New place, more space

CRYSTAL RIVER — Get accustomed to the custom look. County government soon will have some facilities that fit residents’ needs.

MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle

MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle A worker installs a lock on this sliding door at the soon-to-be-open West Citrus Center government office complex in Meadowcrest.

Buy this photo

MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle

The West Citrus Center on Meadowcrest is expected to open in January.

Buy this photo

MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle

Chuck’s Painting employee John Stevenson puts the finishing touches onto this office space Tuesday morning at the new government center in Meadowcrest.

Buy this photo

For 20 years, the county’s satellite offices on the west side have been housed in a strip mall, a structure built for commercial use, on U.S. 19 in Crystal River. The last day of business at those offices will be Jan. 11, when they will close at 5 p.m. As of Jan. 12, they will be permanently closed.

For a week, the county won’t have services on the west side until the new offices open Jan. 17 in Meadowcrest, about four miles east of U.S. 19 in Crystal River off State Road 44 (Gulf-to-Lake Highway). During that week, staff will move in and set up their work areas, while the systems management department moves the computers.

County residents will enter the new building through a newly built entryway where signs will direct them to the tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of circuit court and supervisor of elections. To the left is an area to serve residents with needs to see the property appraiser and the clerk of circuit courts. Three booths facilitate one-on-one discussions between residents and the property appraiser’s staff. Space is available for more closed conversations, too.

“This is a room where they can have some privacy with a representative from the property appraiser’s office,” said Charlie Gatto, facilities management division director, opening the door to a room containing a small table and chairs. “They call it a huddle room.”

Behind the public area are the property appraiser’s staff offices.

“Back here is data entry,” said Geoff Greene, property appraiser. “The appraisers are back there.”

The office furniture looks new, but almost all of the furniture in the building has been refurbished.

“It saves a lot of money going with refurbished,” Greene said. “We went down to Tampa to this company. They’ve done an outstanding job.”

Greene said a business in Tampa had more than 40 warehouses full of secondhand office furniture that its staff rebuilt and refinished, both laminate and leather.

“Frankly, in this economy, I’m guessing that they’ve probably got a lot of banks and other things going out of business,” Greene said. “They can pick up the furniture and make it like new again. The county benefits from the savings.”

Gatto said some of the chairs were moved from the old building.

“We sent them out and had them refurbished by the same company,” Gatto said.

“We’re recycling,” Greene said.

In addition to furniture, the security system also will be recycled — removed from the old offices and installed in the new ones.

Residents can sit with appraisers with a monitor they both can see to discuss property matters and make sure records are correct.

“It’s nothing we’re not doing already in Crystal River,” Greene said. “It’s just a little nicer setting.”

“The space was designed with the understanding of what they already do,” Gatto said.

Lining the corridor are several separate offices and a map room that will be equipped to print and view maps of properties. A large conference room will serve staff needs.

“It’s something we haven’t had,” Greene said. “It’s going to be nice.”

The area serving the supervisor of elections includes a large room where voting booths can be connected for early voting. The room also doubles as a training site for all of the constitutional officers.

“We may put on a course for other property appraisers offices that come down and take courses,” Greene said. “Could be anything.”

As Susan Gill, elections supervisor, trains precinct volunteers year-round, the room is expected to see frequent use.

The court clerk’s office has more space and separation from other offices than it had in the old building.

The tax collector’s office has 23 work stations. All the operations at the old building will move to Meadowcrest. Within a month of moving in, the state will move the drivers’ license office from State Road 44 into Meadowcrest, to put all the tax collector’s services together. On the edge of the waiting area is a long table ledge with seats where people can take the written exam for a drivers’ license.

The tax collector also will have a secure room. Extra space behind the offices will be used for the electrical room, the heating and air conditioning equipment and storage. It is space that can be used for expansion in the future as the county grows.

Also, the public restrooms are a great improvement over the old facilities.

The Jan. 17 date will be the “soft” opening. Once the drivers’ license office moves in, the county plans to host a grand opening in the middle of February.

“They’ve done an excellent job: On time and under budget,” Greene said.

Chronicle reporter Chris Van Ormer can be reached at cvanormer@chronicleonline.com or 352-564-2916.