THOUSAND OAKS : Staffers Pack Up for City Hall Move

Amid all the hassles of sorting, packing, taping and hauling, Thousand Oaks records manager Deldee Watkins has discovered an unexpected perk of the city’s impending move to a second temporary city hall: new muscles.

“I’ve really buffed up,” Watkins said with glee.

With 5.1 tons of duplicate papers and outdated books passing through her office en route to paper shredders and recycling bins over the past month, Watkins has had to work hard for her pumped-up physique.

As coordinator of a two-week “Shed Some Pounds” contest, she weighed each department’s trash on a doctor’s scale and tallied the total daily. The finance and human resources departments won the contest by digging out the most junk, though just how much, Watkins couldn’t say.

This weekend, the Thousand Oaks city staff will officially relocate to its new facility on 2400 Willow Lane, and representatives from each department predicted they would be ready to serve the public by 7 a.m. Monday.

City Hall will remain in the Willow Lane building, which is one and a half times bigger than the current facility on West Hillcrest Drive, until the Civic Arts Plaza opens in fall, 1994.

Amgen, the pharmaceutical company that bought the West Hillcrest building from the city, will cover moving costs, estimated at $24,000, according to Assistant City Manager MaryJane Lazz. Amgen has also agreed to provide city staff with the furnished Willow Lane facility rent free.

City offices will retain the same phone extensions in the new building, although some fax numbers might change.

Having gone through a similar move five years ago, when Thousand Oaks transferred its headquarters down the street from 401 to 2150 W. Hillcrest Drive, most employees seemed unruffled by the packing boxes lining their offices.