The Building Permits and Inspection Department of Athens-Clarke County recognized the need to greatly improve the document storage and retrieval method.  Archived documents, mostly blueprints and building and site plans, were not readily available as they were kept in an off-site storage facility which, itself, was close to capacity.  This storage facility was an old stockade and its condition exposed the stored plans to water leaks, heat and cold, as well as rodents and other vermin.  The condition of the documents stored there was such that they were being compromised by mold, waste matter and rubberbands securing the rolls of architectural drawings had melted into the paper.  The condition and location of the documents deterred staff from consulting approved plans except in cases of dire need.  It became obvious that something must be done to protect the department’s records and to provide staff members with an easy and safe means to located the plans required to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

Laserfiche and MCCi was the obvious solution to address this situation. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Board of Elections and Clerk of Commission already utilized Laserfiche with much success.  Due to the condition of the plans, it was decided to approach MCCi to scan in their archive of permits and building plans.  MCCi had both the technical expertise and the equipment to handle the fragile documents.  Also, having the database of scanned documents assured that the staff of the Building Inspection Department would have immediate ‘buy in’ to the Laserfiche system - as all the past records would be there - ready for the finding. Access to these documents was also expanded to the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department and to the Athens-Clarke County Public Works Department.  Public records requests were immediately simplified and conducted in a fraction of the time it used to take to drive to the stockade and search the shelves.

Today, architectural plans and building permits are searchable by index cards utilizing several fields including address, project name, and building permit number.   Athens-Clarke County Building Inspection Department has plans to continue and expand upon the Laserfiche system with the goal of providing more efficient and effective plans review and inspection.