Convenience for customers
Before the 280 County Services building opens to the public Nov. 16, 280 Living was given a behind-the-scenes tour in August.
Residents of north Shelby County will now be able to take care of all of their county services closer to home in one central location.
After the demolition of the former Blackwatch Sports facility and 18 months of construction that began in April 2020, the 280 County Services Building will soon be open for business. The three-story structure has more than 47,000 square feet of space, around 15,000 per floor, with additional room for expansion. The first tenants were set to move in in October.
“We did this to consolidate services so people don’t have to go multiple places to get what they need,” County Manager Chad Scroggins said. “Our goal is to make sure the services are close to where people live.”
That goal is now met.
The county will no longer be paying leases at three locations: the Shelby License Office in Inverness Corners, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Substation in Greystone or the Water Services billing office in Westover. All of the entities, along with several more, will now be under one roof.
The project has been in discussion for several years, and the goal was to complete the building before the leases were up on those three spaces.
Here is an in-depth look at the new building and what visitors can expect.
FIRST FLOOR
Most of the services the public needs will be located on the first floor. As visitors enter the building’s main entrance off U.S. 280 West at Shelby County 41, they will find the Shelby County License Office. Operating out of the Inverness location for the past 10 years, the office will offer the same services, including driver license renewals and car tag registrations. Outside, there will be covered parking spaces for VIN inspections so employees don’t have to go out into the parking lot.
The license office will have a staff of 10, which includes four new employees. The office will feature a unique queuing system so guests don’t have to stand in line, but instead will be given a number and seated until they are called. A drive-thru is also available for those paying for vehicle registration or boat licenses.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will handle driver license testing, star IDs, CDL renewals and boat licenses. This will be an additional ALEA office for Shelby County, along with others in Columbiana and Pelham. ALEA will have a staff of four people and will be scheduling appointments up to 60 days out.
This location will also be open to those outside of Shelby County, and drivers testing will take place on Shelby County 41 so drivers don’t have to get onto U.S. 280.
The Water Services Billing Department is moving its operations to this facility from Westover. Residents can pay their water bills inside or through the drive-thru.
One Shelby County Sheriff’s Office employee will also be on the first floor and can issue pistol permits, vehicle crash reports and a variety of other items.
On the opposite side of the lobby is an expansive community room that will be used for voting and other county events. It includes drop-down screens for presentations and can seat 104 people.
Restrooms and a mother’s room are also on the lower level of the building.
In the future, there will be an ATM in the parking lot for residents to pay their water bill or to obtain car tag renewals and also a drop box for after-hours payments.
SECOND FLOOR
The sheriff’s office planned to move its substation from Greystone to the second floor of the 280 County Services Building in October. It will have a dedicated space in which the public can meet with an investigator or deputy or obtain other information as needed.
Also in the sheriff’s office space will be a conference room, a space for holding press conferences and a training room, along with a fitness room and break room shared with employees of Shelby 911.
Sheriff John Samaniego said Administrative Captain Mark Bishop will be assigned to have someone there daily. Bishop is also responsible for human resources and will be conducting interviews for potential candidates at the site.
“I’m very fortunate that all the captains at the sheriff’s office can do just about anything they need to do, no matter what division they are assigned,” Samaniego said. “Having a captain on that end of the county is important in the event of a serious event.”
He said the space will give the members of the department a place to come in and do their reports and meet with witnesses to take statements. Samaniego said he is also looking forward to offering more class options to the public.
“About 90% of people who participate in our community offerings are from the north end of the county and have to drive all the way to Columbiana,” Samaniego said. “It’s going to enhance things for us as we look forward to programming next year.”
Moving from the Greystone location will double the office’s administrative space, not including the training room and break room.
“When I took office, I opened the office at Greystone Plaza to help people on this end of the county from driving all the way to Columbiana,” Samaniego said. “I think it was a good move on our part as we had already relinquished that old farmhouse at Heardmont that did not meet our purposes.”
He said he hopes they can move into the building in mid-November. Upcoming programs and events will be listed on the sheriff’s website at scso.com.
Shelby 911 is also moving its entire operations from the Pelham county services building, where it has been located for the past 20 years, to the new 280 building. It dispatches fire and EMS services along with law enforcement throughout the county and will have up to 12 dispatchers there 24 hours a day.
Shelby 911 answers about 80,000 calls per year and dispatches for four law enforcement agencies and 28 fire departments, including Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills.
Shelby 911 Executive Director Alan Campbell said the new building was designed for 12 dispatchers with room to expand to 16.
“Our current building was designed to only accommodate six dispatchers,” Campbell said. “We now support 11 at any given time so we have significantly outgrown our current space.”
The space is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be encased in hardened concrete and will serve as a storm shelter. It also includes protected generators and power generators. Shelby 911’s portion of the building will be storm rated, which means it will be able to withstand winds up to 250 miles per hour.
“If we were to go through a tornado situation, we could continue to operate and dispatch first responders,” Campbell said.
Campbell described the new space as a “state-of-the-art center” that will have all the latest technology and include generator backup power.
“The 280 center allows us to move 911 into a space to accommodate their growth, while creating open spaces at the Pelham building to allow other departments to grow into,” Scroggins said.
THIRD FLOOR
While 58 INC. will maintain its office at County Services Drive in Pelham, the county’s economic development agency will also have space at the 280 building.
The top floor’s main tenant will be Central Alabama Wellness, which provides a variety of services to children, adolescents and adults dealing with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders and intellectual disabilities. They will provide prevention and counseling services to meet their clients closer to where they live.
“There is so much demand for mental health services, and I think this is a great idea to bring the services to the people,” Scroggins said. “Transportation is an inhibitor for access to wellness, and this allows us to bring it closer to residents in this area.”
The third floor will also have conference rooms and meeting space, along with unfinished areas that will be built out over time.
“Any partner agencies will also have the ability to utilize this office space there when they are out in the field and need to make reports,” Shelby County Chief Operating Officer Phil Burns said.
Workstation areas can be used for Business Revenue officials, Development Services building inspectors, Property Tax Commissioner field appraisers, state Health Department inspectors, M4A field personnel and ALEA state troopers.
“The Dunnavant Valley corridor is the fastest growing corridor in the last 15 years, and this facility allows the county to meet residents where they are,” Scroggins said.