Situated on approximately 35 acres in Alpharetta, Georgia, the Customer Service Center at Maxwell Road, formerly known as the Water Resources Operation Center, has evolved with Fulton County’s needs since its completion in 2016.
Originally, the project consisted of a new 45,000 square foot office facility designed to accommodate four county departments, including Public Works, Transportation, Parks & Recreation and Finance. In addition to an office function, the building was designed to accommodate public affairs, occasional meetings of the County Board of Commissioners, and an area for a certified water testing laboratory. Also included is approximately 50,000 square foot of warehouse space, an 8,500 square foot vehicle maintenance shop, 4,000 square foot of greenhouse and plant staging space, and an oversize vehicle car wash.
Pond provided full-service architectural and engineering services. The civil engineering services included site planning, site layout, grading and drainage design, stormwater detention design, erosion and sediment control design and design of utility services. Extensive site planning was required to maximize efficiency, incorporate dissimilar functions such as business and light industrial, as well as preserve a protected stream which flowed through the site. The architectural and remaining engineering services were provided to develop the full design and provide construction administration of a two-story office building approximately 60,000 square foot, an approximate 40,000 square foot warehouse for storing the water resources equipment, piping and other items as well as a four-bay vehicle maintenance facility with vehicle lifts and a pit in one bay. The maintenance facility also provides covered exterior space for a vehicle wash station. The building was designed to be harmonious with the surrounding residential area while maintaining the general look and materials of other Fulton County facilities to assist Fulton’s customers to quickly identify the facility with Fulton County services. The complex program provided plenty of challenges that were resolved through careful planning.
Since completion, the Customer Services building has been, and is still in the process of being transformed into a municipal complex to serve that region of the county, and Pond is working to assist Fulton County in this endeavor.
“The flexibility of the internal layout of the building designed by Pond has allowed Fulton County to house more customer focused departments than initially planned for without any major reconstruction to the building,” said David Clark, PE, Director of Public Works, Fulton County.
By consolidating Tax Collector, Driver Services, Vehicle Maintenance and Water Resources, the county is saving operation costs and rent on multiple buildings. Also, the flexibility of the space for public meetings and functions provides opportunities for Fulton County to perform vital public outreach without inconveniencing residents with long drives to other parts of the county.
“As we strive in Fulton County to provide quality customer service, convenience and accessibility to our customers, this new building has helped consolidate many of our services into one location which will also save the county money. Over time, we plan to continue to add additional services at this new Alpharetta location with the goal of reducing the necessity of area residents traveling downtown when they need to conduct business with Fulton County,” said Liz Hausmann, Fulton County Commissioner and Public Policy Coordinator for Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.
“The citizens of North Fulton are happy to have the ability to one-stop shop for their driver’s license, car tags and other county services at the new Customer Service Center,” said Brandon Beach, President & CEO, Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. “I want to thank Pond for the innovative and customer friendly design.”