This year the Lakehaven Board voted to do something that we’ve been talking about doing for a long time: making the investment in a new Administration Headquarters Building! The new building will replace the current Administration Building, located on 1st Avenue (just north of 320th).Having been built in the 1970’s, the Administration Building is aging, undersized, and very energy inefficient. Along with the new energy efficient Administrative Headquarters Building, we’ll be performing other needed repairs to our Water Shop as part of this project.
The building plans have been drawn, the building permits have been issued, all the building committee work is essentially done and, as of this writing in early August 2021, land clearing is now underway! It is exciting to see all the hard work our staff, architects, consultants and planners have done preparing for this building. What was just recently only a conceptual idea, is becoming a reality!
The rewards go well beyond energy efficiency. Today, several different administrative tasks are being performed in different buildings. Those buildings include the current Administration Building, our Water Shop – located behind the Administration Building, and at our Lakota Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is located several miles away from the main office area. This means that, on a daily basis, critical personnel must pick up the phone or travel to other staff they need to interact with. I think we can all agree that this is not a very efficient way to conduct business.
Those tasks will be made much easier when our staff is all housed in the same building! As a Lakehaven rate payer, you’ll see smoother operations as you come into our new building too. Customer Service and Developmental Services will be located across from each other near the entry of the building, making it easy to access these resources to pay bills or inquire about water/sewer service. Engineering staff will be located upstairs with ample room to lay plans and drawings out for easier review.
The Board meeting room will be updated with the latest digital and electronic equipment. Field staff will be near the meter readers and Customer Services staff they regularly interact with. Co-locating these functions will enhance the experience for our staff and create efficiencies that will enable us to provide the most cost-effective service possible to you!
We anticipate occupying our new building by December 2022. District employees are looking forward to a new building and better designed office space to do their work. The next time you have an opportunity to visit the Lakehaven Administrative Building, you will see the progress on our new building. You’ll also need to adjust where you park as much of our parking lot is being used as a staging area for construction equipment (and eventually the new building).
At some point, the Administration Building will be demolished. It has served us well for over forty years and doesn’t owe us a thing!