Central Oregonian

Four County departments get new home

The County has purchased and is renovating the former Central Oregon Truck Company building

Jason Chaney

February 14, 2013

Central Oregonian

In the words of Crook County Commissioner Ken Fahlgren, the County’s current family resources and veterans services facility is “a pretty tired building.”

“It’s a building we have pieced together for years,” he added.

Later this year, the Crook County Commission on Children and Families and Veteran Service offices will move into a newly-purchased and renovated building. The facility used to house Central Oregon Truck Company, but last year they vacated the building and moved their headquarters to Redmond.

The approximately 6,000-square-foot space, located at the corner of Northwest Beaver and Fifth streets, will not only provide room for the Commission and Veterans Services offices, but also the County’s IT and GIS departments.

“It is a much better building and much more customer friendly,” Fahlgren said. “It is a better service to the public by having a better building.”

The Crook County Counsel offices that also occupy the current Commission and Veterans Services building will likely move back across the street to the first floor of the County Courthouse.

Fahlgren said the County opted to purchase the new building in an effort to cut their total overhead cost. While they own the Court Street building, they lease space in the building occupied by Crook County Surveyor Dave Armstrong.

“The County is trying to stay within the money we are given . . .” Fahlgren explained, “so we get out of a rental and purchase a building.”

For Brenda Comini, the director of the Crook County Commission on Children and Families, the move will help them provide better service to their clients.

“I think, in terms of what it means for our integrated services, it is a great thing to be able to get back to a building that has more space and availability for client access,” she said. “When we moved to this building from our previous rental (Northeast Fourth Street), we downsized considerably and made the building work.”

Comini said that during busy times, clients will overflow the front lobby of the current building and spill into the adjacent conference room.

Along with the County departments, NeighborImpact’s rental assistance, mortgage program, and energy assistance program will occupy the building along with staff from Saving Grace and an outreach counselor from the Central Oregon Veterans Hospital.

The County has already begun renovation of the new building. They have repaved the parking lot and recently completed demolition work on the interior. They have thus far utilized County departments exclusively to make the repairs. The Crook County Corrections staff helped with the demolition work while the Building and Maintenance departments have provided the rest of the labor.

Within the next two months, Fahlgren said they plan to start moving County offices.

“We hope to be able to move the GIS and IT departments into the building by April 15,” he said, “and probably the other services will be moved over by early summer.”