Ryan ChartrandDon’t bother preparing for long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles after this week because there won’t be a wait at all.
For the next 10 weeks, the San Luis Obispo office located on South Higuera Street will be closed for remodeling and repairs. The closure begins at noon on Friday and is expected to end on Monday, Jan. 7.
The remodeling will consist of new paint, carpet and the installation of new modular furniture, said Steve Haskins of the Department of Motor Vehicles communications division.
“Renovations such as this are usually in the planning stages for three to four years and are funded by DMV fees several years in advance as well,” Haskins said.
While the office is closed, many services will still be available through the mail or the Internet, including license and registration renewal.
Through the Department of Motor Vehicles Web site, appointments can be made at nearby offices if the service needed is not available with the alternative methods.
The closest offices to San Luis
Obispo are located in Paso Robles, Santa Maria and Lompoc.
Employees of the San Luis Obispo office are temporarily being reassigned to the nearby locations.
This affects 15 full-time employees and seven part-time employees. These employees handle approximately 124,563 transactions each year, Haskins said.
“All employees involved are fully aware of the process each step of the way. The bottom line is that while there is certainly some customer inconvenience involved, most DMV transactions don’t have to be office-based, anyway.
The DMV has been publicizing its Internet site for years now with registration, license renewals and many other processes almost completely Web-based. Plus, when the office is reopened in a couple of months, it’ll be a lot more convenient and customer-friendly for those who still want to do a face-to-face transaction,” Haskins said.
The Department of Motor Vehicles closes about 12 offices each year for renovations. The San Luis Obispo office has not received any major repairs since its opening in 1986.
“It’s messed up that they are remodeling for so long . It takes too long to get anything done,” said Dan Williams, a San Luis Obispo resident.