Public Service Center opens

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Dedicated March 18, 2003, Clark County's new Public Service Center stands proudly at 1300 Franklin St., an impressive new landmark in downtown Vancouver that provides office space for about 600 county employees. Was building it a good thing to do?

Absolutely. Until the center's completion, the county was paying large sums of money to rent space in various buildings scattered throughout the city. The new building is expected to save the county $46 million in rent over the next 25 years. This savings more than covers the $22.4 million construction cost and will help finance further remodeling and campus development.

Besides freeing up more space for the courts, the Public Service Center has lower maintenance and operating costs, and it consolidates many county departments, as well as Regional Transportation Council, under the same roof. A "green" building, it was constructed with environmentally safe materials.

What does all this mean for the average citizen?

  • Customer service has been greatly enhanced. For example, residents can go to a single counter for licensing, recording, tax and assessment services.
  • Less confusion about where various county services are.
  • Larger, more accessible rooms for public meetings with elected officials and county staff.

In other words, doing business with Clark County became a whole lot easier.

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