Vets Service Agency getting a makeover with sign, office renovations

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Earl Schmidt stands in the main office of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, where a inside service window is being added, doors widened, and space reconfigured to make the place more accessibility for veterans and more secure for staff.

The County Legislature has authorized up to $7,560 for the project, which is expected to completed later this month at 13996 Route 31 West, next to The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center.

The sign out in front of the office will be changed from Veterans Administration to Orleans County Veterans Service Agency.

Schmidt, the new director of the Veterans Service Agency since December, said the Veterans Administration sign is confusing to the public. Some residents and veterans think the county office is part of the VA, and Schmidt said the county site isn’t affiliated with the federal agency, although he can help veterans navigate the VA bureaucracy.

Bert Mathes, a Buildings and Grounds employee for the county, measures the new window in the office.

Buildings and Grounds employees are making doors wider for veterans in wheeelchairs and motorized scooters so they can get through the front door and a bathroom.

Schmidt said he expects there will be an open house for the community after the project is done.