Ottawa Driver Services facility permanently closing Saturday

After Saturday, Ottawa residents will have to travel to La Salle or Streator for the nearest Driver Services facility.

The Ottawa Driver Services facility will permanently close at the end of business on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The property's lease was not renewed by the owner of the building, located at 404 Stevenson Road, according to a press release from the secretary of state's office.

However, the office is seeking a new location in Ottawa.

Those at La Salle's facility Tuesday agree that the office is about to be very busy when Ottawa-area residents can’t receive services at the Ottawa site.

“They’re busy all the time,” said Miguel Guerrero, of La Salle, about La Salle’s facility. He was there with his wife, Rosa, Tuesday afternoon to get a new vehicle title. “Parking here is hard,” Rosa said.

“They’re busy all day, every day,” said Tom Ptak, a La Salle alderman who leases La Salle’s Driver Services facility to the state.

He doesn’t think parking will be an issue because there is free city parking to the south of the DMV.

No new location or timeline for a new Ottawa location has been finalized yet, said Henry Haupt, press secretary for Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

He said the office is “actively engaged in discussions” for a new site.

A specific reason why the building owner didn’t want to renew the lease wasn’t available.

Jesse White’s office will send the Ottawa DMV employees to the following locations: One employee to La Salle, one to Streator, one to Mendota and two will go to Morris, Haupt said.

Shaw Media has also inquired whether hours/days will be added to area DMV’s while Ottawa’s is closed.

For online services such as obtaining a duplicate driver’s license or identification card or purchasing a vehicle sticker, visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

How many people did our DMVs serve in September?

Ottawa — 1,192

La Salle — 1,139

Streator — 619

Mendota — 555

Source: Office of the Illinois Secretary of State

Other area facilities include:

La Salle: 536 Third St.

Streator: 201 Dannys Drive, Suite 6

Morris: 425 East Route 6

Mendota: 108 E. 12th St.