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County outlines interior remodeling for government center; clerk, treasurer and facilities to be reconfigured
Summary
Washington County staff presented a phased plan to remodel the government center interior, showing reconfigured clerk and treasurer counters, new break areas and reallocation of departments; staff said detailed construction drawings will follow and department needs continue to be refined.
Washington County Building Project Committee members reviewed updated concept drawings and a phasing timeline for interior remodeling of the county government center, including reconfigured public counters for the clerk and treasurer, new break and conference rooms, and space set‑asides for IT, facilities and community development.
Scott (staff member) walked the committee through floor plans for the first, second and third floors. The clerk and treasurer areas would move to a larger east‑side lobby with a pair of workstations, high and low counters for ADA compliance, and controlled access doors. The plan retains public access to registers and indexed books while proposing new ways for staff to handle public requests (for example, a small customer workstation for passport forms near the clerk counter).
On security and customer flow, supervisors asked whether placing public workstations deeper into the office would make lockdowns or safe‑room scenarios more difficult. Scott said department‑by‑department security needs are being reviewed with the sheriff's office and adjustments — including possible bars/plexiglass and panic buttons — will be made per department preference and security guidance.
The treasurer and register of deeds areas would include a common public counter with a high and ADA‑accessible low counter; staff discussed options for temporary closing screens at night and card‑reader access for back‑of‑house doors. The design includes a small shared break room between those offices and a concealed storage area and service access to the loading dock for deliveries.
The second floor plan retains two existing conference rooms for overflow and proposes adding another small conference/overflow room across from the county boardroom. If the proposed county clinic is not located on the site, facilities staff would occupy space on the west side; if the clinic does occupy the space, facilities would remain where planned. Scott said the county executive and Department of Administration expect a decision on the clinic before the committee's next meeting.
For the third floor, staff proposed a reconfigured county executive and county board suite with a new conference room for visitors and modest office relocations for purchasing, HR and finance. Departments that currently operate from the PAC (public assistance center) would remain tenants until the board determines timing and location for any moves.
Scott said the concept drawings are moving from high‑level to 30–60% design and that full construction drawings and specifications will be provided at later meetings. Multiple supervisors asked for printed, legible plan sets for review; staff said they can provide plotted sheets. No formal votes or approvals were taken at this meeting.
The committee emphasized balancing public access and employee safety, future‑proofing space for potential staff growth and coordinating department moves if the clinic decision or PAC relocations proceed.
