SUPERVISORS BREAK GROUND FOR NEW REGISTRAR OF VOTERS HEADQUARTERS

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December 21, 2012 (San Diego)--County supervisors broke ground this afternoon for the new Registrar of Voters (ROV) building, the final piece of the puzzle in a years-long project to redevelop the County’s 47-acre operations center in Kearny Mesa.

“By this time next year, we expect to announce the grand opening of yet another high-quality, energy-efficient, public building in keeping with the rest of this award-winning campus,” said Board Chairman Ron Roberts. “This multi-purpose structure will provide a flexible election processing workspace and provide a light, bright and comfortable environment for voters, the general public and employees.”  

 

From left to right: Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Supervisor Bill Horn, Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer, Board Chairman Ron Roberts, Registrar Deborah Seiler, Supervisor Greg Cox, Incoming Registrar Michael Vu

The current ROV building, slated to be razed, was built in the 1970s and was never designed for election activities. The new 118,500 square foot facility will provide easy access for both the public and election workers. 

“With the increase in mail ballots, there is a need for large scale counting and storage,” said Supervisor Greg Cox. “This building will make that easier and create a more efficient work flow on election nights.”       

The facility will also house mail support and transportation services for several other County departments. Events are planned for the warehouse when it’s not being used for elections. 

When the new ROV headquarters is opened, it will complete the overhaul of the Kearny Mesa campus, and house 2,700 employees in 20 departments.  

“The headquarters is the final phase of the board’s 2008 master plan for the County Operations Center and will incorporate LEED-certified features aimed at conserving water, electricity and building materials,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “It’s the latest example of how the county is building facilities to better serve the public and, in this case, voters. It will improve the workings of our democracy. And when it comes to elective government, there’s no nobler goal than that.”   

The overall campus project including the Medical Examiner building is expected to cost $349 million; $112 million in bonds and the rest paid in cash from the County’s General Fund.  

“The first phase of the project came in on time and under budget and allowed the County to reinvest $20 million into the ROV headquarters,” said Supervisor Bill Horn. “It is a critical part of the campus and will provide the same good architecture and high quality working environment as the rest of the site.” 

The overall development project was designed for easier public access to services and to move employees from aging buildings into modern, efficient facilities. Click here to see the design drawings. Credit: RJC Architects.

 


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