(Aerial Photo/Marty Sellers)

The new Madison County Service Center has officially opened.

The building, which houses the Board of Registrars and offices for license, probate, sales tax, tax assessor and tax collector, is at the intersection of North Memorial Parkway and Oakwood Avenue.

“The location is perfect, where people from all over Madison County can take care of their services here at this center,” Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong said. “But also a lot of people are now choosing to do it online. This is just another opportunity where we have made it so that you can do a one stop shop right here.”

One feature will be a kiosk to aid in queuing and getting visitors to the right office. Glass panels were placed to follow COVID-19 protocols.

In addition to larger working space, the site has a bus stop, bike rack and 351 parking spaces.

There will be a state-of-the-art courtroom. Probate Judge Frank Barger said more office space should improve efficiency.

“We are excited to have sufficient space and improved access that will allow us to better serve the entire community,” he said. “The Probate Court’s new space will include room for a growing staff, an area designated for long-term projects including the transition of paper records to a digital medium, a state-of-the-art courtroom, and much needed office suites for conducting administrative work of the court.

“I am grateful to the County Commission and their dedicated team for making this new facility possible. It’s a beautiful, functional space that our residents should be proud of and feel welcome to conduct business in.”

The Service Center project began in 2015 to identify and acquire property in Madison County with a focus on a central and convenient location for Madison County residents.

In 2018, Huntsville-based Chapman Sisson Architects began the design of the 60,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility. Following the 2019 purchase of 7.77 acres at the corner of North Memorial Parkway and Oakwood Avenue and an environmental impact study, the Madison County Commission awarded Huntsville General Contractor Lee Builders the $11.5 million construction contract in September 2019.

The construction was completed under budget by more than $2 million.