Agency's Lindale move may vex clients

Jun 25, 2010 — The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Dave DeWitte

Jun. 25, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- CEDAR RAPIDS Iowa Workforce Development's move to a new IowaWorks' Center at Lindale Mall on Aug. 2 will inconvenience some clients, an agency manager acknowl edge edged Thursday. d Thursday.

Th e problem: Iowa force DevelopmkWor s to be out of its want The problem: Iowa Workforce Development wants to be out of its current office at 800 Seventh St. SE about a week before it can open the new rent office at 800 Seve

St. S E about a week b t can open the nifore ale office.

Lind Lindale office. Iowa Workfor Develop ment's fa ties staff Iowa Workforce Development's facilities staff in Des Moines is trying to line up a temporary office between July 26 and Aug.

2. No decisions have been an nounced on the location.

'There's going to be a week when our customers are not going to be very happy,' Iowa Workforce Development Center Manager Carlos Vega told the Region 10 Regional Workforce Development Board on Thursday.

Vega said the location of the temporary facility will be posted at the current location on Seventh Street SE and at the future location in Lindale.

Telephone lines will be forwarded to the temporary location.

Ordinarily, the agency would simply have calls forwarded to the Iowa Workforce Development Center in Iowa City, which is part of the same region, but retirements this month of three senior employees at the Iowa City office will leave that office short-handed, making that option unworkable, Vega said.

The only temporary site option Vega had heard mentioned is the Kirkwood Training and Outreach Services Center at 3375 Armar Dr. in Marion. He said other options also are being considered. The agency is not being squeezed out of the old Seventh Street SE location earlier than its lease expiration date.

Rather, Iowa Workforce Development needs a week to clean up and restore the building to its originally leased condition.

The best news for Iowa Workforce Development clients is that the new IowaWorks center will be a one-stop shop for job-search and unemployment benefit services.

Kirkwood Community College will move its Skills to Employment staff from the Kirkwood Resource Center to the new IowaWorks Center during the week of Aug.

16, said Kim Johnson, Kirkwood associate vice president of continuing education.

Johnson said work on integrating the two organizations' staffs will be done in September or early October. An open house at the new facility is planned after that.

The new IowaWorks Center will be located on the lower level of Lindale Mall.

-- Comments: (319) 398-8317; david.dewitte@gazcomm.com

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