SANFORD — Folks who have business with the town clerk, tax collector or treasurer’s office can now pay their property tax, register their vehicle or register to vote in a new, street-level office.

Completion of the new offices, located in some of the space formerly used by Sanford Police, realizes part of the municipality’s goal to have the offices residents use most frequently more accessible to the public, said Treasurer Paula Simpson.

The new offices opened a week ago, after being closed one day to make the move.

Simpson said customers have been complimentary.

“People are liking it,” she said.

“It’s great. It’s beautiful, and there’s more privacy,” said customer Kimberly Chretien, nodding to the chairs in front of each clerk’s window.

For as long as most residents can remember, the town clerk’s office has been located on the first floor of town hall. At busy times, those waiting to do business with the office were lined up in the main corridor, because there was no available space to wait inside.

And while the town clerk’s office was handicapped accessible via an elevator to the first floor, the new digs are at ground-floor level.

“It’s very nice, and it will be better for the public,” said Stacy Markland, who has worked for the town clerk’s office for 15 years.

For the seven workers, there is more space in which to carry out their duties in work station layouts that were pre-planned. Town Clerk Sue Cote, whose corner office space is at least twice the size of the one in the previous location, said the new space is “brighter and prettier.”

For customers, if there’s a wait, there are chairs in the modest-sized but comfortable lobby area, and there’s lots of parking at the rear of town hall, the easiest way for residents to get to the new space, Simpson said.

The rear parking lot at one time offered little in the way of spaces for the public, because until a year ago, the police station was housed at town hall and that is where cruisers were parked. Now, with the police station across Roberts Street, the back parking lot has plenty of 30-minute parking spaces, and from there, customers can walk through the sliding doors and take a left into the clerk’s office, she said.

The relocation of the offices was part of a package of town hall improvements that included new roofing, windows, a sprinkler system extension and a new alarm system that Town Manager Mark Green estimated cost about $300,000.

Money for the renovations came from a $300,000 bond issued in 2008 ”“ the same time the Sanford Police Station bond was authorized by Town Meeting voters ”“ along with about $150,000 in savings from the police department construction project and $150,000 in an energy upgrade account.

The renovations to the town hall are expected to continue. There’s been a desire expressed to move the planning and codes offices from the third to the first floor ”“ and to rearrange other offices on the first-floor level, among other possibilities.

Green said town staff will meet soon to see how much money is available and what the next project could be.

A brief, formal ribbon cutting ceremony to officially mark the opening is set for 7:55 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.