Utilities customer service to remain in Citizens Tower lobby after flood repairs

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Citizens Tower and the City of Lubbock Utilities Customer Service Center have undergone a multi-million dollar restoration effort after flooding in March of 2021, but as employees move back in, customers will not return to the center.

“Now that the repairs are complete, we have moved the call center back into the new call center that was established when Citizens Tower was opened up, but we’ve kept the customer-facing aspect of it here in the Citizens Tower lobby,” Matt Rose, spokesperson for City of Lubbock Utilities, said. “Customers, they’ve been doing it for several months and are used to coming in here and conducting business.”

At its June 28 meeting, the Lubbock City Council approved a change to the construction contract with Lee Lewis Construction Inc., which handled the repairs, and returned unused contingency funds back to the General Fund. According to the budget documents, at least $2.7 million has been spent on repairs.

The March 12, 2021 flooding event in the tunnels of Citizens Tower flowed into the Customer Service Center across the street.

“The water that got into the call center was at such a level that it damaged a lot of the electrical equipment and the walls,” Rose said. “It was a process of having to go back and repair all of that electrical equipment, repair everything going up a certain amount on the wall so that everything functioned properly and it was safe for our employees going forward.”

Rose told KCBD the in-person customer service space at the original building is now being used by employees working on special projects, such as LP&L’s move to electric retail competition.

“We’ve brought on onboard employees and different folks that are working on these projects, so we’re utilizing that space now for those project teams,” Rose said. “But, it’s important that customers always have a place where they can go and talk to somebody in-person, can conduct business with City of Lubbock Utilities. We found that the lobby here at Citizens Tower continues to be a good place to do that.”

Rose says there may be a decision to reopen the original lobby, so the current arrangement may not be long-term.

“There may be a move back to the Customer Service Center in the future, but not before we do plenty of ramp-up and education to let folks know where they go to conduct business with City of Lubbock Utilities.”

Rose encourages customers to also utilize the City of Lubbock Utilities website for more customer service options.

Copyright 2022 KCBD. All rights reserved.