DMV office loses its cool, shuts down

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.

By 3 p.m. on Tuesday the Henderson Department of Motor Vehicle building on American Pacific Drive was empty.

Officials at the 4-year-old building closed operations after the air conditioning failed, field services manager Kathy Morin said.

Once the temperature in the building jumped over the 100-degree mark, managers closed the office for the protection of customers, employees and computers, Morin said.

It wasn't the first time getting license plates or taking a driving test was interrupted because of cooling problems.

"The air conditioning has been out every year since the building opened, but it usually happens in June or July," DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said. "This year the air conditioner waited until September."

Temperature troubles began last week when a fan failed inside the main cooling unit. A state Buildings and Grounds Division repair crew replaced the fan and was looking for new problems.

At the time doors closed, 70 people stood in line with tickets in hand.

They were all processed, Morin said. Employees taking care of customers squelched the heat by grabbing bottled water from an ice-filled refrigerator.

In addition to customers, 40 employees were also affected. They were sent to other DMV offices around the city.

The office was expected to reopen this morning, but keeping it open depends on the air conditioning unit, Malone said. If it is not fixed and the daytime temperature outside reaches the mid-90s, it could close this afternoon.

For those with simple requests, such as renewing a registration, DMV officials advised using the department's website at www.dmvnv.com