San Rafael, CA – With plans for a new West Marin Service Center in full swing, staff members with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will open temporary offices in Point Reyes Station in April so the staff doesn’t miss a beat in serving West Marin residents during construction of its new building.
(From left) Teresa Newman, Christy Hernandez and Carmen Giron are some of the Health and Human Services staff members who are making adjustments over the next 18 months during the reconstruction of the West Marin Service Center (Kathleen Roach photo).Construction bids are being solicited now for the new and expanded facility at 100 6th Street in Point Reyes Station. During the construction project, HHS services will be offered temporarily at the Point Reyes Public Safety Building at 101 4th Street and at a nearby rented office at 65 3rd Street, Suite 27.
The 428-square-foot community meeting room within the Point Reyes Public Safety Building will be the home to HHS programs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting April 3. The public safety building houses the Marin County Fire Department, a Marin County Sheriff’s Office substation, and a HAM radio disaster communications center.
The 928-square-foot supplementary suite on 3rd Street, just one block away from the fire station, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The County will pay monthly rent of $2,200 plus utilities for the additional suite.
“We are so appreciative of the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office staff as they allow us to share their space,” said HHS Social Services Program Manager Patty Lyons, who directs staff at the West Marin Service Center. “The West Marin community can be confident and comforted that there will be very little disruption to the level of service we provide, and we believe they’ll really love the new building when it’s completed.”
The West Marin Service Center staff partners with community members and agencies to support self-help groups, crime victims, educational programs, and specific services for women, children, seniors and those with legal needs. In addition, it offers HHS programs for medical benefits, food assistance, mental health, child protective services, adult social services, in-home supportive services, and economic assistance.
Opened in 1972, the West Marin Service Center has experienced increased demands for services in recent years, often for health care. Faced with more public assistance cases and expansions in mental health and aging services, HHS concluded that the existing building did not have the capacity to meet community needs. A facility evaluation study in 2014 came to the same conclusion, and County facilities managers began looking for temporary quarters.
A major remodel of the existing building has been designed and permitted, with bidding for construction open through April 4. Construction is anticipated to start in May.
“HHS is very excited about the remodel project because it will ensure that we are able to continue to provide quality services to our residents in West Marin,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, HHS Director.
Services currently offered at the West Marin Service Center will begin transitioning to new locations at the end of March. HHS plans to relocate its Public Assistance Eligibility and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) staff to the public safety building community meeting room starting April 3. Personnel from Social Services, Public Health and Behavioral Health Services will move to the new rented office on 3rd Street as of April 24.
The remodeling of the West Marin Service Center is expected to take about 18 months, according to the Marin County Department of Public Works.