The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Tech upgrades should alleviate visitor headaches
by Olivia Lueckemeyer
After months of searching for a new location, the Gunnison driver’s license office has relocated to 108 E. Georgia Ave. While the hours of operation will remain the same for the foreseeable future, improved technological services should help thin out crowds and provide a slightly less excruciating experience.
Gunnison county commissioner Jonathan Houck explained that even though the Department of Revenue far exceeded the original February deadline to evacuate the Blackstock Government Building and find a new location, once it signed a lease with Trio Investment Enterprises LLC, the county agreed to continue supporting services while the landlord made the necessary improvements.
“My biggest goal in spearheading this for the county was to make sure we didn’t lose service, even for a small amount of time,” Houck explained. “Now that we’ve secured a location, we are looking at how to expand services.”
With the help of state representatives Millie Hamner, J. Paul Brown and Kerry Donovan, Houck is looking at several ways to expand services. Currently, the hours for the driver’s license office are 9:30-noon and 1-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The office is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. In an effort to expand hours, hiring a local to staff the office is one proposal Houck has introduced to the Department of Revenue, which in the past has employed individuals from Montrose or even Grand Junction to work in the Gunnison office.
“We have a good workforce in Gunnison County and a lot of people who can fulfill that job,” Houck said. “How can we work on efficiency? Maybe we can expand hours by having a more centrally located person.”
In the short term, technological upgrades will hopefully alleviate the lengthy wait times that many visitors to the driver’s license office have come to expect. Landlord John Messner said that the Department of Revenue will install two kiosks in the waiting area so visitors can register for a spot in the queue, as well as complete driver’s license tests.
“They should have a computer system set up where you can do your appointment online or do it there at the kiosk, grab yourself a number and an appointment time, eliminating the need to wait,” Messner explained. “They are working out the details but those are the areas where we created opportunities for data ports and power hookups for those specific things.”
A hookup for a TV was also installed so that the department could provide an informational display to visitors in the waiting room. The new space is slightly bigger than the last, with 600 square feet made up of a waiting area, an office area and a spot to take photographs for licenses.
“It’s relatively small, but it works for what they are trying to accomplish,” Messner said. “They were not interested in anything bigger.”
A five-year lease was signed with Messner, who said the department was so pleased with the remodel that it plans to utilize the layout for another regional office.
“It’s a space that was designed specifically for them,” he explained. “They are going to replicate that same space for an office in Salida.”
While the battle has been won in maintaining a local driver’s license office, Houck is committed to the bigger picture of expanding services within the county.
“Do I feel like there is still something to advocate for the community, which is more service?” Houck asked. “Yes, and I’ll continue to work on that; I’m committed, and we’ve demonstrated that there is a demand.”
