By Donna Thompson
Herkimer County Administrator Jim Wallace has announced his plans to retire.
But that won’t take effect until next summer – July 10 to be exact – so he’s not finished yet and there are still some projects he’s hoping to see move forward.
One is a 14,500-square-foot children’s center the county hopes to construct on land behind Pathways Academy – the former Remington Elementary School – on East North Street in Ilion. The county has been awarded some $7 million from multiple sources, including federal funds obtained by Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Elise Stefanik.
“We started looking at day care,” said Wallace. Plans for the project have grown over the past several years, however, and now also include food, mental health, speech therapy, infant care and early intervention for young children.
There is very little infant care available in Herkimer County, he said, and the need for mental health services for children is a major concern.
The site – an unused soccer field – is owned by Herkimer BOCES however, and in order for construction to move forward, voters in the component school districts would have to approve the plan. The proposition will appear on the ballots for next May’s school budget vote.
“If it’s approved at that site, we’re ready to go,” said Wallace. “Bids would go out the next day.” He estimated the construction would be completed in about a year.
The county Legislature and the Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency are also exploring the possibility of having a 350,000-square-foot events center in Herkimer County, he said.
“There’s no place in Herkimer County to host a convention,” Wallace pointed out and noted that the county’s location between Albany and Syracuse is ideal.
Bringing in a hotel is also part of the discussion.
Herkimer County Community College does a good job of bringing in teams for national athletic tournaments, he said, but most of those attending wind up staying in Utica.
Wallace began working full-time for the county in November of 1979 serving as director of Employment Training. In February 1991, he took over as county administrator, succeeding Douglas Brewer in the position.
His interest in politics and government led him to apply for the post. “I thought I’d throw my hat in and see if there was interest,” he said.
There was, and now there are people hoping to succeed him. Some 90 applications have come in and interviews are expected to begin early next year, according to Wallace. Once a candidate is chosen, the Legislature has asked that Wallace work with him or her for about three months before he leaves.
Asked to reflect on the past nearly 35 years, Wallace said the best part of the job has been “the wonderful people I’ve worked with.” These have included legislators, department heads, employees and people at the local, state and national level.
“Having very good relationships makes the job easier, especially in tough times,” he said.
The worst part has been dealing with state government mandates such as bail reform and others that target downstate issues.
“The state takes a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said, “and we’re very different here.”
As for accomplishments during the time he’s been here, Wallace points to the county’s jobs programs, which include summer employment programs for youth and busing teens to Old Forge to work at the Enchanted Forest/Water Safari.
The county’s collaborative planning initiative that focuses on improving outcomes for at-risk children and families received national recognition from the Council for Community Solutions during President Obama’s administration – one of only a dozen programs in the country to receive this honor. The program handles each case individually, bringing in everyone involved in an effort to help children and families, Wallace explained.
He also recalls working with leaders in the county Legislature to bring representatives of 40 counties to Herkimer County Community College to push for capping the Medicaid costs passed on to the counties.
“Medicaid is a crusher,” he said. “It started the process of getting a cap on it and I think we played a role in this.”
Medicaid still makes up a large portion of the county’s budget, Wallace added, and right now county officials here and around the state are watching to see what decisions the state will make in response to cuts in federal funding to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
“Medicaid is still a huge issue,” he said.
Wallace has seen economic development take place in the county, most notably in the business parks, with Heidelberg Bakery and Tractor Supply getting things going in the Route 5S South Business Park in Frankfort.
He hopes to see new activity at the former Remington Arms property in Ilion under its new owner, Turin Management LLC, “if New York State releases the power for it.”
The women-owned development firm is considering various options for the property and if shops are located there they would bring in additional sales tax revenue for the county, Wallace noted.
As for plans for retirement, Wallace said he loves to golf and hopes to practice enough to reduce his handicap from a nine to a five. Beyond that, he hasn’t made any definite plans.
“I talked to (former county attorney) Rob Malone and he told me I should take three months to decompress,” he said.
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