After disappointing news last month that the Ogdensburg Social Security Administration (SSA) office will renew its lease in the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority’s (OBPA) Commerce Park, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today secured a promise from SSA Deputy Commissioner for Operations Linda McMahon that once the lease extension is up, the agency will move the office to a better, central location. The current location at Commerce Park is inaccessible for many seniors and disabled residents, who rely on the SSA office for crucial services.
“It is good news for Ogdensburg that the SSA will move their office at the end of their current lease. The best SSA location for seniors and for Ogdensburg is downtown and today we finally got some assurance that SSA is not opposed to that move,” said Schumer. “Despite extending the current lease, the Deputy Commissioner made it clear to me today that she understands her agency’s responsibility to get the Ogdensburg office to a more accessible location. Now it’s our job to continue the pressure and ensure the office ends up into the old post office building once this lease extension is up.”
Last month, despite the calls of Schumer and other local leaders to the contrary, the GSA decided to extend their lease with OBPA by another 18 months, meaning seniors and disabled residents across the area will continue to struggle to access these vital services.
The Senator and city officials pushed GSA to move the SSA office from the remote Commerce Park to the old post office building just steps away from City Hall. This building not only provides a central location for the office; it is a mere two blocks away from two eleven-story seniors-only apartment buildings. This, coupled with a bus line, makes the old post office the perfect location for the SSA office.
Today, Schumer secured a promise from SSA Deputy Secretary McMahon that once the latest lease extension is up, the SSA will move the Ogdensburg office to a better, more central location. The Senator further committed to pushing SSA to choose the old post office building for the new location.
“GSA was just bull-headed when it came to extending the lease at OBPA, and we’re still trying to see if there’s anyway we can convince them to ditch this plan,” said Schumer. “But at the very least, we’ve got a commitment that this lease extension will be the end of the Ogdensburg SSA office’s stay at the Commerce Park and we can renew our full-court press to get the office into the Municipal building.”
