Boone County Clerk’s Office to get $200,000 makeover to meet security requirements and adapt to changes in voter behavior

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Government has several maintenance and renovation projects planned in the coming months, including a makeover for the Boone County Clerk’s Office.

County leaders met Thursday for a preliminary discussion on the upcoming construction project, which is expected to cost about $210,000. According to Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, the building was constructed in the early 1990s, and the office layout hasn’t significantly changed in more than 20 years. Officials say both the footprint and the needs of the office have evolved over time, noting changes in security requirements and voter behavior.

Lennon said the renovation is focused on improving customer service while adapting to changing trends in how people vote.

"We don’t have a large rush of people coming in person for voter registration anymore because many are registering online or by mail," Lennon said.

The project will include a dedicated training room for election judges—something the office currently lacks. Right now, staff must train across the street. The new space will accommodate about 25 people.

“We would really love to bring that back into the building because our staff are here,” Lennon said. “It’s better to be on-site and keep all of our equipment in one place.”

Lennon added that training sessions run for about a month and take place multiple times a day. The new space will also serve as a multipurpose room for meetings and other uses.

The redesign will also focus on making better use of existing space and improving navigation for visitors.

“It makes it hard to navigate from a customer service perspective because when you walk in, you’re not really sure where to go,” Lennon said.

To address that, officials plan to open up the front area by removing walls, pushing cubicles back, and creating a more welcoming entrance. A seven-foot wall with a large window opening will also be added, allowing staff to better greet and direct visitors.

"We want to make sure that we're doing this project as efficiently as possible," Lennon said. "So, the next part of the process will have to be tying to figure out when that wall gets knocked down,"

Officials are still sorting if they should move staff before or after the wall is knocked down and when staff does move will the add the new furniture or wait and just move the old furniture. Lennons said all old furniture will be re-purposed. The new furniture will include desk, cubicles and chairs and a table for the training room.

Beyond the clerk’s office, Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick said construction on the county’s $5 million public safety childcare center has been pushed back to early August due to weather delays. Officials had previously expected completion in July but still hope to open the facility this fall.

The 10,000-square-foot facility is designed to serve up to 96 children at a time. The building will have two levels, a main level and a lower level aligned with the basement. The lower level will not be fully outfitted initially, as construction will begin on the main level first. All rooms are being built for infant care. Director Amy Hayse said the upper level will serve children two years old and under.

Contractors have mostly completed lower-level framing and are expected to begin work on the main level this week. Rough-in work is scheduled to begin in mid-April.

Kendrick also said the elevator inside the Boone County Government Center will be replaced due to its age, with that project set to begin June 15.

In addition, Boone County’s new $20 million law enforcement training institute opened last month. Its first academy class is expected to graduate within the next month.