'Topping out' ceremony held at government center

| 03 Nov 2016 | 06:37

— A “topping out” ceremony held Friday signals that the Orange County Government Center has reached its full height.
This construction tradition was held as the final steel beam was placed on top of the building's Division 2.
Each dignitary and member of the construction team added their signature to the beam before it was hoisted into place. County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Legislature Chair Steve Brescia Brescia were joined by Deputy County Executive Wayne Booth, Orange County Legislators Katie Bonelli, Barry Cheney and Matt Turnbull, District Attorney David Hoovler, Deputy County Clerk Kelly Eskew, County Court Judge Robert Freehill and Commissioner of Public Works Chris Viebrock.
“It’s wonderful to be able to provide residents with tangible progress on the renovation of their government center,” Neuhaus said. “We are looking forward to the building opening next year, returning this important component of Orange County Government to full operation. I want to thank our partners in the Legislature, the contractors and all County employees for their support and patience during this rebuilding process. It was great to be here at the Government Center site today for this important step.”
Scheduled to open in the fall 2017, the government center will feature the return of the executive and legislative branches of county government and supporting departments to a new state of the art facility. Utilizing local union labor forces, the government center is being constructed by Rizzo Corporation, Armistead Mechanical, Mehl Electric Company, and Joe Lombardo Plumbing and Heating of Rockland.
The 1960s building, designed by Paul Rudolph, an American architect of great renown, was closed after the floods of Hurricane Irene in August 2011. The renovation process has been long, painful, and controversial, with plans simply to fix the building morphing into a much bigger project that removed most of the distinctive Rudolph elements and added a floor.
The building's long closure hit businesses hard in downtown Goshen, which misses the office workers and visitors with county business who once shopped and dined in the village on weekdays.
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