The Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities celebrated Friday the grand opening of its drive-through payment center and customer service lobby with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and plenty of good cheer to go around.

The second phase of a three-phase DPU renovations project will provide customers access to four drive-through lanes in DPU's old parking lot as well as a night depository box.

The drive-through payment bays are located at the rear of the building and are accessible from either Cuttino Street or Windsor Street. The drive-through features a two-way camera system that allows customers and tellers to have visual contact with each other.

DPU officials tout the renovations as part of their effort to provide better and more efficient customer service.

"We did not have sufficient space, and traffic was backed up to Windsor Street," said DPU manager Fred Boatwright, when asked about the goal of the renovations. "It significantly improves the time that people have to wait. They don't have to wait as long."

DPU's layout was originally designed to handle eight cars in two lines. However, traffic, particularly at the peak times on Mondays and Fridays, tended to back up into Windsor Street. Vehicles were, at times, 20 deep.

Along with the exterior changes, interior expansions include a downstairs lobby, entrance and space for additional clerks. Four clerks will be responsible for inside and outside customers.

The lobby area will be designed for taking customer payments and conducting routine business with customer service agents and is accessible from the Cuttino Street side of the DPU building.

The facility is handicap accessible.

Work on the administrative building is part of a three-year DPU expansion plan. The ongoing project is the first major overhaul of DPU headquarters, constructed in 1976 when there were 41 fewer employees.

Phase 1, which began in the spring of 2002 and ended in the fall of the same year, overhauled the utility's parking lot area, creating more space for DPU employees and customers.

The lot, currently across the street from DPU, has expanded from about 10 parking spaces to about 60 spaces. Phase 1 also entailed relocating the DPU field sections unit.

Phase 3, which is currently underway, calls for the main level of the administration building to be modified and expanded, creating additional work and office space in what has become an increasingly crowded working environment.

Work on Phase 3 will require the present teller lobby, located in front of the building, to close Monday, June 13.

The new modifications are designed to continue to provide routine customer service work in front of the lobby for customer requests such as connections, disconnections, new services.

Renovations are expected to reach be finished by December 2005.

Together, Phase 2 and Phase 3 cost $1 million. The project is being funded by the utility.

Mayor Paul Miller said the expansion and renovation project is all about the customer.

"Hopefully, it will make it easier for customers to get in an out with that park lot expanded drive-thru," Miller said. "It is all in an effort to make it user friendly. This is just an extension of it (streetscape). It is all in an effort to improve our facilities and to make our town look better."

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