Ontario DMV doubles capacity in a brand-new location
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, July 5th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Northeastern Oregon News
ONTARIO – On Monday, July 1st, the Ontario DMV office officially cut the ribbon on its brand location. Finally closing its doors at Southwest Seventh Place after forty years, the DMV’s new office at 215 East Lane North will nearly double the square footage, going from 2,090 to 4,050 square feet. As explained by DMV public information Officers Chris Crabb:
“Space had become a big issue at the previous office. The lobby was unable to accommodate the number of customers to be served and the parking lot did not provide enough space or access for the number and size of vehicles.”
Costing an estimated seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars to relocate, the new location (previously a retail spot for The Children’s Place) was selected based on available capacity, parking space, ease of access, amount of remodel required, and the available budget. Due to the costs involved, the DMV will likely operate on a longer-term lease to, hopefully, avoid another relocation in the near future.
As for the opening itself, roughly twenty people were in attendance for the ribbon cutting in addition to the following DMV staff:
- Dave McKay, DMV Field Services Manager
- Sarah Lien, DMV East Region Manager
- Dianna Price, Ontario/Burns/John Day Office Manager
- Staff members:
- Debra Horton
- Nohemy Turcios-Morejon
- Janel Borghero
- Isabell Mendez
Alongside the overall larger size of the new office (including 66 seats in the lobby), the Ontario DMV will feature a new customer check-in system that allows visitors to remotely check in and receive a text notification when their number is called. Other perks include easier access to I-84 and more back-office space for employees.
Going forward, Crabb stated that the team are excited about being able to better service the public in the new facility after years of preparation, writing:
“It has been a year of work and planning to get us to this point, and we are looking forward to settling in at this location and focusing on how we can continue to improve service to our customers. Thank you to the community for their understanding while we had to be closed and while we are working out some of the kinks that come during a move like this. Thank you to the staff and all the people who helped make this move successful!”
