Largest offices will be closed June 14 & 15 for move; reopen June 18

Linn County is pleased to announce its upcoming move to the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center. Linn County departments currently located at Linn County West will move in stages, with the largest offices closed Thursday and Friday, June 14 and 15 for the move and will reopen in the new location on Monday, June 18 at 8:00 a.m. The new address for the building is 935 2nd St. SW, Cedar Rapids.

The following departments will be closed for their move from Linn County West to their new permanent location at the Public Service Center on the following dates and will reopen on the next business day:

• Monday, June 11 – Purchasing/Mailroom
• Tuesday, June 12 – Human Resources, Risk Management and Finance & Budget
• Wednesday, June 13 – Board of Supervisors and support staff
• Thursday, June 14 & Friday, June 15 – Treasurer’s Office
• Friday, June 15 – Recorder’s Office, Auditor’s Office, Planning and Development and County Assessor

During the move, Planning and Development staff can be contacted at (319) 892-5130 about inspections that must be completed before the weekend.

Linn County’s return to its pre-flood home follows an extensive renovation project that has changed the layout of the building to provide better customer service and improved access for the public. One of the most significant changes the public will notice is that the Treasurer’s Office, which receives nearly 75 percent of the building’s traffic, has been relocated to the first floor for more convenient access for the public. The Treasurer’s Office will use a new customer service numbering system, similar to what is used at the Department of Transportation’s driver’s license station. It will allow customers in the Treasurer’s Office the convenience of sitting down in the waiting room until their number is called instead of standing in line during busy times and should reduce wait time in the Treasurer’s Office.

Parking at the Public Service Center has also been expanded with Linn County’s acquisition of land across 2nd Street.

“We are celebrating another flood recovery milestone with the opening of the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center,” said Brent Oleson, chairman of the Linn County Board of Supervisors. “Our goal was to create a permanent home for county government while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. We accomplished that goal and are proud of the renovations and the redesign of the building that will improve service to the public. And we are also proud to say that we did it with local labor. Our next goal is to make this transition with as little disruption to the public as possible.”

The Board of Supervisors named the building after former Linn County Supervisor Jean Oxley to honor the contributions she made to Linn County during her 24-year tenure as the first woman supervisor in Linn County.

The cost of the renovated and redesigned Jean Oxley Public Service Center is $14.8 million. Funding for the improvements comes from a $4.4 million I-JOBS grant, a $4.5 million direct appropriation from the State of Iowa, approximately $4.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, $1.2 million that Linn County set aside pre-flood to renovate the building, and approximately $400,000 in grants from the Department of Energy.

The renovations help protect against future flood threats, meet pre-flood space needs and reduce the lifetime operational cost of the building by using energy efficient and sustainable building practices. The building will meet Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards, an internationally recognized green building certification system.

Court Functions Return to Courthouse

The following court functions have also been located at Linn County West and will be moving back to the Linn County Courthouse on June 7 and open for business June 8:

• Clerk of Court
• Small Claims Court
• Traffic Court

Following these moves, Linn County offices will no longer be located at Linn County West (Westdale Mall).

The opening of the Jean Oxley Public Service Center marks another significant step in Linn County’s rebuilding efforts following the 2008 flood. In 2010, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office reopened. Last fall, Linn County held ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the new Community Services Building and the new Juvenile Justice Center. Renovations at the Linn County Courthouse and Correctional Center are scheduled to be complete this year. These last two projects will complete Linn County’s repair and rebuilding of County infrastructure that was damaged in the 2008 flood.

A ribbon-cutting and open house for the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center will be held July 31, 2012 from 5:15 p.m. – 7 p.m.