Tuesday, August 22, 2006 11:09 PM PDT  

Supes take grand tour of county's new center

By: Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer

Supervisors got a good look Tuesday at Placer County's new $22-million
Community Development Resource Center in North Auburn.

They cut a ribbon and unveiled a plaque to officially open a building that
has been occupied since late last month. They had a chance to sit in the
Planning Commission's new hearing room, checking out refinements like a
one-touch operation for dimming lights and closing blinds during
audio-visual presentations. And a tour through the 97,400 square-foot
building revealed a structure designed to be striking, hospitable and energy
efficient.

"This is a proud day for Auburn," Supervisor Bruce Kranz, who subbed as
board chairman in the absence of Supervisor Bill Santucci. "The building is
both eye-catching and energy-efficient."

A tour of the building, located at 3091 County Center Drive, showed off what
Jack Paddon, principal architect with Williams+Paddon Architects+Planners
Inc. of Roseville. described as a structure that should stand for
generations.

"We had 200 years in mind for the basic skin and bones of the building,"
Paddon said. "We can see no reason this can't be here for two centuries."

Paddon, whose business partner is former county supervisor Jim Williams of
Loomis, said the entrance and first-floor customer service area in
particular are designed on the lines of a hotel lobby to make visitors feel
comfortable and welcome.

Brick, steel and expansive areas of glass filling the entranceway and
interior service area with splashes of light are part of the welcoming
motif. Comfortable fabric-covered chairs and tables provide impromptu
meeting areas used by both staff and customers. The long front counter is an
effort to show people can walk up to any of the staff members for
assistance.

"When people walk in, they should feel like a guest," Paddon said. "And when
employees walk through these doors in the morning, they'll feel like this is
a great place to work."

Unlike many office buildings, where upper-level managers automatically end
up with window views, Williams+Paddon Architects worked with the county to
develop an 'outside-in" approach at the Resource Center. Rank-and-file
employees are the ones close to windows with the enclosed offices for
managers in the center of the office spaces. That has meant more light
coming in from outside and more views for all employees.

Doug Hawk, an architect in the county Facility Services Department, said
partitions have been lowered to 54 inches or less in height instead of the
standard 64 inches to allow more light into office spaces. On the second
floor, 30 sky lights have been built into the building, with photo cells
that can automatically adjust louvers to change the amount of light coming
in.

Part of the planning process included a conscious effort to put the bulk of
the building's 250 employees under natural light, County CEO Tom Miller
said. And there are few spaces where employees can't see the outside light,
Facility Services Director Jim Durfee said.

Near the southeast corner of Bell Road and Richardson Drive, the new
Community Development Resource Center consolidates a number of departments
that have been housed at 62-year-old buildings constructed during World War
II as part of the Army's DeWitt Hospital. Construction started on the
project in late 2004. The contractor was Harbison Mahony Higgins Builders
Inc.

The new building has also been recognized for energy efficiency by Pacific
Gas & Electric's Savings by Design program. The building is 35 percent more
energy efficient that it is required to be, resulting in a $150,000 rebate.

The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.