With staff due to move into the new council offices in Wick in March next year, one of the items on the Area Committee today was to agree a name for the building which will house 140 members of staff.
Local Councillors, keen to have a new name to encompass both the refurbished original listed building at Market Place and to reflect the new works to incorporate the adjoining building at Stafford Place put forward the suggestion of Caithness House which was unanimously agreed by the Committee.
The £8.5m project involved the contractor Morgan Sindell demolishing the old listed building at Market Place and restoring the adjoining, Stafford Place buildings, retaining the listed façade. The new accommodation will be the base for 140 Council staff currently based in a number of offices in Wick.
When construction work stated in January 2013 staff were moved to the nearby former and vacant DSS office on Girnigoe Street.
The Leader of Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee, Councillor Deirdre Mackay said: "I'm delighted that the new offices now have a new name. Caithness House will be the hub of the Council in Wick and I'm really looking forward to seeing staff move in next year. The presence of 140 staff and people visiting the Service Point can only be good for local businesses."
Caithness Civic Leader, Councillor Gail Ross added: "The project represents a very significant investment by the Council to Wick and will help with the regeneration of the Town Centre. Having all our staff based under one roof in Caithness House is going to be more convenient for the public and good for inter-service working, as well as helping to bolster the Town Centre."
