Waite Park to Select Construction Manager for City Hall, Public Safety Building Expansion

(KNSI) – Waite Park will interview construction managers to head up the expansion of city hall and its public safety building.

The city council had seven companies apply and whittled down the candidates to three. They will be questioned for 30 minutes a piece during Monday’s work session. According to the agenda, the proposals will not be known until the meeting because the bids are competitive. According to the city, hiring a Construction Manager At Risk allows Waite Park to turn over a project to a competitively selected construction manager who is then responsible for the work done by any contractors or subcontractors and not the city.

After the interviews, the council will decide on a manager. The council meeting will take place right after the work session, where they will officially approve the move.

The addition will give the city’s police and fire departments much-needed breathing room. The large commercial district means the number of people who work or visit Waite Park swells to 30,000 per day. Due to the heavy traffic, the number of officers patrolling the streets continues to climb beyond what the current facility can handle.

In 2022, voters approved a half-cent sales tax to collect up to $20 million for the project. The idea was to build a public safety facility in a new location; however, due to inflation, moving the police and fire department was more than the tax would collect.

In February, the council elected to use the money to refurbish and expand city hall and the police and fire departments. Waite Park hopes to begin construction in the spring of 2025.