Ceremony dedicates opening of William J. Carroll Government Center

September 11, 2012

A building dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 11 ushered in the William J. Carroll Government Center as the newest location in Solano County for residents to get health and social services in one stop.

The facility is named in honor of former Solano County Supervisor and Vacaville Mayor William J. Carroll.  It is the first County building named in honor of an individual, paying tribute to Carroll's 36 years of public service and commitment to the residents of Solano County and his steadfast support for health care.

"This building symbolizes the commitment of Bill Carroll and his colleagues on the Board – then and since – to the goal of improving the health of Solano County residents," said County Administrator Birgitta Corsello.

The facility is slated to officially open for business on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The 36,864-square-foot facility will house a variety of Health and Social Services programs, including a Public Health Clinic, a Dental Clinic, Employment & Eligibility Services, Mental Health Services, Women Infants and Children Services, Special Inspection Bureau, Substance Abuse Services, Public Health Nurse, Child Welfare Services and Older & Disabled Adult Services.

The $19 million project was predominately funded by Tobacco Master Settlement funds as well as a $2.2 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant for a dental clinic made possible through the assistance of Congressman George Miller, D-Solano.

The facility includes an enhanced transit plaza, partially funded with State Transit Assistance Funds and Federal Transportation Administration and Transportation Development Act funds, that increases access to the services by clients relying on public transportation.

The facility was also designed and constructed to achieve silver certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, which measures environmental responsibility in a project's design, construction and operations.

Turner Construction Corporation of Oakland and KMD Architects of San Francisco are the Design/Builders for the project. 


Willilam J. "Bill" Carroll

Bill Carroll grew up in Vacaville and dedicated his entire career to enriching the lives of local residents.  After graduating from Vacaville High School, he and his wife Marge opened an electronics store in 1954 in downtown Vacaville known as Vacaville Music and TV.  Bill and Marge provided countless gifts of support, musical instruments and sponsorship to local musicians and music programs for more than 40 years.  

Bill began his second career in public service in 1967 with the Vacaville Planning Commission.  In 1970 he was elected to the Vacaville City Council and in 1980 became the first mayor directly elected by Vacaville voters.  He served on the City Council until 1991 when he was elected to the Solano County Board of Supervisors, representing District 4 through three terms until 2003.
 
He championed the drive to pass a measure to create full-time paramedic services in Vacaville.  He spent years serving on the Board of Directors for both NorthBay Medical Center and Vaca Valley Hospital.  

In 2006, the Board recognized the contributions that Bill made to the community and supported Supervisor Vasquez's suggestion that the building have the name of William J. Carroll to recognize this commitment. 

“It is appropriate that this building and its mission would be Bill’s legacy.  During his life as a public servant, Bill provided his support to enrich health and welfare services throughout the region,” Corsello said.