Portales city workers moving into new building
May 13—What was once the Income Support Division building in Portales will soon become the new City Hall. The location at 1028 Community Way will keep all staff under one roof instead of the offices and departments being spread among multiple buildings such as the Memorial Building, the Airport, and City Hall.
"What we're trying to do is minimize how much we're paying out to buildings that we may not need," City Manager Sarah Austin said.
The Income Support building, Austin believes, has been vacant for several years now. The building has space for 27 offices, which is more than the 25 city officials are used to in their current building. The gas
company and water billing will also be under the same roof.
City Councilor Chad Heflin said he thinks the move will improve communication within the city offices.
"It needed to be done a long time ago. We're just glad that happened the way that it did," Heflin said.
The new building has been getting some renovations before city officials move in. Austin said they were able to do the tax exemption with the American Recovery Fund. "The move, the remodel, the purchase of the building has all been paid for by the American Recovery Fund," she said.
The drive up drop boxes will not be an option anymore at the new building due to safety reasons, however, Austin said those boxes will instead be built into the building and can be accessed right by the front doors.
Once renovations are completed, Austin said the staff will start to move in. "We are going to start moving at the end of June," she said. There will be a ribbon cutting and Austin said citizens will be notified of the switch.
Austin said the parking will be easy to navigate at the new building. "We're just hoping the accessibility and the one stop shop for everybody will be benefit for our citizens," Austin said.
