By Richard Urban / NewsBreak Casa Grande, AZ
Doing business with the county in Casa Grande just got a lot nicer.
The 1970s Pinal County complex on Cottonwood Lane officially reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 14 after a $1.5 million renovation to the six-building, 40,000-square-foot facility.
“We wanted to provide an updated facility that allows residents to come in and be able to get the services they need and require, and in doing so make the facilities more secure and efficient, improving the functionality, and reducing the cost for taxpayers in terms of expenditures for utilities,” said Mike Cruz, District 3 administrator. District 3 encompasses Casa Grande.
Cruz said the facilities had become dated, incurring increasingly expensive maintenance and utilities costs. “It was time to be able to provide the residents in the area with a new facility,” Cruz said.
“We essentially renovated the building to provide new facilities that accommodate the Board of Supervisors office, the treasurer's office, assessor's office, and the recorder’s office. And as part of that, we improved security, functionality, and efficiency of the building,” he said
The project took eight months to complete, from initial design to completion, said Archie Carreon, director of county facilities management and capital projects. “We were able to accomplish this in spite of inflation, Covid, building materials shortages, and manpower shortages,” he said.
To improve energy efficiency, a modern 150-ton HVAC system replaced the old chiller unit, and double-pane windows replaced the original single-pane windows.
The building’s technology was updated with new fiber optic cable, and the data room that serves the entire complex was upgraded.
The Economic and Workforce Development offices moved from another part of town, consolidating services that also include the treasurer, recorder, and assessor. About 20 people work in the various departments full time.
The lobby was redesigned to accommodate more people, and the District 3 supervisor’s office and conference room were renovated.
“The previous layout and design did not have much of a lobby area. There's ample space within the lobby now. So, it’s definitely a nicer, newer, and more comfortable place to come and do business,” Cruz said.
The exterior was repainted, new landscaping was installed, and the parking lots were recoated and striped.
“It's one of the more utilized county buildings in Pinal County than some of the other ones in other areas, just because of the concentration of people within the Casa Grande area,” Cruz said. “We wanted to make sure we made this is timeless piece that is going to get us through another decade or two,” he said.
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