the Aging, Job Development, Personnel & Self Insurance, Planning, Tourism and Department of Social Services.
“Over the past two weeks, COVID-19 has evolved rapidly,” said Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman. “While Orleans County has no confirmed cases, there are confirmed cases in neighboring counties and increasing local testing. I believe it is inevitable we will see cases here in Orleans County.
State agencies have changed standards this week to move away from face-to-face appointments to allow for interviews by phone in many cases.
“The current need for social distancing for the public’s safety is a high priority and the county is working to deliver services to our residents as safely as possible,” Johnson said.
Departments in the two buildings will still service the public’s needs by appointment only, Johnson said.
“We understand this may be challenging for some people, however out of an abundance of caution, we need to take this action,” Johnson said. “We will be looking at each county building individually to determine the best course of action for everyone’s health and safety.”
Currently, to make an appointment to conduct business with the affected departments call (585) 589-7000. The phone system will direct to the appropriate party to assist with a need.
“We will be continuously working to make this transition as smooth as possible as we begin to deliver services utilizing a new protocol,” Johnson said.
The Orleans County Legislature meeting on March 25 at 4:30 p.m. will be available using the Zoom app which may be downloaded to any device. The Legislature will only be using audio. There will be no video.
Topic: Orleans County Legislature Meeting Time: Mar 25, 2020 04:30 PM Eastern Time
Join Zoom Meeting (https://zoom.us/j/876636369) or you may also dial in 1.646.558.8656 Meeting ID: 876 636 369.
All 10 town halls, 4 village offices closed to public
The 10 town hall buildings and four village offices in Orleans County are all closed to the public until further notice.
The towns and villages are using dropboxes and many have on-line payment options.
The 10 towns to close their town offices include Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates.
The four villages include Albion, Holley, Lyndonville and Medina.
