DMV to reopen Monday after big renovation in Albion

Photos by Ginny Kropf: County clerk Nadine Hanlon poses with three motor vehicle application examiners in their new work area. The department was closed this week for a complete remodeling. Behind the counter are Jillian Belgiorno, Danielle Derisley and Kasey Sprester.

ALBION – When Nadine Hanlon took office as Orleans County clerk in 2021, she knew one thing she wanted to do – update the Department of Motor Vehicles.

It had been years since the area had had any attention. Mauve paint was fading, a border of license plates rimmed the room, cabinets were falling apart, furniture was outdated and there were unneeded storage areas which could be put to better use.

As county clerk, the office of DMV falls under Hanlon’s jurisdiction, with deputy clerk Pam Boyer overseeing the office. Phase one of the renovation began in June with staff training and updating the break room and deputy clerk’s office. Two weeks ago, Hanlon gave the OK for the rest of the work to begin, necessitating the office close completely this past week.

Photos from Nadine Hanlon: (Left) This is how the customer service windows looked before a complete remodeling of the Department of Motor Vehicles this month. (Right) The entire customer service area of Orleans County’s Department of Motor Vehicles was redone while the office was closed this week. This is the customer service area, looking toward the east end of the room. It shows the new flooring in that side of the room.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: This is the DMV area after the renovation, with the new customer service windows in earth tones.

Work done by Buildings and Grounds of the county Department of Public Works included installing new flooring in all but the front of the office, installing new cabinets, removing the wallpaper border of license plates, painting the room in a neutral tone, new counters and chairs, and most importantly, putting up a partition to create a private room for testing.

Previously, those taking tests were exposed to noise from the rest of the room and had little privacy. Hanlon hopes now more people will consider coming to Albion for their motor vehicle transactions.

The renovation also required contacting the State Information Technology Service to move cables.

“What we’ve done is free up space, remove old cabinets, purge stuff we didn’t need any longer and create more storage for plates which have to be locked up and more security for paperwork,” Hanlon said.

County Clerk Nadine Hanlon, who oversees the Department of Motor Vehicles, shows off the room now partitioned off for testing.

The new space is brighter and creates a happier atmosphere for employees and customers, she said.

“Our number one thing is to give 100 percent to our customers,” she said. “Customer service is of utmost importance.”

While the office was closed to the public this past week, employees continued to do dealer work, check mail and take care of the drop box.

The Orleans County DMV office completes more than 3,000 transactions a month, Hanlon said.

Six motor vehicle application examiners serve customers. They are deputy clerk Pam Bower, Jillian Belgiorno, senior MV application examiner Danielle Derisley, Amber Skrip, Maritzka Knight and new hire Kasey Sprester.

The employees like their new office space. Skrip said it is “very open and bright.”

Derisley called it “very user friendly.”

“I couldn’t wait to see it finished,” she said.

The office will reopen at its regular hours on Monday. They are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with customers asked to be in line by 3 p.m. for new permits or 3:15 p.m. for others.

Motor vehicle application examiners Kasey Sprester and Amber Skrip are seated in the area where customer pictures will be taken.