The Pottawatomie County Administration has been remodeling in recent days, making six private offices and one receptionist area and allowing room for two more employees. Those affected by the work are the County Administrator, Finance Officer, Management Assistant Operations, County Counselor, Human Resources, and for a new receptionist and possibly CPA.
County Administrator Robert Reece reminds us last year the Board of County Commissioners authorized a space needs study for the offices in the County. Numerous solutions were suggested by BG Consultants.
One of the suggestions was to re-evaluate how the county utilizes current space, which many of the offices did just that. With the help of public works personnel Reece says they looked at how they could repurpose existing space to improve work space and efficiencies.
One area of particular focus was the adjacent space to the administrators’ existing office. It served as the county’s IT room and file storage for HR, Utilities and Legal Services.
Additionally county officials looked at one of the janitorial rooms and one of the upstairs storage rooms in the building. The janitorial room in the building was improved and made into an IT room and is up and running, file storage was reduced and transplanted to the second floor while they currently assess various electronic imaging products that will reduce the need for physical file storage space in the future.
Reece adds these improvements allowed them to utilize the adjacent space to create specific offices to accommodate HR, Legal Service and Finance. Much of the remodeling efforts are being performed by County and Public Works personnel over the winter which is an approach the county has used in the past in prior remodel efforts in the Treasure’s, Clerk’s, Register of Deed’s and Appraiser’s Offices in the same building. Additionally during this process the Commission suggested and authorized the upgrade to the building’s HVAC system for all offices in the building.
Also the Noxious weed department will begin improvements to their building that will allow them to, once completed, work out of the weather on various projects. They too will be performing the work themselves.
Reece says over the past year the Commission authorized additional personnel for the Register of Deed’s, Clerk’s, Treasurer’s and Administrative Offices. But he says county officials have decided to postpone the approved additional position and reassess the need and skill level.
