Monday morning, a new county government office opened in Oakhurst.
"This building is going to provide tons of services that we provide in the county. But here, for people in eastern Madera County, the drive to Madera is about an hour," said Robert Poythress of the Madera County Board of Supervisors.
The building off Highway 49 and Junction Drive will house satellite offices for Madera County Public Health, Social Services, Public Works and others.
Soon, it will have an elections office, and there's room for expansion.
"We're excited to strengthen partnerships with workforce development hopefully to bring more services to people in eastern Madera County," said Supervisor Bobby Macaulay.
This building was years in the making, in total it cost the county close to $7 million dollars. It goes a long way for the mountain community.
"Having somebody that you can access on a local level is really important, I think, even from a psychological standpoint - just knowing that the county has services here," said Poythress.
The office will save thousands of people the trip down to the Valley, which leaders say is convenient and safer.
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