News - March 2006
IT'S MOVING TIME FOR JCW!
From: Good Afternoon, Johnson County; Week of February 27-March 3, 2006
It’s moving time for Johnson County Wastewater as the first tenant of the new Johnson County Sunset Drive Office Building in Olathe.
The department will begin moving on Friday, March 3, from its Overland Park location and is scheduled to complete the bulk of its move over the weekend. Employees will start working at the new site at 11811 Sunset Drive on Monday, March 6.
A ceremonial opening and dedication of the county’s new two-story “green” office building occurred Friday, February 24. The event attracted more than 150 people, including representatives from six cities, scores of department heads and employees from Johnson County Government, and officials from state and federal government.
The ceremony began with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Color Guard descending the stairs and the singing of the National Anthem by David R. Lynch, assistant chief of Johnson County Med-Act. He and his Med-Act staff will be one of the other six departments to relocate to the new facility.
Other highlights of the event featured the raising of the American flag on the outside flagpole for the first time by the Color Guard and the cutting of a green ribbon by attending members of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.
Featured speakers included Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh, on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, and Joe Waters, director of the Facilities Department.
“This is an historic occasion—and for many reasons. There’s a Native American proverb which says: ‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors – we borrow it from our children.’ I think that quote is very appropriate as we not only celebrate the completion of this project, but also as we look to ahead to future projects,” Chairman Surbaugh said.
“This facility proves that we can live – and work – in harmony with our environment. It stands as a true testament to our commitment to preserve and protect our natural environment—not just for today, but for future generations…the ones who are, as the proverb points out, allowing us to borrow their land today.”
The county procured the design-build project as the second building on its campus at the corner of 119th Street and Ridgeview Road. The Sunset Drive Office Building is the county’s first major design-build project, as well as its first environmentally focused project.
The new office building was created to consolidate seven county government departments and services for several reasons: space efficiency, convenient access to the public, and eliminating costly leases. The building design strives to be responsive to the surrounding businesses, residences, and the natural environment.
“The Sunset Drive Office Building is an outstanding example of civic leadership, not just because it represents a sound fiscal decision, but because it raises the bar in the design and construction industry for both public and private buildings that are responsive to the sustainability issues of our time,” Waters said.
The design of the building has set a new county standard for future projects since it was targeted for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The group is the nation's leading coalition of builders who endorse the growing trend of environmental responsible building.
Final LEED certification of the building is expected by mid-summer. If certified at the gold level, the Sunset Drive Building will be the first LEED Gold in Johnson County and only the second in the Kansas City metropolitan region and the state of Kansas.
The facility is the second county building on the county-owned property at 119th Street and Ridgeview Road. The site also included the county's Human Services and Aging Department, which is scheduled to move into the new building on April 7, and Public Health Department and the Johnson County Nursing Center, which will remain at their existing location at 11875 South Sunset Drive.
In addition to Human Services and Aging, the Environmental Department also will move April 7 from its current offices in Lenexa.
A move-in date of March 31 has been set for Johnson County Med-Act from its location in the lower level of the Johnson County Administration Building in downtown Olathe, and for the Johnson County K-State Extension Service from its location in east Olathe.
The projected moving date for the Appraiser’s Office, also now located in the Administration Building, is scheduled for June 23.
A move-in date for the county’s Water Quality Laboratory, now in Mission, has not been scheduled.
Slightly more than 300 county employees will be working at the Sunset Drive building once all the moving has been completed.
The design-build project for the two-story office building, costing slightly more than $30 million, was done by McCownGordon Construction and their architect, 360 Architects. Both firms have offices in Kansas City, Mo.
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