White tarps still separate the old county welfare building from the yet-to-be-occupied shiny building addition. But families and children in a waiting lobby couldn't help but push back the tarp and peek into the new area Monday afternoon, as voices of excitement rang through the hall that still awaited final touches.

Kings County Human Services officials took some time Monday to show off the new welfare building addition with innovative energy-efficient lighting system and celebrate the near completion of a project three years in the making.

A handful of guests were treated to a tour of the building at the County Government Center in Hanford and shown where things will be and what new amenities have been added to a better environment and improve convenience for clients.

Among the new amenities were not just energy-efficient office designs, but also a diaper station room with a sink, a courtyard where parents could meet up with children on a sunny day and partitioned viewing rooms where parents and children could spend their moments alone while monitored by Child Protective Services staff through windows -- a design that would create a more welcoming atmosphere.

Another example was a break room with a washer and dryer.

"A lot of times our kids come in with dirty clothes and blankets, so we'll be able to throw them in there and wash them up for them," said Peggy Montgomery, county human services director.

"This is going to last 100 years. You need to think of it upfront," Montgomery added.

The 30,000-square-foot structure will house the Child Protective Services division, which is operating out of two separate buildings on the southeast corner of the government complex, Mary Brock Hall and Rosson Hall, as well as Welfare-to-Work employees, who work out of a temporary modular buildings. The addition would more than double the size of the original welfare building.

In essence, the project would consolidate the human services operation at one central location.

This is the final step of a project that started several years ago with an ill-fated One-Stop Job Center proposed for the area on West Seventh Street just north of the new Adventist hospital complex. Initially, the county was planning to move the entire human services department there, but that project failed because of a state funding issue.

County officials have since been looking for ways to consolidate the operation and eliminate the need for the old buildings, which are expensive to maintain and operate.

Construction progressed this year despite the down economy. Officials said the project is a long time coming and that it makes fiscal sense in both the short and long term.

"It was planned more than three years ago. It was to the point where our buildings literally needed rewiring, replumbing and major renovation," Montgomery said. "The board decided at that time that we can do this and need to do it now. ... Who knew where we were going to be today?"

There were benefits to going out to bid in the recession: The low bid for the building came in almost $1 million under budget, leaving the county with extra cash.

There was $352,000 worth of change orders, but the county has still saved a substantial amount of money, officials say.

"But it's ultimately for children and families," Montgomery said. "If you go to the CPS area and look, it's kind of sad. Now they are able to come into a nice building and have a nice setting to visit with their families, and that's what's important."

Supervisor Richard Fagundes, who took the tour Monday, was impressed with the result.

"I've been asked a lot of questions by people," Fagundes said. "People need to come in and see the finished product and where the money is [going]. There is no wasted space. Every hall has a purpose."

Architects for the project also touted the thoughtfulness that went into the project.

"The building is equipped with super-efficient light fixtures. And the building is on the county central plant, so it's the most efficient way to operate and save the most money through the system," said Loren Aiton, an architect with TaylorTeter Partnership, which designed the building. "We use low-VOC paint and low-VOC carpeting, [so] we don't get a lot of indoor air pollutants. We added skylights in the main office areas."

The Human Services Department will begin moving into the new parts of the building starting next Monday. If everything goes well, the building should open to the public by the end of the month, said county Chief Engineer Kevin McAlister.

McAlister said Rosson Hall and Mary Brock Hall will be demolished in December. The area will be converted into a 164-space parking lot by April, he said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(Nov. 17, 2009)